"Will You Get Inside the Oven to Clean It?"
I am fascinated by M. Night Shyamalan’s career. Once a critical darling, and then ten years later one of the most hated directors in Hollywood, his name is now mud. The marketing campaigns for his last two films have tried their hardest to hide his involvement. He is in one of the worst positions you can possibly be in as a working director—nobody believes a movie can be good if it has his name on it, even though he has proven in the past to be both popular and a smart storyteller.
Shyamalan’s done something with “The Visit” that nobody bothers to do much anymore. As carefully as he can, as seriously as he can, he tells a simple, well-made story. In that respect, “The Visit” is one of the best films I’ve seen from him in years.
Shyamalan’s done something with “The Visit” that nobody bothers to do much anymore. As carefully as he can, as seriously as he can, he tells a simple, well-made story. In that respect, “The Visit” is one of the best films I’ve seen from him in years.
In some respect, Shyamalan’s treatment of “The Visit” almost feels desperate. It is a polished product that hits all the required beats and almost in a paint-by-numbers way, as if he’s afraid to deviate from a standard rising-action/climax/falling action script for fear of being mocked. At the same time, it is clear that Shyamalan has complete artistic control over his creation, something he’s had to fight for in the past, and the product is made even better by this. The small cast is filled with stellar talent, with huge props to our two child stars Olivia DeJonge and Ed Oxenbould who are engaging, intelligent, vulnerable actors from beginning to end. They carry the story, and the characters’ love for their family is the lynchpin that keeps the narrative together. Shyamalan gives the story space to breathe to build each character and give them strong wants and needs. Also brilliantly, he justifies the use of handheld cameras by giving the main character a passion for filmmaking; her youth justifies any of the corny tricks that are used in other films with a straight face, and her book-smarts allow her (and Shyamalan) to experiment with beautiful artistic shots and cinematic pacing. It is a hand-held horror film made USING classic movie camera work.
Above all, what I love about this film is something that is different from the rest of Shyamalan’s ouvre: there are no fantasy elements. Oh there’s a twist, you know how he loves his twists, but it’s so simple and instant, on the same level of “Bruce Willis has been dead the whole time”, in that it changes nothing about the world, but instead how the audience perceives it. But the true horror of “The Visit” comes from its firm grasp on reality, its understanding of real-life horror. The events of “The Visit” are not far-fetched, and because I was so invested in the characters, I was left on the edge of my seat.
Shyamalan probably made this film in order to prove his chops as a filmmaker. I would say that he’s proven he can direct a high-budget film again, except that all his high budget features in recent memory lack the grace, the tension and the craft that this film does. Maybe he’s just not meant to be making blockbusters. Maybe he was supposed to be doing these small, intimate indie features all along. “The Visit” is not a movie that will change anybody’s life, it doesn’t break any boundaries, and its silliness might turn some people off, but goddamn it it’s entertaining, and well told. Like what a Stephen King novel feels like.
If I were Shyamalan, I would churn out one of these every year and live modestly for the rest of my days. This is far more compelling than “Lady in the Water” ever could have been.
DRINK:
Spiked cocoa, or hot toddies. Something to make you feel cozy and warm.
POSSIBLE RULES:
-Drink whenever Tyler name-drops a celebrity
-Drink whenever Becca talks about filmmaking
-Drink when a grandparent does something decidedly strange
-Drink when the kids talk about their mom or their dad
-Drink when you see something disgusting
This review was written by Hollis Beck (Krissy Pappau). "The Visit" was produced by Blinding Edge Pictures and Blumhouse Productions, and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film is rated "PG-13" with a runtime of 94 minutes.
Special thanks to my patrons Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin, Caroline Kittredge Faustine and Antonia Beck. Your support helped make this article happen!
Above all, what I love about this film is something that is different from the rest of Shyamalan’s ouvre: there are no fantasy elements. Oh there’s a twist, you know how he loves his twists, but it’s so simple and instant, on the same level of “Bruce Willis has been dead the whole time”, in that it changes nothing about the world, but instead how the audience perceives it. But the true horror of “The Visit” comes from its firm grasp on reality, its understanding of real-life horror. The events of “The Visit” are not far-fetched, and because I was so invested in the characters, I was left on the edge of my seat.
Shyamalan probably made this film in order to prove his chops as a filmmaker. I would say that he’s proven he can direct a high-budget film again, except that all his high budget features in recent memory lack the grace, the tension and the craft that this film does. Maybe he’s just not meant to be making blockbusters. Maybe he was supposed to be doing these small, intimate indie features all along. “The Visit” is not a movie that will change anybody’s life, it doesn’t break any boundaries, and its silliness might turn some people off, but goddamn it it’s entertaining, and well told. Like what a Stephen King novel feels like.
If I were Shyamalan, I would churn out one of these every year and live modestly for the rest of my days. This is far more compelling than “Lady in the Water” ever could have been.
DRINK:
Spiked cocoa, or hot toddies. Something to make you feel cozy and warm.
POSSIBLE RULES:
-Drink whenever Tyler name-drops a celebrity
-Drink whenever Becca talks about filmmaking
-Drink when a grandparent does something decidedly strange
-Drink when the kids talk about their mom or their dad
-Drink when you see something disgusting
This review was written by Hollis Beck (Krissy Pappau). "The Visit" was produced by Blinding Edge Pictures and Blumhouse Productions, and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film is rated "PG-13" with a runtime of 94 minutes.
Special thanks to my patrons Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin, Caroline Kittredge Faustine and Antonia Beck. Your support helped make this article happen!
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