‘The Visit’: Creepy grandparent duo provides real thrill

When we sat down in the movie theater, we were at a loss as to where the “horror” aspect of “The Visit” would come from; the trailers that had so intrigued us were a blend of mystery and creepiness. Most featured a set of weird senile grandparents — particularly a grandma who crawls on all fours and scratches walls at night.

In “The Visit,” two siblings Becca and Tyler, played by Olivia DeJonge and Ed Oxenbould, stay at their estranged grandparents’ house for the first time. As their “visit” drags on, they become frightened by the old couple’s creepy behavior.  

We initially assumed that the grandma was possessed by a demon, or some cheesy horror movie cliche like that, but as the movie progressed, we found that “The Visit” defied nearly all our expectations in a spectacularly non-ghostly manner.

It’s rare for a horror movie to incorporate humorous elements, but director M. Night Shyamalan managed to do so without turning “The Visit” into a comedy. We found ourselves laughing and shrieking from one scene to the next, especially when  one of the characters, Tyler, decided  to say celebrity names instead of swearing. We couldn’t help but snort when he screamed “Carrie Underwood” upon finding a shed filled with bloody adult diapers.  

If anything, this movie lures people into a sense of comedic safety, only to thoroughly frighten them 30 seconds later,  making at least one of us scream — it was Kelly. That’s not to say that “The Visit” isn’t actually a horror movie; it still contains all of the necessary elements of the traditional movie, only enhanced with extra components of mystery and humor.

     The documentary filming style zooms in on the children’s point of view. The camera shakiness and sloppy self-recording limited the point of view to only one character. While irritating at first, this stylistic choice heightened our fear during the horror scenes, as it made the story seem more realistic and action-packed.

The plot of “The Visit” did not limit itself to only horror. It included a legitimate back story and a poignant family dynamic: the protagonists were trying to reconcile their  mother with their grandparents after a  past disagreement, while dealing with their hurt and anger at their father leaving them a few years ago.

The real gem of this movie is the twist at the end. Throughout the entire film, the viewers are kept in the dark about the overarching mystery of what exactly is going on with the grandparents. When the answer comes, it’s truly frightening in an unexpected way.

The opening  scary scenes  left matters to the viewers’ imaginations, but when the real cause of the grandparents’ strange behavior was revealed, we realized that the real explanation surpassed ours in how realistic it is. Needless to say, we walked out of the theater shaky and unnerved.

Not only does “The Visit” succeed as a horror movie,  it also manages to incorporate the best of of family drama, comedy and mystery. For that alone, we give “The Visit” our full approval and guarantee that it will give you your money’s worth.