In a sharp departure from his previous films, M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Visit” puts an unexpectedly comedic twist on what could have been another generic horror film — or, in Shyamalan’s case, another absolute commercial flop. “The Visit” is framed as a film composed by Becca (played by Olivia DeJonge), a pretentious, fifteen-year old aspiring filmmaker, and her charismatic younger brother Tyler (Ed Oxenbould). The frame story — a series of found-footage clips — documents their week-long trip to their estranged grandparents’ home in rural Pennsylvania.
Shyamalan did not shy away from exploiting all of the well-known horror movie tropes. Considering the entire premise consists of strange old people in a strange old house, the movie could have easily been dry and predictable, but it managed to be the complete opposite. From the very beginning — moments such as when Tyler fiddles with the meta-camera’s focal lens or when Becca berates a train attendant that immediately starts to recite Shakespeare — the famed “Sixth Sense” director infuses even the most light-hearted moments with an inescapable air of discomfort and invasiveness. Shyamalan also utilizes the ultra-common jump scare and silent hallway tropes, amongst others, as vehicles for wildly unexpected outcomes so they never seem repetitive.
Becca’s insistence on cinematographic excellence also helped push “The Visit” beyond the aesthetic bounds of other comparable films. Long drags of running, shaking and screaming through sheds and cellars, as well as scenes where the lead actress’s camera gets dropped on a floor sideways, don’t detract from a few beautiful shots of foggy mornings and light filtering through frosted branches.
Although M. Night Shyamalan’s filmography is littered with duds, “The Visit,” due to its attention to visual detail and avoidance of common genre cliches, is definitely among the best entries in his canon.
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