M. Night Shyamalan’s The Visit Is Free on YouTube

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Halloween may be over, but there is still time for horror movies. Writer and director M. Night Shyamalan has made plenty suited to November’s chilly days, including 2004’s The Village. His 2015 found-footage film The Visit is another choice, and one of the more unexpected achievements in his filmography.

The Visit followed a downward streak in Shyamalan’s career. Found footage was enjoying a boom at the time, and although the format was an unusual choice for the director, the film grossed $98.5 million worldwide on a $5 million budget and received widespread critical praise. It later seemed to fade from public consciousness, but 11 years after its release, there is a chance to revisit it.

The Visit is streaming for free on YouTube

A boy, seen from the back, looks at his grandparents standing in the doorway in a scene from the movie The Visit.

Olivia DeJonge and Ed Oxenbould star as siblings Becca and Tyler. When their recently divorced mother, Loretta (Kathryn Hahn), goes on a five-day cruise, she leaves them with their grandparents. Loretta has not spoken to her parents in 15 years because they disapproved of her marriage to her high school teacher. Becca and Tyler decide to document the visit with a handheld camcorder.

Nana (Deanna Dunagan) and Pop Pop (Peter McRobbie) meet the children at the train station. At first, everything seems fine, and Becca and Tyler wonder why their mother disliked them so much. At the house, though, the grandparents tell them never to leave their room after 9:30 p.m. or go into the basement. The rules put the children on edge and establish the film’s simmering tension.

Nana and Pop Pop soon become unsettling. Pop Pop attacks a man he thinks is following them, and Nana chases the children during a game of hide-and-seek. Tyler finds soiled diapers in the shed, while Becca sees Nana vomiting violently in the downstairs hallway. When the children question them, each grandparent dismisses the other’s behavior.

As events escalate, Becca and Tyler are left to decide what to do about two people they barely know. Their encounters, particularly at night, carry a sickening sense of anticipation.

Critics praised the film’s scares as well as its moments of humor. Its horror grows out of everyday life, a fitting setting for a director whose twists have become part of his signature. The confines of a single house add to the claustrophobia and help The Visit stand apart from its peers.

With The Visit streaming for free on YouTube, viewers can see for themselves what is going on with Nana and Pop Pop.

Source: Polygon