Review: The Uninvited (2009)

Review Written By: Gaius Bolling

Release Date: January 30, 2009

DVD Release Date: April 28th, 2009

About an hour into "The Uninvited" i was about to write it off as a predictable murder mystery/ghost story with no sense of originality. Then a twist happens in the last 20 minutes (that I won't reveal here) that changes everything. It's one of those twists that makes you go back and re-watch the film to see if it works and once you realize how well it actually does work you begin to see the film in a whole new light. Others may see the twist coming but I certainly didn't and because of that, "The Uninvited" gets my full recommendation.

"The Uninvited" is actually a remake of a South Korean horror film called "A Tale of Two Sisters" (which i have not seen but is currently on a short wait on my Netflix que). Teenager Anna (Emily Browning) is being released from a mental institution after spending a year there following the tragic death of her mother. In the wake of that event, she experienced partial amnesia and has been having bad dreams. The house she returns to is strangely cold. Living there are Alex (Arielle Kebbel), her sassy older sister; Steven (David Strathairn), her loving father; and Rachael (Elizabeth Banks), her dad's new girlfriend. Anna doesn't trust Rachael, who was her sick mother's caregiver for the period leading up to the tragic "accident." Since Anna doesn't remember that night, she has a lot of questions - questions that are amplified when apparitions appear to her and hint that Rachael might be guilty of more than seducing Steven. Then a local guy, Matt (Jesse Moss), confides to Anna that he was a witness to what really happened.

I'd like to point out that the marketing for this film was a bit off. I'm going to assume it was hard to market considering how everything wraps up but "The Uninvited" is not a traditional ghost story like the trailers indicate. There are elements of the supernatural but they don't dominate the film. This is more of a whodunit and we go on the journey with Anna as she tries to figure out what really happened to her mother. The ghost element is used to advance the plot every so often and to generate a few cheap scares (in their defense some of these cheap scares do actually work). Guard Brothers, who are making their directorial debut with this film, are quite good at building tension and creating a very creepy atmosphere. They also expertly use the ghost story as a red herring to hide what the film is really about. Considering their lack of experience in mainstream film, I think this is quite an accomplishment. There is one chilling moment when Anna is in bed as "something" creeps toward her that is so expertly done, i found myself getting goosebumps. 

The film, in retrospect, works best when it focuses on the mystery of the plot. This is so hard to write about because I can't say too much but just know once you watch it again, you'll appreciate this aspect of the film much more than the supernatural elements. The film takes what we know about this genre (particularly Asian horror remakes) and turns it all on its head. The Asian remake market has been stale for quite some time now but "The Uninvited" makes a case that maybe there is more left in this genre to utilize. Oddly enough, the elements that make it better than most recent Asian re-do's is what may turn some audiences off from the film. If you're searching for a full blown ghost story, you may want to look elsewhere.  

All the actors are very good in their roles. Emily Browning, who I last remember seeing in "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events", is quite good as Anna. From the moment she's on screen you're connected with her and she manages to make Anna insanely sympathetic. As her older sassy sister, Arielle Kebbel exhibits both charisma and spunk in the role. I'd like to see her in more projects. Elizabeth Banks effectively plays against type as the evil stepmother. This is not the same girl we're used to seeing in comedic outings like "The 40 Your Old Virgin" and "Zack and Miri Make a Porno".

I love when horror films surprise me and "The Uninvited" certainly did that. You think it's going one way and it goes in the opposite direction. If you do catch this film make sure to look back at again after it's all over. I think you'll appreciate it a lot more. 

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