After ten months of treatment, Anna (Emily Browning) has finally been released
from a mental hospital. The teenager had tried to kill herself after the tragic
death of her mother. Although her mom was deathly ill, the woman actually
perished in a fire that swept through the boat house, which she had turned into
her sick room. Yet when Anna returns from the mental hospital, she finds her
father, a wealthy author, has basically shacked up with Rachel (Elizabeth Banks),
the nurse who cared for her terminally ill mother. Alex, Anna's older sister,
has reluctantly and sullenly put up with this outrageous situation. And so does
Anna--at least until she starts receiving some creepy visits from the ghost of
her dead mother, who--in one chilling scene--points right at Rachel and screams
"Murderer!"
And we're off! The Uninvited is actually a remake of the Korean film
Janghwa, Hongryeon, the highest grossing Korean horror film to date--and
personally, having seen the original, I have to say that I prefer the remake.
Although it had a killer twist ending--which is just about the only reason why
anybody remembers it--the original film was painfully slow and plodding. The
Uninvited avoids this pitfall by lulling the viewer into a false sense of security by feverishly following the
standard Japanese horror movie conventions. But it soon becomes
nothing more than a good horror movie with a delicious soap opera flavor. Add
a very dark twist, and you've got a satisfying tale in how it neatly wraps everything
up. The Guard Brothers, who directed this remake, very carefully pay attention
to all the little details of their own story, which enriches the film at the end.
In addition to a great directing team and a solid script, the Uninvited also has
a superb cast. Emily Browning is marvelous as Anna; she effortlessly makes you
root for her as she tries to get to the bottom of a lingering mystery. Arielle Kebbel is also very good as Alex, Anna's big sister and close
Ally, and Elizabeth Banks is excellent as the fearsome Rachel. The careful
nuances in Banks' great performance hold up--even during a second viewing of the film.
And the always good David Strathairn is great as the girls' dad. It may not seem
right to enjoy a remake over the original, but this is one of those rare times when
it surpasses the first film. If you're looking for hard-core gore, The Uninvited
may not be for you. But if you're seeking a fun horror thriller, with plenty of twists that make sense, then
invite this flick into your home.
--SF
Main Review Page | Thriller Page | The Uninvited
