The Uninvited

For my part, I find it excellent. I who usually hate horror movies, I really enjoyed The Uninvited, because it's not a horror movie, precisely. I would rather say that it's a thriller, particularly well done, which features Emily Browning, an amazing actress who plays well throughout the film. All the supporting roles are equally compelling, from the creepy stepmother to the protective sister and the ambiguous father.

But the real strenght of The Uninvited is its ending : completely unexpected, it is very well brought and remains logical with everything that has been showed to us previously, if we watch the whole thing again. A very nice surprise for me! 8/10.

The Uninvited (2009) delivers a solid 7 out of 10 as a horror-thriller with a captivating atmosphere and a few solid scares. It centers around Anna (Emily Browning), who returns home from a psychiatric facility to find her father entangled with a new girlfriend, Rachael (Elizabeth Banks), who appears suspiciously intent on keeping Anna and her sister, Alex, at bay. This movie is loosely based on the South Korean horror film A Tale of Two Sisters, and while it doesn't quite achieve the psychological depth of its inspiration, it offers enough twists to keep viewers engaged.

What works well for The Uninvited is its moody, eerie vibe; the setting and cinematography effectively build tension, drawing audiences into Anna's perception and keeping them guessing about who to trust. Emily Browning gives a compelling performance, and Elizabeth Banks shines in her layered role, adding a disturbing edge to her character. The tension builds consistently toward an unexpected twist that's clever, even if it won't shock seasoned horror fans.

However, The Uninvited sometimes stumbles with pacing, and parts of the plot feel a bit predictable. It's more of a slow-burn psychological mystery than a jump-scare horror, which may disappoint those looking for a more intense experience. The movie ultimately succeeds as a suspenseful, entertaining thriller but lacks the depth and originality to make it truly memorable.

If you're in the mood for an atmospheric thriller with a few haunting twists, The Uninvited is worth a watch-even if it might not be the most groundbreaking horror flick you'll see.

I haven't seen the original Tale of Two Sisters by Kim Ji-woon to begin with so I won't be able to do any meaningful comparisons. But if a remake is any indication of how the original is generally miles better, especially if done by Hollywood, hen it probably is worth my while to put the Korean horror movie in my to-watch list. After all, Kim Ji-woon's film is one of Korea's top box office draws when released.

There have been more misses than hits when Hollywood adapts what it thinks could be instant box office gold with its fountain of Asian content, and since there have been only a limited number of successful Asian horror releases in recent years, it had looked inwards and cannibalized on remaking its own shock/slasher films. This one took a long while to translate to The Uninvited, and I guess taking some 6 years indicated the filmmakers wanted to do things right instead of rushing through and come out with crap.

As such the directing duo of the Guard Brothers Charles and Thomas managed to find some balance between telling a psychological thriller, and moments where they can properly employ tricks from the usual formula book to scare an audience, with the usual light and shadows, smoke and mirrors, warped beings, decomposed bodies and jump cuts with ghouls staring down at you. Surprisingly it didn't rely on sound or lack thereof to add a further sensory dimension to set pulse racing, which I thought was a little let down in its moments to build up to the next "Boo!" If anything, the acting duo of Emily Browning (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, with pouty lips to rival Angelina Jolie's, and given special attention too in this narrative) and Arielle Kebbel shine as skimpily clad sisters Anna and Alex respectively, who have to rely on each other as they uncover the truth behind the death of their mom (Maya Massar). It doesn't help of course with Anna just being certified sane and safe to be released from a mental institution, and their suspect happens to be their nanny-turned-new-step-mom-to-be Rachel (Elizabeth Banks) whom dad (David Strathairn) intends to marry. Given the short run time of under 90 minutes, the pace is kept compact with little room wasted to pump in unnecessary subplots (unless set up just to provide an additional avenue to unleash horrific mayhem), focusing very much of the relationship between the two sisters, and their strained one with their father. Emily Browning, as the lead, of course had enough latitude to showcase a double-head snake role in being "nice" to Rachel, in order for some fishing of information.

That isn't to say there isn't any loophole that a jumbo jet can't fly through. Even if you have no background knowledge gained from the original Korean film, it is easy enough for sharp-eyed viewers, or those whose cinematic staple is horror films, to stay one step ahead and deduce just what is exactly going on. Which makes me wonder just how much it'll take for shockmeisters to scare seasoned audiences since they're getting savvier, and easily bored with the same old bag of tricks.

If anything, The Uninvited would have piqued your interest in the original, which has a longer run time and in all likelihood, the exploitation of mood and atmosphere that are quite standard tools for horror films from Asia, which is sorely lacking in this version. Nonetheless it's still one of the better Western remakes of Asian horror attempted.

When I sat down here in 2024 to watch the 2009 movie "The Uninvited", it was because I had entirely forgotten about the storyline. I have watched the movie once before, but only recalled the movie's title and it's cover. So naturally I opted to sit down and watch it again, as I had the opportunity to revisit it.

Writers Craig Rosenberg, Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard put together an enjoyable script and storyline for directors Charles Guard and Thomas Guard to bring to the screen. Now, I haven't watched "Changhwa, Hongryon" from writer Jee-Woon Kim, so I don't know how true "The Uninvited" is to the source material. I do like how the audience is kept in the dark as to what is going on, and when you just think you've got it all figured out, then the writers throw you a curve ball and puts you back in the dark.

I was, for the majority of the actors and actresses in the movie, not familiar with the cast ensemble, aside from Emily Browning, Elizabeth Banks, Don S. Davis and Jesse Moss. I will say that the acting performances in the movie were good, and they brought the characters to life in very believable ways.

If you enjoy an unpredictable thriller that throws you off and leaves you in the dark then "The Uninvited" is definitely well-worth sitting down and checking out. I was genuinely entertained throughout the course of the movie.

My rating of "The Uninvited", from directors Charles Guard and Thomas Guard, lands on a six out of ten stars.

I typically find newer horror movies to be cheesy, humorous, boring, and above all: not scary. You know that feeling you get when a movie starts to take its toll on your patients and causes your eyes to wander around the theater? You don't get that at all with this film. This movie grabbed me from the beginning and refused to let go. The film's music score is extremely effective at creating a suspenseful and uneasy viewer sensation, which I think deserves full appreciation for the movie's ghostly flavor. Without any doubt, appropriate music in a movie is like butter on popcorn. Would Jaws scare you without the renowned theme music? The cast was nothing less then superb. Emily Browning was perfect at playing the "sad, quiet girl with horrible visions" role. I'm not going to spoil it for anyone, but the ending of this movie really twists your mind and makes you think. I found it to be an adequate yet abrupt closure for the story despite how it is following a certain trend with recent horror movie endings.