Now we could argue that the theme of the movie is so overused that there is no point in expecting anything truly great, yet, if you look at superhero movies you will find some, like The Dark Knight that make everything just right, and I really want to start this review, basing what I am going to say upon it.
Yes, The Unfamiliar is not original, it has however a better, somewhat of a The Others vibe to it, managed to trick me into thinking something else entirely and for that, well my hat is off. The problem here is the fact that it reveals itself too early and tries and manages to offer a lot of action in the third act, but it felt unnatural and even bored me at times. The ending itself is a bit too out there, but not a deal breaker, but a worthy conclusion I guess, and that is about all I can say without revealing anything that will spoil the action for others.
There are pluses, good actors/characters, good tension built in the beginning, some nice reveals, good offtrack throws, but they didn't really bring anything new, they simply did their job right but in the same way others done it before them. The people involved in the production of The Unfamiliar needed someone with more guts, that would have had the courage to go further and blend in some new elements here. All in all a good production, but still, nothing you haven't seen before.
I do recommend it, it should be viewed by horror fans, goes down great with junk food and beverages and in the end, it will probably be soon forgotten.
Cheers!
