Review: The Uninvited (2009)

"The Uninvited" is a remake of Kim Ji-Woon's South Korean blockbuster hit "A Tale of Two Sisters".

The story begins with teenager Anna (Emily Browning), who has been in a psychiatric facility for the past couple of months, presumably because of her suicidal tendencies after her terminally ill mother dies in a tragic fire. Upon her release, her father (David Straithairn) picks her up and takes her home, but Anna's happiness is short-lived when she discovers her father has formed a romantic attachment with Rachel (Elizabeth Banks), Anna's mother's nurse and caregiver who is now playing the role of soon-to-be stepmom and living in the family home.

                                         

Anna's only ally and confidant is her sister Alex (Arielle Kebbel), a free-spirited and rebellious teen who also dislikes Rachel. When Anna experiences visions of her deceased mom's ghost, she comes to believe that the fire that killed her mom was no accident but a deliberate act perpetrated by Rachel. Anna also seems to be "haunted" by three pale children and the siblings' investigations turn up the possibility that Rachel may have been the nanny that murdered them many years earlier.

I’ve seen enough horror movies to guess what will happen in the end, but this one threw me off which is exactly why its great!

The effects are quite ho-hum in terms of scare factor - the crawling entity has been done to death (pun intended) in so many other horror movies, especially in Asian horror, that the effects have worn off for me. The ghost children are pale but not very creepy.

I thought this movie was really good. Not scary but all around suspenseful. It has some twist and turns and a very surprising ending. It maybe predictable to you if you have seen the original Tale of Two sisters as this is a remake of it.

             
The Uninvited is a well shot and supremely paced film ... I recommend that you check it out.

I will give this one 4.5 out of 5 stars.