The Uninvited

Posted on April 21, 2009 at 3:17 pm by lkeddie | Permalink

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Released on DVD and Blu-ray on 19th October 2009

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Although Hollywood is at it again, wilfully selecting another Asian horror film out of the bag and rehashing it, this remake of the 2003 Korean chiller, A Tale Of Two Sisters, is a surprisingly watchable and engaging thriller with some very fine performances, and plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing at exactly what’s going on. It ranges from the supernatural, to elements of the sinister Hand That Rocks The Craddle, with comedy heroine Elizabeth Banks doing ‘creepy psycho stepmom’ rather well.

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The Uninvited centres on that age-old problem of ‘curiosity killing the cat’, resulting in the body bags piling up, so there are no untoward surprises. However, the Guard Brothers’ version does keep you on tender hooks in parts, whilst delivering that eternally frightening sequence made famous by The Ring of the clawing, bedraggled female slithering towards you. Yes, it’s all been seen before, but it’s that effective Far Eastern chiller trademark now that does the scary job.

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On first view, The Uninvited might appear to target the teen audience with its nubile, tanned, headstrong female leads, parental problems, growing-up issues, and some self-indulgent gory moments, but it does have a rather dark, cynical streak running right through it that other like-minded films don’t - possibility down to the Brit ‘tongue-in-cheek’ injection of its direction? There are also plenty of jumpy instances - even when you know they are coming.

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With hindsight, the film ends with a relatively obvious twist that, contradictorily, doesn’t actually appear that obvious straightway, so it does have some nice surprises, good layering of possibilities, and some mind-bending moments. But is it worth seeing on the big screen? Has it been lucky to escape the ’straight-to-DVD’ route? Being honest, it has some excellent casting, and Banks, alone, in a sinister role is worth popping down to the local theatre for. Plus, there is the balmy summer setting by the sea to enjoy, too. Hopefully, this film will be seen by more than just the teen audience it, initially, appears to be targeted at, and can be enjoyed by all ages.

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By Lisa Keddie

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Synopsis

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Based on Kim Jee-Woon’s 2003 Korean horror film, Janghwa, Hongryeon, The Uninvited revolves around Anna (Emily Browning), who returns home after spending time in the hospital following the tragic death of her mother.

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Her recovery suffers a setback when she discovers her father (David Strathairn) has become engaged to her mother’s former nurse, Rachel (Elizabeth Banks). That night, Anna is visited by her mother’s ghost, who warns her of Rachel’s intentions.

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Together, Anna and her sister (Arielle Kebbel) try to convince their father that his current fiancée is not who she pretends to be, and what should have been a happy family reunion becomes a lethal battle of wills between stepdaughters and stepmother.

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Film Facts

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Official site: http://www.uninvitedmovie.com/intl/uk/

UK DVD and Blu-ray Release Date: 19th October 2009

Directors: Thomas Guard, Charles Guard

Writers: Craig Rosenberg, Doug Miro

Cast: Elizabeth Banks (’Rachael’), David Strathairn (’Steven’), Emily Browning (’Anna’), Arielle Kebbel (’Alex’), Maya Massar (’Mom’), Kevin McNulty (’Sheriff Emery’), Jesse Moss (’Matt’), Dean Paul Gibson (’Dr. Silberling’), Don S Davis (’Mr Henson’), Lex Burnham (’Iris’)