Review: The Uninvited

To be completely fair, I have never and probably will never be a diehard horror fan. A distinct lack of new ideas and a constant retreading of familiar plotlines and clichés has left a distinctly bad taste in my mouth for the current state of the genre. Sadly, yet unsurprisingly, the Guard brothers’ debut film, The Uninvited does little to change my mind.

A very loose remake of the highest-grossing Korean horror film, A Tale of Two Sisters, The Uninvited follows the story of a young girl named Anna who is first seen leaving a mental hospital following the traumatic death of her mother. Upon arriving home, she finds that her father has a new girlfriend, Rachel; this annoys Anna and her sister, who had not gotten over their mother's death as quickly as their father. Annoyance soon turns to suspicion however, as it begins to appear that there is more to Rachel than she lets on.

I won’t, and shouldn’t, go on any farther as the entirety of this film exists for the sole purpose of setting up the climactic last few minutes. While many successful films have taken this route, I was unable to find this approach satisfying in The Uninvited. While the climax makes sense and yet remains surprising, it still lacks the emotional power that the Guard brothers were hoping for. This is due in part to the fact that The Uninvited really doesn’t make an effort to help us to identify with a majority of the characters in the film. In fact, the term ‘characters’ seems a bit off; these are more horror-clichés then anything else. Scantily clad teens, a painfully ignorant parent, the "so-nice-they’re-definitely-evil character", etc. They’re all there, in force.

However, The Uninvited is not without its bright spots. While overall pretty limited, the direction and editing in some scenes were of particularly high-quality, creating some genuine tension and suspense. Unfortunately these tense moments don't occur often enough. While there are moments with some pretty gruesome imagery, very little transcends into anything that strikes any real fear or terror. In fact, many of the “scares” induce laughter or disapproving head shakes more often than true horror.

Overall, The Uninvited is just another forgettable entry in the Asian-horror remakes trend. While it has its moments, especially the climactic final scenes, a majority of the film is one terrible cliché after another. If you’re into this kind of movie, probably those among you who went out and enjoyed The Unborn, then you’ll find plenty of the same here to have. Otherwise, steer clear of this yawn-fest.

Watch this movie online at iReel.com