The Reel Review
First, the good news. This is M. Night Shymalan’s best movie in years. The bad news? “Best” for him still sucks because his other films are so terrible there is nowhere for him to go BUT up. The horror film’s premise is itself great – a couple of preteens decide to accept an invite to visit their grandparents despite the hesitation of their mom, whom has had no contact with them since a mysterious falling out 15 years ago. But within 24 hours of their arrival, the Norman Rockwell setting starts to unravel as the kids realize something is seriously amiss with Nana and Pop Pop. The whole “are they crazy or is this just how old people are” conundrum is very well played, but so much else about this movie rings false (the annoyingly precocious kids – please, kill them! – as well as a string of highly improbable coincidences) that by the time the not-so-unpredictable twist ending is revealed, all I could think of was the many ways this amateurish movie could have been made truly great with just a bit more creativity. Even so, it has enough scares and laughs to be mildly entertaining as long as expectations are kept low.
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