DVD Reviews

The Uninvited – Blu-ray Review

By Patrick Luce May 17, 2009, 14:22 GMT

The film stars Emily Browning (Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events) as Anna, a girl who is driven by her mother’s ghost to investigate her untimely death. When her father (David Strathairn, The Spiderwick Chronicles) becomes engaged to Rachel (Elizabeth Banks, Role Models), her mother’s former nurse, Anna and her sister (Arielle Kebbel, The Grudge 2) look into Rachel’s past and begin to suspect that she is not what she ...more

Although it is light on scares, The Uninvited manages to entertain thanks to a twist ending that you might not see coming. The PG-13 rating keeps the film’s thrills light, but the plot will hold your interest – even if it is safe to watch with the lights off.

The Uninvited was directed by Charles Guard and Thomas Guard and was written by Craig Rosenberg, Doug Miro, and Carlo Bernard. It is based on Ji-woon Kim's film "Changhwa, Hongryon." The Hollywood version stars Emily Browning, Arielle Kebbel, David Strathairn, and Elizabeth Banks.

The film opens with Browning’s character Anna in the mental hospital following an attempted suicide after her mother died. Her mother (Maya Massar) had been suffering from cancer and died in a freak accident when the boat house she was living in exploded due to a gas leak.

Anna comes home to discover that her father (Strathairn) has started a romance with the mom’s former nurse, Rachael (Banks), and has trouble adjusting to the new romance. She also starts to believe Rachael might have had a hand in the “accident” that caused her mother’s death, and convinces her sister, Alex (Kebbel), to help investigate the woman.

The film moves along at a predictable pace with the two girls slowly unraveling the mystery of Banks’ character, and Browning seeing ghostly images – which warn her of the danger from Banks.

The plot picks up speed as the sisters start to believe that Banks plans to kill them to keep them from telling the truth, and decide they have to get the evidence (a pearl necklace) that will force their father and the cops to believe their claims.

This leads to a showdown between the girls and Banks, and also sets up the film’s twist ending – which I didn’t see coming the first time I watched it. In my opinion, the twist saved the film, and makes it worth taking the time to watch.

The Uninvited is a solid release on Blu-ray and looks really sharp in the 1080p high definition picture. The film is light on gore, but the ghostly images might send a shiver or two down your spine.

The filmmakers do a good job of making The Uninvited feel like a classic ghost story, and the actors do solid work in their roles. Browning and Kebbel are believable as sisters, and Banks gives an excellent performance as the “wicked stepmother.” The performances help make the film move forward, but the predictable trappings might make you give up on it before the big revealing twist at the end.

The Blu-ray comes with some standard special features which include a look at how the movie was made, and a handful of deleted scenes that don’t really add much to the movie. It also includes an alternate ending, but I preferred the theatrical cut.

The Uninvited is a decent little ghost film that might give a few chills, but is easily forgettable. The cast does solid work in the film, and the twist ending makes it worth taking the time to watch – just don’t expect too much.