I almost didn't see this film because of all the hate for it on this site. I was going to skip it - considering it wasting my time, but my wife insisted. Afterwards, I was pleasantly surprised and glad we watched it.

It's not really a very typical horror film. It's not even a typical M. Night film. It is scary at times, but mostly creepy. It leaves you glued, wondering what's going to happen next. Which is what a film is supposed to do.

It's low-budget. There isn't anybody in it you would recognize. Which, to me, made it seem more "real." It's not perfect. It does have some clichés, some jump out and "BOO!" kind of scares, which turn some people off. It is NOT a 'found footage' film. Reviewers who labeled it that don't know the definition. The young girl is trying to shoot a documentary and SOMETIMES you look through the camera lens as she's filming. But it's NOT the whole movie and nobody finds the footage. The camera is sometimes shaky, but they are kids, not pros, and it doesn't do that very long. It does have very few plot issues that you kind of have to "go with." What horror film doesn't?

But - I've certainly seen worse thriller/horror type movies. I've even seen worse M. Night movies. This is the best from him in years. The acting was decent and the characters seemed real and flawed. The story was intriguing and it kept you guessing. Just when it seemed like it might be getting long, it was over. Not my favorite movie, but certainly not as bad as people are panning it. It's worth your time if you like this sort of movie.

I'll make you a deal -- If you don't like horror thrillers, don't watch them or review them and I'll do the same for romantic comedies.

In my opinion it's not even half as bad as people say it is. The movie is first of all entertaining which is one of the reasons why you would watch it? But also it is well made. The plot is very good and as far as i know original. The way it was filmed was great, any other way wouldn't be the same. I thought the director of this movie was great before and my opinion def didn't change after seeing this one. The acting was good. It says that it's a comedy/horror, you cant really expect to get scared in it like some people complain about. I wouldn't recommend it to a friend but it's worth the watch if you have spare time and don't know what to do with it.

The big question on people's mind seems to be, is The Visit a return to form for the once promising director, M. Night Shyamalan. The answer is yes and no. While the film is leaps and bounds better than his last 4 previous efforts which include: the dreadful After Earth, the boring Last Airbender, the inane The Happening and the disappointing Lady in the Water, it fails to be anything more than another entry in a long list of horror found footage films. Yes, M. Night Shyamalan has fallen far my friends, so much that just his name on the screen invokes laughter and groans from the audience. He has to fall back and rely on an overused horror genre to bring some sort of credit to his tarnished legacy.

His entry into the found footage genre is The Visit. What Jaws did for the water, The Visit might do for old people. When a mother of two young kids is contacted by her estranged parents, asking to finally see their grandkids, she decides to let her kids go live with their grandparents for the week, while she goes away on vacation. The kids are so excited that the film loving daughter decides to make a documentary about it. Bringing her trusted camera along for the ride, she captures some odd footage from her grandparents and weirder and weirder things start happening after 9:30. So we have to ask ourselves, what's wrong with NaNa and Pop Pop???

The one thing this film does right is something that Shyamalan seems to do well or at least use to, is create a terrific atmosphere. The old home has just enough corners here and there to raise the tension, to make us as ourselves, "What's behind the corner over there?" Having the film be a found footage picture, gives Shyamalan more control over the camera. He can choose what to reveal and when is trickier ways which put the characters in a bit more danger. One terrific sequence where Shyamalan is really at his best is when the kids decide to play Hide and Seek under the house. You expect the unexpected and Shyamalan delivers probably the best scene he's done in years.

The grandparents are excellent; they convey just the right amount of oddness and sympathy. Each scene that they have alone with the kids is when they try to explain away the weirdness of the other. NaNa describes why Pop Pop does the things he does and vice versa. It was an interesting dynamic between the characters that immediately tells you that they are hiding something. Unfortunately, the same can't really be said about the children. Two unbelievable kids, which means I did not believe anything they did was genuine. Whether it is rapping, yes the kid raps a lot, or the cinematic dialogue the girl uses. Nothing they said or did ring true to me, which took me out of the experience.

The Visit is creepy enough to warrant a watch for those that love the found footage films. It's shot in a way that doesn't lead to vertigo or nausea. You finally have a film where you get to see everything that happens on the screen, which was a nice change of pace. Shyamalan might not be back in the good graces of people, but The Visit is a decent start.