Just a couple of months ago, I was writing about American filmmaker’s propensity to remake Japanese horror films. With that well running dry, it seems some directors have decided to move on to Korea. Directed by brothers Thomas and Charles Guard, The Uninvited is not a remake of the American 1944 classic ghost story or the obscure 1988 mutated-cat cult horror film of the same name. Rather, the film is a reworking of the 2003 film, A Tale of Two Sisters directed by Ji-woon Kim. Produced by Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald (The Ring, The Ring Two), The Uninvited is the Guard brothers feature film directorial debut.
The Uninvited is a thriller about two sisters who believe their dad’s new girlfriend is evil reincarnated. As things begin, Anna (Emily Browning) has just spent 10 months in a mental institution after attempting suicide following the death of her mother (Maya Massar) in a fire. This tragedy was compounded by the fact that her Mom was bedridden and dying anyway, which adds a certain cruel irony to the whole thing. Anna is thrilled to be back home with her rebellious, older sister Alex (Arielle Kebbel) but is upset to find out that her father (David Strathairn) is now dating the nurse named Rachael (Elizabeth Banks) who took care of her mom.
The girls are immediately leery of their father’s new love; it’s easy to see why: she says everything with a creepy edge to it, reminiscent of a Stepford wife. Even the most innocent statements sound ominous with that kind of delivery. As it turns out, Anna and Alex have legitimate cause for alarm about Rachael’s intentions. The film states flat-out that Rachael is dangerous, and that’s where the frustration begins, as Anna and Alex fail to report to anyone — their dad, the cops — exactly what they’ve learned. Despite being armed with specific damning information, they don’t reveal it. And believe me; with some of the crazy stuff this woman does, it’s simply unbelievable that they would tell someone.
Anna also sees ghosts who have scary things to tell her about Rachael. The ghostly visions are pretty cheap and borrow heavily from other films such as The Ring or The Grudge series, with body bending villains moving about, with cheap, gory jump scares used to ratchet up the emotional intensity. In between all of this, is the fairly paint-by-the-numbers story of Anna and Alex’s attempt to try and figure out whether their possible step-mom is a coldblooded killer.
Bogged down by the pointless “ghosts” angle, The Uninvited offers nothing that’s really scary or builds a true sense of tension. None of the characters are developed enough to be of any real interest and since the film doesn’t offer much in the way of tension, the Guard brothers haven’t created anything memorable here.
Finally, there’s the twist–a twist so unremarkable, it’s stunning. The Uninvited spirals out of control during the final act as it attempts to confuse the audience into thinking one way or another. The result is incoherent at best, horrifyingly dumb at worst. While The Uninvited will likely serve as a great rental for teens, skip it, if you’re a true horror aficionado.
The Uninvited comes to Blu-ray with 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. This is a solid high definition transfer. However, It’s just the slightest bit dark in appearance, even during the daytime interior and exterior shots. Colors are natural, neither overly pronounced nor muted. Fine detail is nicely rendered. Everyday objects — a seatbelt and headrest in car or the subtle ridges seen on the printed page — all make for fine high definition imagery. The interior of Anna’s house is warm and inviting. The hardwood floors, classy furniture, and all of the minute details to be found around the house. The disc also sports splendid blacks and good-looking flesh tones. The transfer features a nice cinematic look and feel, the slight presence of grain helping to give it a true film-like look. Though not the most detailed or breathtaking transfer on Blu-ray, this is nevertheless a strong offering that does both the film and the format justice.
The Uninvited features a crisp Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack, featuring a broad range of immersive atmospherics. An early scene featuring Anna walking through the woods presents listeners with the sounds of the great outdoors — insects buzzing and leaves rustling — each playing nicely, primarily across the front but with noticeable support from the rears. The film relies heavily on music, both subtle notes to set a particular, soft tone, in addition to those that pound out in conjunction with the film’s more foreboding and horrific images and important moments. Also featuring strong dialogue reproduction, The Uninvited offers an inviting and sometimes even invigorating lossless surround sound experience.
The Uninvited has minimal special features:
• Unlocking The Uninvited (1080p, 19:00) is an average making-of piece that explores the making — and the meaning — of the film, featuring the usual array of cast and crew interview snippets and clips from the film.
• Four deleted scenes (1080p, 5:37)
• An alternate ending (1080p, 0:50)
