‘The Visit,’ starring Olivida DeJonge, is the most watched movie on Max in the United States this week (as for Jan. 11th), according to FlixPatrol. The horror film, write, co-produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, has surpassed the crime thriller ‘Seven,’ which is now second.
Apart from DeJonge, the movie stars Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie, and Kathryn Hahn. The story centers around Becca (DeJonge) and her younger brother Tyler (Oxenbould) who go to stay with their estranged grandparents, but they notice something’s off about them.
The film was originally released in 2015, and it was a total success, commercially and critically. ‘The Visit’ grossed $98.5 million worldwide against a $5 million production budget, apart from enchanting critics.
‘The Visit’ is the modern-day Hansel and Gretel
The film was praised for combining comedic elements with the horror and suspense. Scott Mendelson of Forbes, for example, said that it captured the essence of Shyamalan’s earlier acclaimed works, especially due to its characters and the standout performances.
Meanwhile, the movie was also compared to a fairy tale, specifically ‘Hansel and Gretel.’ In another positive review, Manohla Dargis (The New York Times) said that the story worked due to its simplicity and timeless themes, such as children facing danger.
In general, the movie was received as one of the best Shyamalan’s movies in recent years. Through “The Visit,” he recaptured the magic of his earlier hits (such as The Sixth Sense or Unbreakable) thanks to his unique blend of suspense and humor.
‘The Visit’ plays with the fear of getting old
In an interview with Geeks of Doom, Shyamalan said that when he wrote the script of The Visit he was thinking about the “fear of getting old, which is a variation of our fear of dying,” and that he wanted to play “on that is a powerful conceit.”
The director, who is known for his shocking plot twists, also said that in order to pull those off, the filmmaker “have to have confidence to make them think that the shape is ‘this’ and then morph into another one.”
You can stream The Visit on Max.