Blu-ray Review: The Uninvited

Rent it, watch it once and you're covered

By: Brad Brevet
Published: Tuesday, April 28th 2009 at 1:53 AM

The Uninvited is an infuriating film. I remember watching it in theaters and hating it more and more as it played out only to finally give it some credit in the final moments as all of its secrets were revealed. I gave the film a C+, and upon first viewing I think it is a worthwhile grade, but as far as repeated viewings go this one offers very little outside of a slight curiosity. The second time around you get to watch the film knowing now what you didn't know then, but that novelty wears off quick. Despite this film's clever little sleight of hand, what it really did is lie to the audience the entire time and in a way that really takes the fun out of it all.

Based on the Korean horror A Tale of Two Sisters, The Uninvited is about 80 minutes of your typical PG-13 horror schlock and 7 minutes of ahhh, snap, didn't expect that. However, that moment of shock isn't earned as much as it is required. Looking back over the film you can see how the reality of the film works inside the framework of the concept, but where the film loses steam is in the paranormal aspects, which aren't necessarily paranormal at all… which actually is the problem.

The film opens as Anna Rydell (Emily Browning) is sent home after a stay in a psychiatric hospital following the death of her mother. It is this action that assures the audience Anna is of sound mind and merely needs to do her best to get over this family tragedy. However, it seems someone needs to check the diplomas at that hospital for their authenticity. I won't say anymore since I don't want to spoil the film.

As far as this Blu-ray is concerned, the film looks spectacular, not a flaw is to be found and the Dolby TrueHD audio track is just as satisfying. The supplements leave a little to be desired as the alternate ending is rather disappointing and the deleted scenes are of no consequence. I will give a mild pat on the back to the making-of featurette only because the origins of this remake are mildly interesting.

However, this is not a film to buy as additional viewings are pretty much ruled out considering the first 80 minutes are only a set up for the final seven, and once you have seen them there isn't much more to take away from this one. If you are a fan of PG-13 thrillers, though, it wouldn't hurt to give this one a watch, just don't expect too much.

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