M. Night Shyamalon is back...and getting good reviews from both critics and movie goers alike.  Could this be possible?

I remember seeing the first trailer for this a few months ago.  I thought it looked great...creepy...scary...M. Night?  The trailer really played up the horror aspect, and I knew I'd be checking it out soon.

Well, it's funny, because a friend of mine was going out on a date night with his wife and asked me what they should see.  I said the only movie out that appears to be worth seeing is The Visit.  They went and enjoyed it, but after a few minutes of praising it, he said he'd give it a B-.  Hmmm...

So, last week, it was my turn, and surprisingly, I feel much the same - I enjoyed it, but when all is said and done, I definitely can't praise it all that much.

It's billed as a found footage comedy horror, which ain't something that's up my alley.  But, in reality, it really isn't found footage (although there is quite a bit of footage captured through 1 of our main Protag's camera, as she and her brother make a documentary about their grandparents.  It's also not really comedy, but there are numerous attempts at humor and some scenes, although horrific, also have a comic vibe running through them.  And it's not really horror, either, but there is much to be scared of here, and in fact, there are numerous scenes that are quite horrific.

What it really is, is a little ($5 Million budget) pic, written and directed by Shyamalon, in which he has complete control of what he wanted to do, unlike several of his recent big budget flops, and I do give the guy credit, as this definitely works as intended.

On IMDB, it's noted that Shyamalon actually put together 3 different cuts of the film - 1 pure comedy, 1 pure horror, and the released cut, which is a mix of the 2.  I really would like to see the pure horror cut, as the humor here didn't really work for me, but is most likely aimed at a much lower age group.

No real need to discuss story or plot here, as it's pretty simplistic and given in the trailers.  And, as with all M. Night flicks, you know there will be a twist, and sure enough, there is.

For me, it dragged early on, but also kept me on the edge of my seat, as it was clear everything was leading to something pretty dark, and in that respect, it definitely delivered.

I doubt I'd have any interest in seeing it again, but as a 1 time viewing, it's a decent ride, to say the least.

Grade - B-

I haven't seen the movie or read much about it. Saw the trailer a few weeks back and was surprised that it was an M. Night movie.

I wasn't much of a fan of the 6th Sense but liked Unbreakable and Signs was cool in my book. Rest of his movies were bad. The Village being... meh, okay-ish.

Anyway watching the trailer, this movie seemed dumb yet oddly intriguing.

SPOILERS:


Having only seen the trailer I assume the big twist is that.......................................


................. those aren't the real grandparents. Or they are but they went crazy for some strange reason.





END SPOILERS.

Quoted from Demento SPOILERS: Having only seen the trailer I assume the big twist is that....................................... ................. those aren't the real grandparents. Or they are but they went crazy for some strange reason. END SPOILERS.

Or maybe they're aliens wearing latex grandparent costumes that really look human...kind like Tom Cruise wore in 1 of the early Mission Impossible flicks.

Saw this yesterday.

It was pretty lame and predictable. It was slow moving and dragged, especially the first half. About 30 min in the twist was more than apparent. Nothing new or interesting here.

The actor that played the grandpa was good, the kids were annoying.

I'm hoping this found footage genre dies a fast death. It was okay when every few years you would get one of these movie but now every second horror movie that comes out is a found footage one.