Film: C-
The bar for horror has unfortunately risen so high that we are desensitized. Moderate successes are aped, often formulaic, and a stream of young faces that populate these films, phone in performances and desperately trying to manufacture frightened reactions to extreme gore, carefully timed audio cues and ogrish visuals. Is The Uninvited any different? It is actually, but it’s not any better.

A young girl named Anna (Emily Browning) is released from psychiatric care and reunited with her father (David Strathairn) and older sister Alex (Arielle Kebbel). The reason she was away from home was due to deep depression and mental anguish after her ailing mother died in a tragic accident. So it doesn’t help to see dad move on so quickly and carry on with his very young and fresh girlfriend, Rachel (Elizabeth Banks) who was, get this, her mother’s live-at-home nurse. Multiply suspicion and teen angst times two and you can guess where this plot is headed.

Alex begins to plant the seed in Anna’s head that Rachel is the cause of their mother’s death and Anna’s haunted visions allow this seed to grow like a Jack’s bean stock. Everything culminates to the ever-caring father leaving his children alone with Rachel for a weekend because, it’s just not enough that dead people within Anna’s circle and who is noticeably still haunted, he has a book tour to kick off. What does he care anyway, he’s got young hot tail waiting for him at home. Since he’s obviously not going to see the truth in Rachel, his daughters plot to reveal to him her true nature of being a first class bitch. They also live on an island with only one road in and out.

I’m being a little insensitive but it’s not far off. Truly the film isn’t as bad as I’m making it out to be. Acting is actually solid, the cinematography is nice, and the undercurrents of a real thriller are there thanks to the co-direction of brothers, Charles and Thomas Guard. Strathairn is fine as always, and Banks (who Hollywood is trying to sell as the girl who can play any part) turns in a nice performance as a girl-you-don’t-want-to-trust, but I was just disenchanted through most of the film. There’s just not enough here to make it memorable. Browning has that odd look for a child to make you feel suspicious and reserved, she’s great but that’s it. The night I watched it, I wanted to be scared shitless. I had hoped for some everlasting impressions that fester into deeper psychological digging, a post-film nightmare even, but his movie is so subdued it’s almost appropriate for daytime television.

Uninvited is a remake of the equally average but slightly edgier Korean flick, Tale of Two Sisters. It’s far less uncomfortable than the original with it’s handling of the father-daughter relationship that suggests a mild Oedipus complex. I’ve never been a big fan of Americanized remakes of Asian films, however, Uninvited does deviate enough to stand on its own and not be just another poor translation. It might have helped if the source material was bolder to begin with, though. Instead it takes the basic structure of Two Sisters and then knocks it all down in a clever and neat way, which, in case you haven’t watched many horror films in the last ten years is a wee bit trite these days.

Emily Browning and Arielle Kebbel in The Uninvited

Video: B+
The 1080p High Definition AVC-Encoded transfer is in 1.85:1 contrast ratio. Details like textures and scenery look fine. Contrast ratio was good, blacks were fairly deep and dark. Colors and skintones looked natural. This isn’t the sharpest picture quality with some noticeable grainy throughout the film but it’s overall acceptable.

Audio: B
Uninvited comes to your home theater through a 5.1 English Dolby TrueHD track. The HD audio is nice but it’s a little bit of overkill for what is otherwise a center channel heavy film. All of the scare effects burst nicely to help you jump out of your seat and some music / effects that travel to the rears. It’s nice, but nothing particularly special and a little underwhelming. There’s also a 5.1 French and a 5.1 Spanish Dolby Digital tracks available. Subtitles are available in English, English SDH, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Extras: D+
There’s just not much here but what is here is in high definition though and in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo.

Unlocking the Uninvited HD (19:00) – is a making-of special that goes down the list of usual things to discuss like the casting, the plot, but more importantly the comparison to the Korean original, Tale of Two Sisters and how they adapted this film in comparison to its predecessor.

Deleted Scenes HD (5:37) – 4 scenes cut that were unnecessary and actually humanizes Rachel’s character. The cuts were important because the point of view should remain on the protagonist.

Alternate Ending HD (0:50) – This ending doesn’t really change much of anything but it does take away some of the subtle ambiguity in the ending in case you can’t put two and two together.

Overall Shock Value: C-
Had you not known about Tale of Two Sisters, I’d recommend it as a weekday rental to replace your weekly crime investigation fix. In yet another Americanized horror remake, the filmmakers have a clear picture of what their story is. Still, The Uninvited lacks the fright factor that top-notch horror films have or the ambition of wanting to be better than something ordinary.

Ernie Estrella