It would appear that M. Night is one of those one hit wonders. He had great success with the Sixth Sense (which is a great film), but since then he has had some real turkeys like The Village and The Happening. The Visit is another that falls into that category, though it's not nearly as bad as The Village.
The film keeps you guessing, which is one of the only good things about it, you're left wondering what's going on with Nana and Pop Pop. Unfortunately with a lot of this sort of thing, what you imagine might be going on is much better than the revelation of what is really happening. Like when horror films only give you glimpses of the monster and the full reveal is disappointing (I'm thinking Jeepers Creepers here).
Nana's bizarre behaviour has you wondering if she's possessed or some kind of alien, but the truth is rather dull.
From one piece of clothing found in the basement, we're led to believe that Nana and Pop Pop are mental patients, however this just leaves you with questions, not least of which is how did the two escape? Also what kind of idiots share personal information with mental patients? The actual grand parents told the imposters that not only are their grandchildren are coming to visit, but they tell them exactly what day they're arriving and what time. Unless of course the real grand parents simply tell the mental patients that their grand children are visiting and then the mental patients escape, take their place and then arrange the full details of the trip? Seems unlikely.
Also, for mental patients, Nana and Pop Pop are convientiently lucid and 'normal' a lot of the time.
Overall, the Visit, like a lot of Shyamalan's films, could have been better. A good film premise, but let down by the revelation/twist toward the end.
Review of The Visit
