The Uninvited

Name: The Uninvited
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Horror
Released: January 30, 2009
Duration: 87 min
Rating: 43
Cast: Arielle Kebbel, Elizabeth Banks, Emily Browning

2009

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Mixed or average reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 87 Ratings

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6.4

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6.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 87 Ratings

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The Uninvited

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Movie Details & Credits

Paramount Pictures | Release Date: January 30, 2009 | PG-13

Starring: Arielle Kebbel, Elizabeth Banks, Emily Browning

Summary: In the suspense thriller The Uninvited, based on the 2003 Korean motion picture "Changhwa, Hongryon" written and directed by Kim Jee-woon, Anna returns home after spending time in a psychiatric facility following her mother's tragic death and discovers that her mother's former nurse, Rachel, has moved into their house and become engaged toIn the suspense thriller The Uninvited, based on the 2003 Korean motion picture "Changhwa, Hongryon" written and directed by Kim Jee-woon, Anna returns home after spending time in a psychiatric facility following her mother's tragic death and discovers that her mother's former nurse, Rachel, has moved into their house and become engaged to her father, Steven. Soon after she learns this shocking news, Anna is visited by her mother's ghost, who warns her that Rachel has evil intentions. Together, Anna and her sister must convince their father that his new fiancee is not who she pretends to be, and what should have been a happy family reunion becomes a lethal battle of wills between stepdaughters and stepmother. (Paramount)… Expand

Director: Charles Guard and Thomas Guard

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Horror

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 87 min

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Critic Reviews

James Berardinelli

The Uninvited is a flawed production, but gratifying in the way it delivers. The interesting and unique elements of the movie effectively compensate for the formulaic way in which the plot develops. Read full review

Chuck Wilson

A remake of the 2003 Korean horror film "A Tale of Two Sisters," The Uninvited is a Hand That Rocks the Cradle–type thriller that's been dressed up as a horror movie. Read full review

Claudia Puig

Don't be too quick to turn down The Uninvited. A stylish horror thriller in the vein of "The Ring," it's well-acted, frightening and handsomely produced Read full review

Kyle Smith

The horror flick The Uninvited is not unclever - but it is unoriginal. Read full review

Joe Morgenstern

The plot borrows as freely from Hitchcock and Henry James as from the Bard of Avon, and doesn't make scrupulous sense, though I'd have to see the film again, which I won't do, to make sure it doesn't cheat. Read full review

Empire Kim Newman

Poor remake of the Korean thriller. Read full review

Adam Markovitz

Horror standbys like mangled corpses and stone-faced children pop up regularly, but sibling directors Charles and Thomas Guard haven't quite nailed the genre's rhythms. Read full review

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User Reviews

Danil

Feb 14, 2016

Remarkable flick! Most horror movies can only grab your attention for the first 30 minutes or so and then they wear off and become predictable. Here they managed to work horror scenes into thriller perfectly. And that plot twist...

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

LindsayH.

Feb 1, 2009

You think you know exactly what's going to happen but a twist in the story proves you oh-so wrong. I wasn't bored of this movie for a minute- it keeps you on your toes.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

CatS

Feb 5, 2009

I didn't see the end coming *at all*. The whole movie creeped me out for days afterwards.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

FilipeNeto

Apr 28, 2018

This movie seems to have been inspired by a Korean production called "A Tale of Two Sisters", but as I did not see this film I do not know exactly if it is a remake or if it only removed some elements, inspiring itself to create a new story. This film revolves around a young woman whoThis movie seems to have been inspired by a Korean production called "A Tale of Two Sisters", but as I did not see this film I do not know exactly if it is a remake or if it only removed some elements, inspiring itself to create a new story. This film revolves around a young woman who returns home after a season in a psychiatric clinic, motivated by the early and unexpected death of her mother. At home, however, she finds her sister and her father living with another woman, who was once their mother's nurse. From here develops a thriller and a family drama where the human psyche is linked magisterial to the supernatural.

The script is very good, full of twists that enrich and heighten the drama, grabbing the public until the end, absolutely unexpected, despite the subliminal messages that have prepared it since the beginning, and the public ignored. The cast is headed by David Strathairn, the father, Emily Browning, the young Anna, Arielle Kebbel, the eldest daughter, Alex, and Elizabeth Banks, the other woman. Browning is flawless in her role, a complex and disturbed character who shows itself to be suggestible and gives some signs of a strong Oedipus complex. In fact, this young actress almost managed to monopolize the film. The filming mostly takes place in a secluded house, beautiful, on the seashore, and its isolation not only makes the place almost paradisiacal but also accentuates the feeling of solitude and vulnerability that sometimes feels.

In short, this light-hearted horror thriller is probably one of the most stylish and well-built I've seen lately. He plays poker with the public, hides the game until the end and manages to escape from the clichés, play with them, surprise us and frighten us without resorting to the usual recipes of CGI, gore, shocking images etc.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

horcrux2007

Apr 26, 2015

This is the remake of my favorite Asian horror film, A Tale of Two Sisters, so I think I set my sights high for this movie. I've gotta say that I'm a little disappointed. The movie is about this girl that comes home from a mental hospital, her dad gets a new psycho girlfriend after his wifeThis is the remake of my favorite Asian horror film, A Tale of Two Sisters, so I think I set my sights high for this movie. I've gotta say that I'm a little disappointed. The movie is about this girl that comes home from a mental hospital, her dad gets a new psycho girlfriend after his wife dies, and there's a ghost in the house. The supernatural parts of this were shoehorned in just to make it more appealing to American audiences, and the scares were mostly generic PG-13 jump scares with bad CGI ghost children. In the original movie, there was a ghost in the house, but it wasn't the main focus of the movie. Back to the crazy girlfriend, her story is what makes this movie interesting. There are a few good twists in the movie regarding her, and I wish that the entire movie was about the girlfriend rather than some random, unexplained ghost in the house because the movie's most intense scenes involved her. There's also this twist at the end that's really good if you haven't seen A Tale of Two Sisters. The Uninvited has a decently interesting story and a good ending, but it's mostly boring and not very scary.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

chrisk

May 13, 2009

Hard to follow after the strange ending.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

NickO

May 23, 2009

I kinda... well... hated the ending sooo good till the end...(i realy wanted the older sister to live) i just preaty much hated the end i mean you cant make that stuff up in your head.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

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