The Visit
Universal Pictures | Release Date: September 11, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
55
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
12
Negative:
5
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Arizona RepublicRandy CordovaSep 10, 2015
A scary fun-house ride that expertly blends jittery tension and laugh-out-loud humor. Read full review
90
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlSep 9, 2015
The Visit, M. Night Shyamalan's witty, crowd-jolting spook-house of an eleventh feature, is its writer-director's best movie since the tail-end of the last Clinton era. And it's the best studio horror flick in recent years, combining the but-what's-in-those-shadows? immersion of The Conjuring, James Wan's basement-wandering simulator, with the crack scripting and meta-cinematic surprises of Shyamalan's best early films. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleySep 11, 2015
A film so purely entertaining that you almost forget how scary it is. With all its terror, The Visit is an extremely funny film. Read full review
83
The PlaylistNick SchagerSep 10, 2015
It may not be a complete return to form for the once-revered auteur, but as an unexpectedly chilling horror concoction defined by skillful scares, it’s a significant step in the right direction. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTom RussoSep 15, 2015
It’s vintage Shyamalan, with a twist. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerSep 11, 2015
It’s a genuinely fun affair – let’s not write it off as a cult classic just yet – with the smirking air of a confidant and mischievous filmmaker. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyClark CollisSep 10, 2015
This is the first Shyamalan movie in a long time that viewers may be tempted to re-visit just to see how he pulls off his magic trick. Read full review
75
New York PostSara StewartSep 10, 2015
Like the film itself, it’s simple but well-executed enough. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskySep 9, 2015
A refreshing (and memorably strange) genre piece, premised almost entirely on a child’s willingness to accept grown-up weirdness as long as it ensures stability. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinSep 11, 2015
M. Night Shyamalan has come up with an unoriginal faux-doc horror picture that actually works like a demonic charm. Read full review
70
The New York TimesManohla DargisSep 10, 2015
The director M. Night Shyamalan has a fine eye and a nice, natural way with actors, and he has a talent for gently rap-rap-rapping on your nerves. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenSep 9, 2015
Refreshingly, this isn’t so much a found-footage movie – although it was backed by "Paranormal Activity" overseers Blumhouse Productions – as it is a completed faux documentary, complete with onscreen titles and a cripplingly hilarious end-credits sequence featuring Tyler being Tyler. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaSep 10, 2015
Isn't the whole handheld "real-video" thing kind of old by now? Isn't the Shyamalanian-twist thing kind of old by now, too? Read full review
63
USA TodayBrian TruittSep 10, 2015
The low-budget thriller deftly mixes horror-movie moments, pure strangeness and comedy like a family-friendly David Lynch effort as it takes audiences on one really oddball trip to grandma's house. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanSep 10, 2015
The cast of mostly unfamiliar actors also serves The Visit well. Shyamalan has a gift for eliciting strong performances, even when his material is lacking. Read full review
63
Rolling StonePeter TraversSep 10, 2015
No spoilers, except to say that cheap thrills can still be a blast. Not enough to make up for Shyamalan's awful "After Earth," but it's a start. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineEric HendersonSep 9, 2015
When the trademark Shyamalan twist finally arrives, it doesn't synthesize anything other than the director's devotion to his signature gimmick. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsPeter HallSep 10, 2015
It’s the fun kind of crazy. And The Visit is undeniably, admirably intense when it needs to be. Read full review
60
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottSep 9, 2015
Unlike in some of his other recent films, Shyamalan never overreaches this time. Instead, he keeps things simple and focuses on the story at hand. Read full review
50
Charlotte ObserverLawrence ToppmanOct 2, 2015
While Shyamalan competently scares us from time to time and makes us laugh uncomfortably at the odd actions – aren’t we snickering at mental illness? – he has nowhere interesting to take this simple tale. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliSep 10, 2015
Despite a promising premise and effective "Shyamalan twist", this low-budget horror film still underwhelms. "The Sixth Sense" writer/director is his own worst enemy in the choices he makes bringing The Visit to the screen. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubSep 10, 2015
Shyamalan doesn’t reach “The Sixth Sense” or “Unbreakable” heights, but his scriptwriting is livelier than we’ve seen in years, and there’s a sense of humor that was missing in even his best work. At times, he seems to be poking good-natured fun at his own reputation. Read full review
50
HitfixDrew McWeenySep 10, 2015
If this was someone's first film, I'd be okay with the small signs of life that make this merely an annoying film instead of a completely dreadful one, but for this to be the latest work by a guy who made his first impression on the general public by sticking to his guns and refusing to compromise his voice… unthinkable. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreSep 9, 2015
A faintly-creepy, lightly amusing horror comedy that promises a surprise twist and a hint of heart. Read full review
50
Screen DailyCharles GantSep 9, 2015
A marketable slice of hit-and-miss mischief that doesn’t suggest a career rebirth so much as a larky side project that will yield more in the way of nervous laughter than quickened pulses. Read full review
42
Portland OregonianJeff BakerSep 10, 2015
The Visit is not a head-scratcher, like so many of Shyamalan's movies. It's more of a shoulder-shrug. That's it? That's all you've got? Read full review
40
Time OutTom HuddlestonSep 9, 2015
A bizarre, conflicted mess, horrifying when it’s trying to be funny, oddly appealing when it turns the screws. Read full review
40
TheWrapJames RocchiSep 9, 2015
Shyamalan has had some difficulties as a director of late, and it’s understandable to hope that by placing him back in the realm of lower budgets and more manageable expectations he could impress us yet again; that turns out not to be the case this time. Read full review
40
VarietyGeoff BerkshireSep 9, 2015
Shyamalan has long been criticized for serving up borderline (or downright) silly premises with a straight face and overtly pretentious atmosphere, but he basically abandons that approach here in favor of a looser, more playful dynamic between his fresh-faced leads. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperSep 9, 2015
It’s a dopey, only mildly chilling, uneasy mix of horror and dark comedy, scoring few points in either category. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesMichael SragowSep 10, 2015
Shyamalan's script puts down reality shows, but this shocker works on the level of a game show, compelling audiences to yell out advice for Becca and Tyler as they steer through one trouble spot after another. This writer-director depends on hoary provocations. Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenSep 9, 2015
M. Night Shyamalan’s latest is well cast and strong on setting. But the dull thudding that resounds isn’t part of its effective aural design; it’s the ungainly landing of nearly every shock and joke. Read full review
25
Miami HeraldRene RodriguezSep 10, 2015
What ultimately sinks The Visit is that Shyamalan, who had previously come up with new and ingenious ways to frighten us, resorts to familiar jump-scare tactics in which things suddenly pop into the frame, accompanied by loud sound effects. There’s no real sense of danger, no menace. Read full review
20
The GuardianMike McCahillSep 16, 2015
This tardy rehash of fairytale tropes finds sometime genre innovator M Night Shyamalan clinging in abject desperation to the found-footage movement’s careworn coattails. Read full review
More From This Movie

55 Critic Reviews

6.2 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL