(2015) The Visit

The Visit is a 2015 American found footage horror film written, produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The film stars Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie, and Kathryn Hahn. The film was released in North America on September 11, 2015 by Universal Pictures. The film was a box office success and received positive reviews.

Philadelphia teens, 15-year-old Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and her 13-year-old brother Tyler (Ed Oxenbould), prepare for a five-day visit with their maternal grandparents while their divorced mother, Loretta Jamison (Kathryn Hahn), goes on a cruise with her new boyfriend. The two kids, who have never met their grandparents, intend to film a documentary about their visit. Loretta reveals that she has not spoken to her parents in fifteen years after having married her high-school teacher Corin, of whom her parents disapproved. The father of Becca and Tyler, Corin left Loretta after ten years for another woman. Loretta tells Becca little about the disagreement she had with her parents that led to their estrangement, suggesting that she ask them for the details instead.

Becca and Tyler meet their grandparents (Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie), who Becca refers to as "Nana" and "Pop Pop". Once they are settled in at the isolated farmhouse, Becca and Tyler are instructed to never go into the basement because it contains toxic mold. That night, Pop Pop tells Becca and Tyler that as he and Nana are elderly, their bedtime is 9:30 p.m. An hour past curfew, Becca ventures downstairs for something to eat and discovers Nana projectile vomiting. Later, Becca mentions it to Pop Pop, who dismisses it as Nana having the stomach flu. Pop Pop then reminds her that she and Tyler must not leave their bedroom after 9:30 p.m.

Over the next few days, Becca and Tyler notice their grandparents exhibiting more strange behavior. When Becca asks Nana about what happened the day Loretta left home, Nana begins shaking and screaming until Becca calms her. Pop Pop and Nana are later confronted by a woman who was helped by them in counseling; she goes into the backyard with them but is never seen leaving. Tyler, concerned about the occurrences, decides to secretly film what happens downstairs at night. Nana discovers the hidden camera, retrieves a large knife, and unsuccessfully tries to break into the children's locked bedroom.

When Becca and Tyler view the camera footage, they contact their mother via Skype. When shown images of Pop Pop and Nana, Loretta panics and reveals that they are not her parents. Becca and Tyler attempt to leave the house, but the impostors trap and force them to play Yahtzee. Becca excuses herself and sneaks to the basement. There, she finds the corpses of the real Pop Pop and Nana, along with uniforms from the mental hospital they worked at, indicating the impostors are escaped patients. Pop Pop grabs Becca and imprisons her in his bedroom with Nana, who tries to eat her. Becca fatally stabs Nana with a glass shard from a broken mirror, then escapes. Becca tries to save Tyler, but Pop Pop grabs her. Tyler tackles Pop Pop to the floor and repeatedly slams the refrigerator door on his head, killing him. The two escape outside where they are met by Loretta and police officers.

In the aftermath, Becca asks Loretta about what happened the day she left home. Loretta states that she had a fight with her parents, in which she hit her mother and her father hit her. After that, she left home and ignored their attempts to contact her. Loretta concludes that reconciliation was always possible had she wanted it. She tells Becca not to hold on to anger over Corin and hugs her.