The Uninvited (2009)★★★★☆

Despite its distinct lack of Lauren Ashley Carter, I liked this movie. I realize it’s a remake of the Korean film A Tale of Two Sisters, but since I’m generally subtitles-averse it’s unlikely that I’ll watch the original any time soon. But I like Emily Browning (I have a thing for wide-eyed brunettes I guess?) and I liked this movie.

I’d seen it before a few years back so I remembered what the big twist was, but I didn’t remember all the little details. (Spoilers ahead) So it was interesting to watch for clues before the reveal.

And there are a lot of them! I like that they only flash back to two of the times Anna and Alex were supposed to have been together rather than flashing back through every single instance like some other movies like to do.

I especially liked the call back to the “finish what you started” line – I made a mental note when it was first said and I’m glad they came back to it. Speaking of which (no pun intended), it was nice to hear some realistic dialogue! It feels like the Dreamworks touch. This movie starts out strong in that respect, too – the first lines are “I love you…and I have a condom.”

The supporting cast was fine – except for Anna, the characters were all pretty flat and the performances matched that. I don’t think Elizabeth Banks would be my first choice to cast in a horror film but she pulled it off surprisingly well. She sells the creepy factor very well at times.

Sure, by this second viewing the novelty and suspense of the film had worn off, but it’s still an interesting story and it’s paced well enough to keep me attentive throughout. It’s rated PG-13 so it doesn’t get too violent or disturbing (though there’s at least one really good jump scare in there) and it doesn’t leave too many unanswered questions at the end.