The Uninvited (2009) - Secrets on Your Mind - 7/10 (14/03/20)

The Uninvited is a remake of South Korean psychological horror drama A Tale of Two Sisters that is my favourite movie of all time. If you haven't watched that movie yet, do yourself a favour and treat yourself with the atmospheric, emotional, gloomy, mysterious and twisted original masterpiece. As for The Uninvited, the Hollywood remake only remade a few key elements of the original film and changed numerous parts of the story as well as one major twist. If compared to the original movie, The Uninvited doesn't come close to its brilliance but if you see it as a stand-alone film, you will enjoy this movie quite a lot.

Shot in beautiful British Columbia, The Uninvited tells the story of mentally unstable Anna who had lost her terminally ill mother in a terrible fire ten months ago. After a suicide attempt, she had spent some time in a psychological institution and is now discharged. She returns home but realizes that her father is strangely passive and focuses on writing his next novel to escape reality. Anna however spends some quality time with her older adventurous sister and slowly starts appreciating life again. The two sisters though don't get along with their father's new girlfriend who once was their mother's nurse. Since the nurse starts acting suspiciously, the sisters try to find out more about her and realize that she changed her name for mysterious reasons and seems to hide a shady past. As if that weren't enough, they soon find hints that their mother didn't die by accident but might have been killed by the selfish nurse. When an important witness of the tragedy dies under mysterious circumstances, the two sisters realize that their father's girlfriend has found out about their investigations. They plan on avenging their dead mother before the nurse incapacitates them.

The movie convinces on numerous levels. The locations in British Columbia look splendid and especially the family mansion and its immediate surroundings are absolutely gorgeous. The twisted story is very detailed and comes around with one major jaw-dropping twist that will certainly stay on your mind. The acting performances are overall solid and especially lead actress Emily Browning convinces as tormented, fragile and confused teenage girl. The movie was directed with precision and care by two expert directors who deserve more recognition than they have got. The soundtrack underlines the uneasy atmosphere perfectly throughout the movie.

In the end, The Uninvited is a gripping psychological drama that doesn't overstay its welcome and convinces with great acting performances, precise directing, stunning locations, detailed plot and intense soundtrack. Make sure to watch the groundbreaking original film A Tale of Two Sisters before enjoying the very good but not excellent remake. If you really like the story, make sure to check out the haunting Korean folk tale The Story of Janghwa and Hongryeon that inspired both movies.