‘The Visit’ Ending Explained: Family Reunions Can Be Torture

What's wrong with Grandma?

The Big Picture

  • In M. Night Shyamalan's The Visit , the main characters discover that the grandparents they are staying with are actually dangerous imposters.
  • The twist is revealed when the children's mother realizes that the people claiming to be their grandparents are strangers who have assumed their identities.
  • The climax of the film involves a tense and dangerous confrontation between the children and the imposters, resulting in the reveal of the true identities of the grandparents.

M. Night Shyamalan is considered a master at delivering drop-your-popcorn-level twisty conclusions to his haunting films. People still talk about the end of The Sixth Sense as perhaps one of the greatest twists in the history of modern cinema. The jaw-dropper at the end of Unbreakable ranks close to the top as well. But there is another pretty decent curveball that the director tosses up in a lesser-known movie that is currently streaming on Max. In 2016's The Visit (which is currently streaming on Max ) he plays on the hallowed relationship between children and their doting grandparents. How could Shyamalan toy with the innocence of this? It is an excellent film that deftly blends found footage with the director's signature slow-burning tension to leave audiences with yet another "WTF?" moment . Let's dig into what exactly happens at the end of his underrated movie, The Visit .

Two siblings become increasingly frightened by their grandparents' disturbing behavior while visiting them on vacation.

What is 'The Visit' About?

Young Becca Jamison ( Olivia DeJonge ) and little brother Tyler ( Ed Oxenbould ) are sent away by their divorced mother Loretta ( Kathryn Hahn ) to finally meet and spend some time with their grandparents , Frederick, or Pop Pop ( Peter McRobbie ), and Maria, better known as Nana ( Deanna Dunagan ). They have a nice rural estate away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and it feels like this is going to be a heartwarming story of two generations of the Jamisons getting to know each other. It seems a bit odd that these two preteens have yet to meet their maternal grandparents, but Shyamalan explains that nicely in the first few scenes: Loretta has had a years-long falling out with her parents after leaving the family farm at the age of 19.

M. Night Shyamalan’s Eerie Found Footage Horror Movie Deserves Another Look

Loretta is still estranged from her parents but she wants her children to have a relationship with them — she only wants to go on a cruise with her new boyfriend and needs someone to watch the kids. So, the children have no idea what their Nana and Pop Pop actually look like. And you can feel something amiss from the very beginning of the film as the two precocious but excited kids set off to meet their grandparents. The entire film is told through the kids' (mainly Becca, an aspiring filmmaker) camcorder, as they have decided to document their trip. It's clear right away that Becca resents her father as a result of his abandonment, as she refuses to include any footage of her dad in her film.

Shyamalan Expertly Builds Tension in 'The Visit'

Upon the kids' arrival, Nana and Pop Pop seem like regular grandparents with regular questions like, "Do you like sports?" and "Why are your pants so low?" Nana tends to the chores like cooking and cleaning while Pop Pop handles the more rugged work outdoors like cutting wood. Naturally, Shyamalan tightens the screws immediately when the audience discovers that there is little to no cell phone reception, so he can isolate our four players into a single space. The Grandparents seem fairly easygoing but they have one strict rule — the kids must not come out of their bedroom after 9:30 pm. The very first night, Nana exhibits some bizarre behavior, walking aimlessly through the downstairs portion of the house and vomiting on the floor. However, the next morning she seems to be just fine.

Pop Pop explains to Becca and Tyler that she suffers from "sundowning" which is a very real diagnosis that usually affects the elderly . He tells them that at night Nana gets this feeling that something is in her body and just wants to get out. Pop Pop is clear and coherent, and yet again, we, along with our two young lead characters, assume the grandparents, while odd, are nothing to fear. A Zoom call with Loretta further assuages their fear by explaining away all the strange behavior as part of getting older. It's a back-and-forth that Shyamalan expertly navigates by pushing the audience only so far before reeling it back in with a logical explanation. But soon, things become inexplicably dire and dangerous.

"What's in the shed?" Tyler asks as he looks into the camera while contributing to Becca's documentary . "Is it dead bodies?" What he discovers is a pile of used, discarded adult diapers filled with Pop Pop's excrement. The smell sends Tyler reeling, and he falls out of the shed onto the snowy ground. This time, it's Nana who explains away Pop Pop's odd behavior. She tells her grandson that Pop Pop has incontinence and is so proud that he hides his waste in the shed. At this point, everything seems very odd to say the least, but there is nothing to suggest anything sinister is afoot . Not yet anyway. Even after he attacks a random stranger who he believes is watching him out on the streets on a trip into town, you still just think that maybe Pop Pop may just have a loose screw. However, the sense that these elderly people are something more than doting parents is intensified when Nana leaves Becca inside the oven for several seconds.

What Is the Twist at the End of 'The Visit'?

"Those aren't your grandparents?" Get the heck out of here! What?! Loretta finally sees the two people claiming to be her parents and tells Becca and Tyler via Skype that they aren't their beloved Nana and Pop Pop, but two complete strangers who have assumed their identities. Loretta immediately calls the police, but it will take hours for help to arrive at the remote farmhouse. Becca and Tyler are going to have to play along with these dangerous imposters. After the most tense and awkward game of Yahtzee in the history of board games, things get really, really ugly. Nana and Pop Pop haven't laid a hand on either of the kids in the movie so far. You can feel the slow and excruciating tension that Shyamalan is building . He knows that the audience is waiting for that "point of no return" moment when it is crystal clear that Becca and Tyler's lives are in danger. Becca manages to escape to the basement to discover the dead bodies of two elderly people murdered. Nana and Pop Pop are escaped mental patients from the nearby psychiatric hospital and have killed the real Jamison grandparents.

What Happens at the End of 'The Visit'?

Pop Pop realizes their cover is blown and becomes physical with Becca. He's upset that Becca is ruining Nana's perfect week as a grandmother. He tells her, "We're all dying today, Becca!" pushing her into a pitch-black upstairs room. Meanwhile, he grabs Tyler and takes him into the kitchen, and does one of the most foul and stomach-turning things ever in a Shyamalan film . He takes his used diaper and shoves it in the boy's face. He knows that Tyler is a germaphobe, and it is the most diabolical and traumatizing thing he could do to the boy. Becca is trapped upstairs with the sundowning Nana, fighting for her own life. After a struggle, Becca grasps a shard of glass from the broken mirror and is able to stab Nana multiple times in the gut.

She breaks the lock on the door and runs downstairs to help Tyler. She pulls "Pop Pop" off her traumatized younger brother. Suddenly, Tyler snaps out of his stupor and releases the pent-up anger of his football tackling lessons with his estranged father. He knocks Pop Pop to the ground and slams the refrigerator door on his head over and over . This is significant because earlier in the movie, Becca ribs Tyler about how he froze up during a big play in a youth football game, and this time he comes through to save Becca in the final kitchen scene conquering his biggest fears.

Loretta and the police arrive and the kids run frantically out of the house. The final scene has Loretta setting the record straight for the documentary about the traumatic moments surrounding her running away from home. 15 years before the events of the film, before Becca was born, Loretta fell out with her parents over her decision to marry her teacher. The argument led to Loretta and her parents getting physical with each other, and she left home that night and never responded to their attempts and pleas to reconnect. It's the most emotional scene in the film as Loretta is feeling a huge amount of guilt at never getting to say she was sorry for the strained relationship between her and her parents or getting to possibly hear an apology for the wrongs they also committed. Loretta tells Becca "Don't hold on to anger! You hear me?" The two then share a meaningful embrace. And the final shot is of the two kids with their dad on a birthday when they were much younger.

The Visit is available to stream on Max in the U.S.

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Screen Rant

The grandparents in the visit explained: breaking down the twist's clues & reveal.

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M. Night Shyamalan's Films Ranked From Absolute Worst To Best (Including Old)

John krasinski's if box office passes major domestic milestone, “i always regretted that”: kevin costner reflects on wyatt earp & tombstone’s fierce competition 30 years later.

Spoilers for M. Night Shyamalans' The Visit.

  • Loretta's strained relationship with her parents and lack of photos and communication were clues to The Visit's twist.
  • Becca and Tyler had never met their grandparents before and didn't know what they looked like.
  • The grandparents had strange rules, and Nana's odd behavior during hide-and-seek hinted at their true intentions.

M. Night Shyamalan’s The Visit has every element that makes a Shyamalan horror movie, including a plot twist that was hinted at throughout the whole movie. After rising to fame in 1999 with The Sixth Sense , M. Night Shyamalan has continued to make movies, mostly horror ones that often include a twist and shocking reveal. Although these elements led to predictable and disappointing reveals and movies, there are others with interesting twists that added to the tension of the story, as was the case of the 2015 found footage horror movie The Visit .

The Visit follows siblings Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and Tyler (Ed Oxenbould), who live with their divorced mother, Loretta (Kathryn Hahn). Loretta hasn’t talked to or seen her parents in 15 years, but when they get into contact with her, Becca and Tyler convince her to let them visit them for a week. As they have never met their grandparents, Becca decides to make a documentary film of the experience. Once with their grandparents at their isolated farmhouse, it all seems normal at first but gets gradually stranger and more disturbing, leading to a shocking reveal: the “grandparents” aren't the real ones, and they killed Loretta’s parents to pose as them .

Our ranking of M. Night Shyamalan's best and worst films includes everything from his first debut drama to his most recent thriller, Old.

Loretta Had No Relationship With Her Parents In The Visit

Loretta didn’t even take her children to the farm..

The first big red flag in The Visit that pointed at this not being a typical trip to the grandparents’ house was Loretta’s relationship with them. At the beginning of The Visit , Loretta explained that she left her parents’ home after falling in love with Becca and Tyler’s father, whom her parents never approved of. Loretta didn’t share more details at first, but at the end of The Visit , it’s revealed that she had a major argument with her parents in which she hit her mother and her father struck her, and after that, she ignored all their attempts to contact her.

Loretta’s resentment and anger went as far as not showing her children photos of her parents , nor did she make the effort to accompany her children to her parents’ house – after all, it was their first time going there and meeting their grandparents. Loretta’s estranged relationship is one of the biggest and earliest clues to The Visit ’s big twist.

Becca & Tyler Had Never Seen Their Grandparents Before

Becca & tyler had no idea what their grandparents looked like..

Not making them part of her and her children’s lives, and not having any photos of them, made it so Becca and Tyler had no idea of what they actually looked like.

Loretta’s difficult relationship with her parents led to her not talking about them, not making them part of her and her children’s lives, and not having any photos of them, so Becca and Tyler had no idea of what they looked like. This certainly made it easier for the fake grandparents to lure Becca and Tyler in , but it was yet another hint at this not being a normal trip to visit the grandparents.

The Kids Weren’t Allowed To Leave Their Room After 9:30 pm.

The grandparents had a couple of rules that had to be followed..

The first rule was because the “grandparents” were hiding the bodies of the real ones in the basement.

Once at the farm, it seemed like a quiet and calm place and the grandparents seemed pleasant, but they had a couple of rules that Becca and Tyler had to follow. The first one was that they weren’t allowed to go into the basement because it had mold, and the second one was that bedtime was at 9:30 every day, and they weren’t allowed to leave their room after that. The first rule was because the “grandparents” were hiding the bodies of the real ones in the basement, but the second one was more complicated.

Nana acted erratically at night , projectile vomiting, running around the house, crawling like an animal, and ripping the walls while naked, among other disturbing things. Leaving their room after 9:30 pm would have not only endangered Becca and Tyler, but it would have also revealed there was something wrong with the grandparents.

Nana’s Odd Behaviour During Hide-and-Seek

One of the visit’s biggest scarejumps..

With not much to do at the farm, Becca and Tyler decided to play hide and seek under the house, but to their surprise, Nana was also there. Nana chased Tyler and Becca, crawling like an animal , and when they all got out, she acted as if nothing had happened and went back inside the house. That same behavior was repeated later on in the movie, further disturbing Becca and Tyler.

Pop Pop Attacked An Unknown Man On The Street

Pop pop believed he was being followed..

Another red flag in Pop Pop’s behavior (after the reveal of the shed with piles of soiled diapers) was when he and Nana took Becca and Tyler to see the school Loretta attended when she was younger. There, Pop Pop saw a man on the other side of the street and, believing he had been following them for a while, attacked him. It wasn’t until Becca stopped him that Pop Pop realized he didn’t know the man, and though this was brushed off by Becca and Loretta as “old people” behavior, Tyler knew something wasn’t right.

Nana “Accidentally” Covered Becca’s Laptop Camera With Dough

Nana temporarily left becca & tyler without their webcam..

Becca and Tyler kept in touch with Loretta through video calls every day while Loretta was on a cruise with her new boyfriend. One day, Nana apologized to Becca for ruining her laptop as she spilled dough on it and tried to clean it but couldn’t get rid of the dough on the camera. Loretta wasn’t able to see her kids because of this , but it was soon clear Nana did it on purpose so Loretta couldn’t see them and thus tell the kids they weren’t the real grandparents.

Dr. Sam’s Visit To Check On The Grandparents

Dr. sam’s visit was a big clue to what happened to the grandparents..

Had the grandparents been home when Dr. Sam arrived, The Visit would have ended earlier.

During their time at the farm, only two people came to visit. The first one was Dr. Sam, who worked at the same hospital where Becca and Tyler’s grandparents volunteered. The grandparents weren’t around when Dr. Sam arrived, but he told Becca and Tyler that he wanted to check on them as they hadn’t gone to work in a couple of days. Had the grandparents been home when Dr. Sam arrived, The Visit would have ended earlier.

Nana Asked Becca To Clean The Oven

Nana had other intentions..

In one of the most suspenseful and strangest moments in The Visit , Nana suddenly asked Becca to help her clean the back of the oven. Becca did so to help her, but Nana insisted that she reach the far back of it, thus getting in completely. Although Nana didn’t do anything to Becca the first time, the second time she asked her for help she closed the oven to clean the outside and then opened it again, letting Becca out.

This moment is reminiscent of the tale of Hansel & Gretel and how the witch tried to trick Gretel into getting inside the oven.

Stacey’s Visit & Confrontation

Stacey realized these weren’t the real grandparents..

The second visit was from a woman named Stacey, whom Becca and Tyler’s real grandparents had helped in counseling at the hospital. As the grandparents weren’t home when she arrived, she returned later and came face to face with the fake grandparents. Stacey tried to get them to leave with her to take them back to the hospital, but they ended up killing her and hanging her body from a tree. Stacey realized these weren’t Becca and Tyler’s real grandparents , but the siblings didn’t understand her reaction.

Why Nana & Pop Pop Killed The Real Grandparents

Becca & tyler never got to meet their real grandparents..

Nana was revealed to have committed murder in the past, and they were both jealous of the real grandparents’ happiness and the visit of their grandkids.

During Becca and Tyler’s final night at the farm, the truth was unveiled: Nana and Pop Pop were patients at the mental hospital where Becca and Tyler’s grandparents volunteered, and the real ones were murdered by them and their bodies kept in the basement. Nana was revealed to have committed murder in the past, and they were both jealous of the real grandparents’ happiness and the visit of their grandkids , so they killed them and took their place.

Clues like Loretta having no photos of her parents and the kids never having met them were necessary to keep the big reveal of The Visit a secret, while others like Dr. Sam and Stacey’s visit added to the horrors that were about to be unleashed at the farm.

From director M. Night Shyamalan, The Visit follows two siblings who are sent to stay with their estranged grandparents while their mother is out of town on vacation. Realizing that all isn't what it seems during their stay, the siblings set out to find out what is really going on at their grandparents' home. Olivia DeJonge and Ed Oxenbould star as Becca and Tyler, with Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie, and Kathryn Hahn making up the rest of the main cast. 

  • The Visit (2015)

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M. Night Shyamalan’s Scary Grandma Movie The Visit Makes a Scary-Good $25.6 Million

the visit movie grandma

How many times have you been sitting in a darkened movie theater, watching what appears to be a promising trailer for some scary movie, only for the name “M. Night Shyamalan” to adorn the screen at the end, imbuing the room with sighs and moans? That name tends to conjure up in moviegoers a mix of ire and indifference, inspiring writers to pen headlines containing languid jokes about twist endings and dead people and killing word-of-mouth buzz before it starts. Even his most ardent defenders had to shake their heads at the befuddling mess of After Earth . But Shyamalan’s new film, The Visit , a found-footage-style horror-comedy about scary grandparents doing scary things in the barren countryside of Pennsylvania, earned a surprisingly good $25.6 million its opening weekend. Shyamalan self-funded the endeavor using his $5 million directing fee for After Earth , which almost casts that atrocity in a new, more flattering light.

Though The Perfect Guy beat The Visit by $1 million for the top spot this weekend, Shyamalan’s film has received far better reviews. Plus, it actually earned more money on Saturday than it did on Friday — 15 percent more, which is one of the best weekend multipliers for a horror film in the last 20 years. ( The Sixth Sense remains the epitome of a crazy-good opening weekend, with each subsequent day besting the previous day for a $26.6 million total opening weekend; it made over $20 million each week for the next five weeks and stayed in the top ten for 15 weeks.) The only twist here is that The Visit had the second-worst wide-release weekend opening of Shyamalan’s career, behind only the super-weird, sorta underrated 2006 fantasy film Lady in the Water (though The Visit ’s budget is approximately 1/14 that of Lady in the Water ).

The rest of the weekend box office is less exciting than the return of well-reviewed Shyamalan. War Room put the fear of God in audiences again, filling its collection plate with $7.4 million, while A Walk in the Woods took the path to a modest $4.6 million. Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation refuses to leave the top five (I’ve used up all my clinging-to-plane jokes by now), making another $4.1 million in its seventh week for a $188.1 million cume, while Straight Outta Compton made $4 million for $155.7 million in five weeks. The indie rom-com Sleeping With Other People seduced IFC moviegoers for over $103,000 across five screens.

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Movies | ‘the visit’ review: to grandmother’s haunted house we go.

Author

The early 2000s seem like several lifetimes ago, especially for the director who soared early in his career with “The Sixth Sense,” “Unbreakable” and, yes, “Signs,” and then spiraled into creative free fall through the likes of “The Last Airbender” and “After Earth.” But with the clever, cheeky and only slightly scary horror film “The Visit,” Shyamalan is partying like it’s 2000 all over again.

Fifteen-year-old budding documentary filmmaker Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and her 13-year-old wanna-be rapper brother, Tyler (Ed Oxenbould), are going to visit their grandparents, whom they’ve never seen. Mom (Kathryn Hahn) cut ties with her parents years ago when she ran off with her children’s father — who has since left her for another woman.

Grandfather, aka Pop Pop (Peter McRobbie), and Nana (Deanna Dunagan) have tracked their daughter down online and invited the children to stay for a week at their isolated farm in the Pennsylvania countryside where there’s no cellphone service. That means mom can take a break from parenting to spend some quality time with her boyfriend by going on a cruise. And, if mom and the kids need to talk, there’s always Skype.

Sounds like a good plan? Well, what part of “isolated farm” don’t you understand?

Of course, Pop Pop and Nana turn out to be as creepy as midnight in a graveyard. But it’s good that Becca has brought a couple of cameras and her laptop along to document all the strange things that go bump in the long night.

Since much of the film is from the viewpoint of her cameras, “The Visit” fits into the tiresome found-footage trend, but Shyamalan, who also wrote the script, unexpectedly injects it all with a wily sense of humor that works.

Much of the success of “The Visit” goes to the cast, specifically to the two young Australians DeJonge and especially Oxenbould (“Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”). They display a very real sense of sibling chemistry and an almost improvisatory sense of comic timing that make their interactions a joy to watch even if what’s going on around them is typical haunted-house stuff. Seeing Tyler channel his inner Drake is worth the price of admission alone (be sure to stay for the beginning of the end-credits).

Likewise, McRobbie (“Boardwalk Empire”) and Dunagan (“Just Like a Woman”) play the grandparents with just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek tone without spilling over into overkill. It’s a tightrope everyone manages to walk with skill.

Shyamalan is known for his patented twist endings but, thankfully, he seems less concerned about it this time, instead focusing on telling a good, fun story in place of just conjuring a good gimmick.

Granted, “The Visit” is lightweight. It doesn’t have the emotional resonance of “The Sixth Sense,” but it’s a welcome return to form for a director who seemed doomed to a future of resting on laurels and remembering better days.

With this and “Wayward Pines,” the well-received miniseries he recently produced, Shyamalan definitely has his groove back. Except, this time, everyone can tweet about it.

“The Visit” — Three stars

MPAA rating: PG-13 (for disturbing thematic material including terror, violence and some nudity, and for brief strong language)

Running time: 1:34

Opens: Friday

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the visit movie grandma

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M. Night Shyamalan had his heyday almost 20 years ago. He leapt out of the gate with such confidence he became a champion instantly. And then...something went awry. He became embarrassingly self-serious, his films drowning in pretension and strained allegories. His famous twists felt like a director attempting to re-create the triumph of " The Sixth Sense ," where the twist of the film was so successfully withheld from audiences that people went back to see the film again and again. But now, here comes " The Visit ," a film so purely entertaining that you almost forget how scary it is. With all its terror, "The Visit" is an extremely funny film. 

There are too many horror cliches to even list ("gotcha" scares, dark basements, frightened children, mysterious sounds at night, no cellphone reception), but the main cliche is that it is a "found footage" film, a style already wrung dry. But Shyamalan injects adrenaline into it, as well as a frank admission that, yes, it is a cliche, and yes, it is absurd that one would keep filming in moments of such terror, but he uses the main strength of found footage: we are trapped by the perspective of the person holding the camera. Withhold visual information, lull the audience into safety, then turn the camera, and OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT? 

"The Visit" starts quietly, with Mom ( Kathryn Hahn ) talking to the camera about running away from home when she was 19: her parents disapproved of her boyfriend. She had two kids with this man who recently left them all for someone new. Mom has a brave demeanor, and funny, too, referring to her kids as "brats" but with mama-bear affection. Her parents cut ties with her, but now they have reached out  from their snowy isolated farm and want to know their grandchildren. Mom packs the two kids off on a train for a visit.

Shyamalan breaks up the found footage with still shots of snowy ranks of trees, blazing sunsets, sunrise falling on a stack of logs. There are gigantic blood-red chapter markers: "TUESDAY MORNING", etc. These choices launch us into the overblown operatic horror style while commenting on it at the same time. It ratchets up the dread.

Becca ( Olivia DeJonge ) and Tyler ( Ed Oxenbould ) want to make a film about their mother's lost childhood home, a place they know well from all of her stories. Becca has done her homework about film-making, and instructs her younger brother about "frames" and "mise-en-scène." Tyler, an appealing gregarious kid, keeps stealing the camera to film the inside of his mouth and his improvised raps. Becca sternly reminds him to focus. 

The kids are happy to meet their grandparents. They are worried about the effect their grandparents' rejection had on their mother (similar to Cole's worry about his mother's unfinished business with her own parent in "The Sixth Sense"). Becca uses a fairy-tale word to explain what she wants their film to do — it will be an "elixir" to bring home to Mom. 

Nana ( Deanna Dunagan ), at first glance, is a Grandma out of a storybook, with a grey bun, an apron, and muffins coming out of the oven every hour. Pop Pop ( Peter McRobbie ) is a taciturn farmer who reminds the kids constantly that he and Nana are "old." 

But almost immediately, things get crazy. What is Pop Pop doing out in the barn all the time? Why does Nana ask Becca to clean the oven, insisting that she crawl all the way in ? What are those weird sounds at night from outside their bedroom door? They have a couple of Skype calls with Mom, and she reassures them their grandparents are "weird" but they're also old, and old people are sometimes cranky, sometimes paranoid. 

As the weirdness intensifies, Becca and Tyler's film evolves from an origin-story documentary to a mystery-solving investigation. They sneak the camera into the barn, underneath the house, they place it on a cabinet in the living room overnight, hoping to get a glimpse of what happens downstairs after they go to bed. What they see is more than they (and we) bargained for.

Dunagan and McRobbie play their roles with a melodramatic relish, entering into the fairy-tale world of the film. And the kids are great, funny and distinct. Tyler informs his sister that he wants to stop swearing so much, and instead will say the names of female pop singers. The joke is one that never gets old. He falls, and screams, "Sarah McLachlan!" When terrified, he whispers to himself, " Katy Perry ... " Tyler, filming his sister, asks her why she never looks in the mirror. "Your sweater is on backwards." As he grills her, he zooms in on her, keeping her face off-center, blurry grey-trunked trees filling most of the screen. The blur is the mystery around them. Cinematographer Maryse Alberti creates the illusion that the film is being made by kids, but also avoids the nauseating hand-held stuff that dogs the found-footage style.

When the twist comes, and you knew it was coming because Shyamalan is the director, it legitimately shocks. Maybe not as much as "The Sixth Sense" twist, but it is damn close. (The audience I saw it with gasped and some people screamed in terror.) There are references to " Halloween ", "Psycho" (Nana in a rocking chair seen from behind), and, of course, " Paranormal Activity "; the kids have seen a lot of movies, understand the tropes and try to recreate them themselves. 

"The Visit" represents Shyamalan cutting loose, lightening up, reveling in the improvisational behavior of the kids, their jokes, their bickering, their closeness. Horror is very close to comedy. Screams of terror often dissolve into hysterical laughter, and he uses that emotional dovetail, its tension and catharsis, in almost every scene. The film is ridiculous  on so many levels, the story playing out like the most monstrous version of Hansel & Gretel imaginable, and in that context, "ridiculous" is the highest possible praise.

Sheila O'Malley

Sheila O'Malley

Sheila O'Malley received a BFA in Theatre from the University of Rhode Island and a Master's in Acting from the Actors Studio MFA Program. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Film Credits

The Visit movie poster

The Visit (2015)

Rated PG-13 disturbing thematic material including terror, violence and some nudity, and for brief language

Kathryn Hahn as Mother

Ed Oxenbould as Tyler Jamison

Benjamin Kanes as Dad

Peter McRobbie as Pop-Pop

Olivia DeJonge as Rebecca Jamison

Deanna Dunagan as Nana

  • M. Night Shyamalan

Cinematography

  • Maryse Alberti
  • Luke Franco Ciarrocch

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The Visit Movie Explained Ending

The Visit Explained (Plot And Ending)

The Visit is a 2015  horror   thriller  directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It follows two siblings who visit their estranged grandparents only to discover something is very wrong with them. As the children try to uncover the truth, they are increasingly terrorized by their grandparents’ bizarre behaviour. Here’s the plot and ending of The Visit explained; spoilers ahead.

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Oh, and if this article doesn’t answer all of your questions, drop me a comment or an FB chat message, and I’ll get you the answer .  You can find other film explanations using the search option on top of the site.

Here are links to the key aspects of the movie:

  • – The Story
  • – Plot Explained
  • – Ending Explained
  • – The Sense Of Dread
  • – Separation, Remorse, and Personal Fears
  • – Frequently Asked Questions Answered
  • – Wrap Up

What is the story of The Visit?

The Visit :What is it about?

The Visit is about two kids visiting their grandparents for the first time. They are also going there to hope and rebuild a bridge between their mom and grandparents and help their mom heal after a painful divorce. The movie is in documentary form.

The Visit is one of the most unnerving and realistic horror stories. A good thing about classic horror movies is that, after the movie ends, you can switch it off and go to bed,  knowing that you’re safe . Vampires, ghosts, and demonic powers don’t exist, and even if you are prone to these kinds of esoteric beliefs, there are safeguards. If your home is not built in an Indian burial ground and you haven’t bought any creepy-looking dolls from your local antiquary, you’re perfectly safe.

However, what about the idea of two kids spending five days with two escaped psychiatric ward patients in a remote farmhouse? Now, this is a thought that will send shivers down your spine. It’s a story that sounds not just realistic but real. It’s  something that might have happened in the past  or might happen in the future.

This is  what  The Visit  is all about . This idea, coupled with documentary-form storytelling, is why the movie is so unnerving to watch.

The Visit: Plot Explained

Loretta’s past.

As a young girl, Loretta Jamison fell in love with her high school teacher and decided to skip her hometown with him. Before leaving, she had a heated altercation with her parents and hasn’t seen them since. At the movie’s start, she is a single mom of 15-year-old Becca and 14-year-old Tyler, and she  hasn’t spoken to her parents in 15 years .

What really happened on the day Loretta left?

Loretta’s mom tries to stop her from leaving the house, and Loretta hits her mom, and her dad hits her. Soon after, her parents try to reach out to Loretta, but she refuses to take their calls, and years go by.

Meet The Grandparents

Years later, Loretta’s parents reach out to  meet their grandchildren . The grandparents are, seemingly, wholly reformed and now even help at the local psychiatric hospital. Although initially not too fond of the idea, Loretta is persuaded by the insistence of her children. While she had no intention of visiting the parents, she permitted her children to pay their grandparents a five-day visit.

At The Grandparents’

Their first meeting with Nana and Pop Pop starts on the right foot. They start getting to know each other, and other than a simple generational gap, nothing seems too strange. The only thing that seems off is that they are warned  not to leave the room after 9:30 in the evening .

The kids break this rule, and on the first night, they notice  Nana acting erratically , projectile vomiting, scratching wallpaper with her bare hands, and running around the house on all fours. Grandpa appears paranoid and hides his adult diapers in the garden shed, and the situation escalates each day.

The Visit Ending Explained: What happens in the end?

Tyler Becca mother ending explained

The ending of Visit has the kids finally showing the elderly couple to Loretta. She, completely horrified, states that  those are not her parents . The pair posing as Pop Pop and Nana are escaped psychiatric institution patients who murdered their grandparents and took their places.

The kids survive, kill their captors, and are found alive and well by their mom and the police. Becca kills Nana with a shard from the mirror, thus symbolically overcoming her fear of her reflection. Tyler kills Pop Pop by repeatedly slamming him in the head with a refrigerator door after overcoming his germaphobia and anxiety about freezing.

The Sense Of Dread

The elements of horror in this movie are just  perfectly executed . First of all, the film is shot as a documentary. Becca is an aspiring filmmaker who records the entire trip with her camera. From time to time, we see an interview of all the characters, which just serves as the perfect vessel for characterization.

No Ghouls or Cults

Another thing that evokes dread is  realism . There are no supernatural beings or demonic forces. It’s just two kids alone in a remote farmstead with two creepy, deranged people. Even in the end, when Loretta finds out what’s happening, it takes her hours to get there with the police. The scariest part is that it’s not that hard to imagine something along those lines really happening.

The  house itself is dread-inducing . The place is old and rustic. Like in The Black Phone soundproofing a room  could have prevented kids from hearing Nana rummaging around the house without a clear idea of what was happening, but this was not the case, as the old couple weren’t that capable.

The  characters  themselves  are perfectly played . Something is unnerving about Pop Pop and Nana from the very first scene. It’s the Uncanny Valley scenario where you feel that something’s off and shakes you to the core, but you have no idea what it is.

Separation, Remorse, and Personal Fears

Suspecting the grand parents

What this movie does the best is explore the  ugly side of separation, old grudges, and remorse . The main reason why kids are insistent on visiting their grandparents is out of their desire to help their mom.

They see she’s remorseful for never  working things out with her parents . In light of her failed marriage and the affair that caused it to end, she might live with the doubt that her parents were right all along. This makes her decision and altercation with her parents even worse. Reconciling when you know you were wrong is harder than forgiving the person who wronged you.

The Kids’ Perspective

There are personal fears and  traumas of the kids . Tyler, in his childish naivete, is convinced that his father left because he was disappointed in him as a son. Tyler tells Becca that he froze during one game he played, which disappointed his dad so much that he had to leave. While this sounds ridiculous to any adult (and even Becca), it’s a matter of fact to Tyler. As a result of this trauma, Tyler also developed germaphobia. In Becca’s own words, this gives him a greater sense of control.

On the other hand,  Becca refuses to look at herself in the mirror  or stand in front of the camera if she can help it. Both kids  had to overcome their fears to survive , which is a solid and clear metaphor for how these things sometimes turn out in real life.

Frequently Asked Questions Answered

The visit: what’s wrong with the grandparents who are the grandparents.

The people who hosted Becca and Tyler were runaway psychiatric hospital patients who murdered the real grandparents and took their place. Nana’s impostor (Claire) was actually responsible for murdering her children by drowning them in a well. Pop Pop’s impostor (Mitchell) wanted to give Claire a second chance at having kids / being a grandparent.

How did the imposter grandparents know about the kids’ visit?

It appears Claire and Mitchell hear the real Nana and Pop Pop brag about their grandkids’ visit. They also learned that neither the grandparents nor the kids had seen each other. The real grandparents appear to have been consulting in the same hospital Claire and Mitchell were being treated. The two crazies take this opportunity to break out, kill the real grandparents and go to the station to pick up the children.

The Visit: What is Sinmorfitellia?

Claire and Mitchell believe that Sinmorfitellia is an alien planet, and the creatures from there lurk on Earth. They spit into the waters of wells and ponds all day, which can put people into a deep sleep. They take  sleeping with the fishes  quite literally. Long ago, Claire drowned her children believing they would go to Sinmorfitellia.

The Visit: What happened to the real grandparents?

Claire and Mitchel killed Nana and Pop Pop and put them in the basement. This information went unnoticed because Becca’s laptop’s camera was damaged by Nana, so Loretta could not confirm the imposters. Claire and Mitchel were not present every time someone came to visit, so no one suspected foul play except Stacey, who received help from the real grandparents. As a result, she is killed.

What did Claire and Mitchel intend to do?

They plan to go to Sinmorfitellia with Becca and Tyler. They all plan to die on that last night and enter the well, which they believe is their path to the alien planet where they can be happy together. This is perhaps why the grandparents hang Stacey outside the house because they don’t care about being caught.

The Visit: What’s wrong with Nana?

We don’t know what caused Nana’s mental illness, but she was crazy enough to kill her two children by putting them in suitcases and drowning them in a pond. It appears she suffers from schizophrenia as she has delusions.

The Visit: Wrap Up

From the standpoint of horror, The Visit has it all. An unnerving realistic scenario, real-life trauma, and an atmosphere of fear. Combine this with  some of the best acting work in the genre  and a documentary-style movie, and you’ve got yourself a real masterpiece.

On the downside, the movie leaves you with a lot of open questions like:

  • Considering the kids have never seen the grandparents and are going alone, Loretta didn’t ensure her kids knew what her parents looked like?
  • How are Claire and Mitchell out and about so close to the hospital without being caught?
  • Considering they are mentally ill, how did Claire and Mitchell plot such a thorough plan? (e.g. strategically damaging the camera of the laptop)
  • I understand  Suspension Of Disbelief  in horror films, but neither kids drop their cameras despite the terror they go through only so we, the audience, can get the entire narrative?

What were your thoughts on the plot and ending of the movie The Visit? Drop your comments below!

Author Stacey Shannon on This Is Barry

Stacey is a talented freelance writer passionate about all things pop culture. She has a keen eye for detail and a natural talent for storytelling. She’s a super-fan of Game of Thrones, Cats, and Indie Rock Music and can often be found engrossed in complex films and books. Connect with her on her social media handles to learn more about her work and interests.

Entertainment

Is 'The Visit's Sundowning A Real Disorder?

the visit movie grandma

Before I begin, I would like to make one thing deeply clear: I would not recommend looking to horror films as a tool to learn more about the intricacies of neuropsychology. M. Night Shyamalan's new film The Visit is no exception. That said, the film does reference the very real neurodegenerative disease "sundowning," and for that, it deserves some attention. So, what is sundowning , and is it anything like we see in the film?

If you don't recall, here's how sundowning is referenced in the film: When 15-year-old Becca and eight-year-old Tyler go to visit their elderly grandparents, whom they've never met, they become acutely aware that their grandmother, Doris, begins to act rather erratically when night falls. After Becca witnesses Doris projectile vomiting one night and clawing at the walls in the nude, her grandfather reveals that Doris suffers from "sundowning." Becca looks into the disease online, and shares with her brother that, yes, it is a legit condition that can affect the elderly due to "chemical reactions" in the brain that are triggered by the lack of sunlight. Doris' increasingly violent behavior — laughing to herself, asking Becca to get inside the oven to "clean it," grabbing a knife to stab the children — is explained away by the disease for much of the film.

But, how does sundowning affect sufferers in real life?

This is likely obvious, but it's hardly like what's seen in the film. According to WebMD , sundowning is actually a side effect for those suffering from a form of dementia, likely Alzheimer's Disease. It causes the sufferer to be increasingly confused and agitated in the later hours of the night, and those who have witnessed the condition in loved ones often report sufferers exhibiting symptoms of frustration, irritation, disorientation, suspicion, hallucinations, yelling, and exhaustion, amongst other things. Violent outbursts — which Doris suffered from — are not listed as a symptom.

This is all seen in the film — but the parts where Doris is crawling around the house as if she were possessed by a demon are not at all typical of the disease. As the Mayo Clinic reports , symptoms of the phenomenon are actually set off by "fatigue, low lighting, increased shadows, disruption of the body's "internal clock," [and] difficulty separating reality from dreams." Episodes can last hours into the night, which causes the sufferer to feel greatly fatigued and restless — both feelings that can unfortunately worsen the symptoms of sundowning, leading to a rather vicious circle.

According to informational videos from the Alzheimer Society of Ontario , strategies to lessen the severity of episodes range from no napping — which encourages the sufferer to actually sleep at night — to avoiding caffeine, increasing lighting, and partaking in calming activities.

In some senses, the portrayal of "sundowning" in The Visit is rather accurate — Doris is often increasingly confused at nights, and prone to erratic behavior in low lighting (remember when she chased Becca and Tyler as they were playing hide-and-seek under the house?). However, I'm fairly certain that her increasingly violent behavior, as well as her psychopathic tendencies, can actually be chocked up to a different disorder. As the film reveals ( spoiler alert! ), Doris and John aren't actually Doris and John — instead, they are escaped patients from the mental hospital that the real Doris and John used to volunteer at every Tuesday and Thursday. When fake Doris and John heard how excited the real Doris and John were to finally meet their grandkids, they escaped and killed the couple so that they could spend a picturesque week together like a real family (the reason for this, as fake John later explains to Becca, is because fake Doris killed her own children years ago, so she "deserved" a week to feel like a real grandmother).

Based off of this explanation, it's not out of the realm of possibility that fake Doris suffered from other mental disorders in addition to dementia.

Once again, taking any actual scientific information from a film that was created with the intent to scare audiences is not something I would recommend — but learning more about a real life disease that affects many elderly patients as a result of seeing the film is definitely not a bad move.

The Visit hits theaters Sept. 11.

Image: Universal Pictures

the visit movie grandma

‘The Visit’ Trailer Teases Worst Trip to Grandma’s House Ever (Video)

M. Night Shyamalan and Blumhouse team for found-footage thriller starring Kathryn Hahn

M. Night Shyamalan gets into the found-footage thriller genre with Blumhouse, and the first trailer for his “The Visit” teases something very, very wrong with grandma and grandpa.

Ed Oxenbould and Olivia DeJonge play two young kids sent by their mom ( Kathryn Hahn ) to their grandparents’ house. As seen in the trailer, grandma and grandpa have a very strict 9.30 p.m. bedtime rule, after which nobody is allowed outside their bedroom.

Evidently, that’s for very good reason, as the kids find out when they immediately disobey the rules. Grandma, in particular, seems to be behaving especially strangely, as they (and their various recording devices) witness her scratching at the wall, popping up unexpectedly in strange places and perhaps most disturbingly, trying to get her granddaughter to climb into the oven.

Shyamalan produces “The Visit,” formerly titled “Sundowning,” through his Blinding Edge Pictures, while Blum produces through his Blumhouse Productions alongside Mark Bienstock. Steven Schneider and Ashwin Rajan are executive producers.

“The Visit” releases Sept. 11.

Watch the trailer above.

The Ending Of The Visit Explained

The Visit M. Night Shyamalan Olivia DeJonge Deanna Dunagan

Contains spoilers for  The Visit

M. Night Shyamalan is notorious for using dramatic twists towards the endings of his films, some of which are pulled off perfectly and add an extra layer of depth to a sprawling story (hello, Split ). Some of the director's other offerings simply keep the audience on their toes rather than having any extra subtext or hidden meaning. Shyamalan's 2015 found-footage horror-comedy  The Visit , which he wrote and directed, definitely fits in the latter category, aiming for style over substance.

The Visit follows 15-year-old Becca Jamison (Olivia DeJonge) and her 13-year-old brother Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) when they spend the week with their mother's estranged parents, who live in another town. Loretta (played by WandaVision 's Kathryn Hahn ) never explained to her children why she separated herself away from her parents, but clearly hopes the weekend could help bring the family back together.

Although The Visit occasionally toys with themes of abandonment and fear of the unknown, it wasn't particularly well-received by critics on its initial release, as many struggled with its bizarre comedic tone in the found-footage style. So, after Tyler and his camera record a number of disturbing occurrences like Nana (Deanna Dunagan) projectile-vomiting in the middle of the night and discovering "Pop Pop"'s (Peter McRobbie) mountain of used diapers, it soon becomes clear that something isn't right with the grandparents.

Here's the ending of  The Visit  explained.

The Visit's twist plays on expectations

Because Shyamalan sets up the idea of the separation between Loretta and her parents very early on — and doesn't show their faces before Becca and Tyler meet them — the film automatically creates a false sense of security. Even more so since the found-footage style restricts the use of typical exposition methods like flashbacks or other scenes which would indicate that Nana and Pop Pop aren't who they say they are. Audiences have no reason to expect that they're actually two escapees from a local psychiatric facility.

The pieces all come together once Becca discovers her  real grandparents' corpses in the basement, along with some uniforms from the psychiatric hospital. It confirms "Nana" and "Pop-Pop" escaped from the institution and murdered the Jamisons because they were a similar age, making it easy to hide their whereabouts from the authorities. And they would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling kids.)

However, after a video call from Loretta reveals that the pair aren't her parents, the children are forced to keep up appearances — but the unhinged duo start to taunt the siblings. Tyler in particular is forced to face his fear of germs as "Pop Pop" wipes dirty diapers in his face. The germophobia is something Shyamalan threads through Tyler's character throughout The Visit,  and the encounter with "Pop Pop" is a basic attempt of showing he's gone through some kind of trial-by-fire to get over his fears.

But the Jamison kids don't take things lying down: They fight back in vicious fashion — a subversion of yet another expectation that young teens might would wait for adults or law enforcement officers to arrive before doing away with their tormentors.

Its real message is about reconciliation

By the time Becca stabs "Nana" to death and Tyler has repeatedly slammed "Pop-Pop"'s head with the refrigerator door, their mother and the police do arrive to pick up the pieces. In a last-ditch attempt at adding an emotional undertone, Shyamalan reveals Loretta left home after a huge argument with her parents. She hit her mother, and her father hit her in return. But Loretta explains that reconciliation was always on the table if she had stopped being so stubborn and just reached out. One could take a domino-effect perspective and even say that Loretta's stubbornness about not reconnecting and her sustained distance from her parents put them in exactly the vulnerable position they needed to be for "Nana" and "Pop-Pop" to murder them. 

Loretta's confession actually mirrors something "Pop-Pop" told Tyler (before his run-in with the refrigerator door): that he and "Nana" wanted to spend one week as a normal family before dying. They should've thought about that before murdering a pair of innocent grandparents, but here we are. 

So, is The Visit  trying to say that if we don't keep our families together, they'll be replaced by imposters and terrify our children? Well, probably not. The Visit tries to deliver a message about breaking away from old habits, working through your fears, and stop being so stubborn over arguments that don't have any consequences in the long-run. Whether it actually sticks the landing on all of those points is still up for debate.

The Cinemaholic

The Visit: Where Was M. Night Shyamalan’s Horror Movie Shot?

 of The Visit: Where Was M. Night Shyamalan’s Horror Movie Shot?

Helmed by director M. Night Shyamalan, ‘The Visit’ is a thrilling found-footage film that follows siblings Becca and Tyler as they visit their grandparents, and notice their increasingly disturbing behavior. After arriving at their grandparents’ quaint countryside home, Becca and Tyler are delighted to be able to spend time with them after so long. A day of delightful catching up later, Pop Pop puts the two to sleep and strongly suggests that they not leave their room after nine-thirty. Later that night the children hear loud bangs and scratchings. Soon the elders’ strange behaviour leaks over to the daytime, making the siblings concerned for their safety, but failing to convince their mother to pick them up.

The 2015 film’s tension builds steadily as the siblings uncover dark family secrets and struggle to survive in a house filled with eerie mysteries . ‘The Visit’ delivers a compelling blend of psychological horror and thrilling situations, using its simple backdrop and premise to create terrifying circumstances. The chilling story is contrasted heavily by its seemingly mundane backdrop, which is later revealed to hide disturbing realities within its layers. Thus the atmospheric tension built throughout the tale may spark curiosity in some regarding its real-world filming sites.

The Visit Filming Locations

‘The Visit’ was filmed mainly in Philadelphia, Chester Springs, and Royersford, Pennsylvania, with a few scenes shot in Miami, Florida. Principal photography began on February 19, 2014, under the tentative title, ‘Sundowning,’ and was wrapped up in about a month by March 21 of the same year. In an interview , writer-director Shyamalan marveled at finding the ideal actors to bring his story to life, saying, “This might be my perfect constellation of actors, it’s as if these people were the people that I wrote.” Let’s examine the sites seen throughout the film and their real-life counterparts.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Situated along the banks of the Delaware River, the city of Philadelphia has a brief appearance in ‘The Visit,’ primarily at the beginning and end of the film. When the siblings are dropped off at the train station by their mother, the site is actually the 30th Street Station at 3001 Market Street. Officially known as William H. Gray III 30th Street Station, the prominent intermodal transit station is defined by its grand classical entrance held up with Roman pillars.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ed Oxenbould (@edoxenbould)

Chester Springs, Pennsylvania

Filming for the grandparents’ house and its exterior scenes was carried out on 3049 Merlin Road, in the unincorporated community of Chester Springs in Chester County. The community lies west of Philadelphia, and its serene snow-covered landscape can be spotted early in ‘The Visit’ as the siblings travel to their grandparents’ house.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Visit (@thevisitmovie)

Royersford, Pennsylvania

Nestled along the Schuylkill River, the borough of Royersford stood in for much of the town seen in the film as the characters left the house. Shooting for these scenes was done on 330 Main Street, its small-town charm imbuing the narrative with a pleasant departure from the claustrophobic situations at the elders’ house. Further filming was done on location at 705 Washington Street, which is a quintessential suburban neighborhood.

#Royersford Ambulance crew with @MNightShyamalan . #Sundowning pic.twitter.com/SXR9zKWr9X — Matt Stehman 🇺🇸🇺🇦🌻 (@MattStehman) February 20, 2014

When the grandfather takes the siblings out to a school, shooting for the sequence was done at the 5/6 Grade Center on 833 South Lewis Road. After their visit, whilst returning, they begin to play a game of pointing out at buildings and guessing their stories. The children point to a large, red-bricked complex lined with white windows. The grandfather ominously reveals the structure to be the Maple Shade Psychiatric Hospital, where he had supposedly volunteered at an earlier point in time. The structure is actually the Royersford Spring Company on 98 Main Street which manufactures automotive parts and springs.

Miami, Florida

For a couple of scenes on a cruise ship, the film crew ventured onboard the Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas for a few days in Miami. The city’s bustling seaport, PortMiami, stands as the Cruise Capital of the World, welcoming millions of passengers annually to embark on voyages to exotic destinations. The cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, was used as a set for ‘The Visit.’ A casting call for extras announced the need for upscale cruise wear and skills related to activities carried out on the ship, such as wakeboarding and rock wall climbing.

Adam Goldstein tours the set of @MNightShyamalan 's new film shooting scenes onboard Allure of the Seas. pic.twitter.com/WzCG5RtzCp — Royal Caribbean Public Relations (@RoyalCaribPR) April 7, 2014

Read More:  Is The Visit Based on a True Story?

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Film / The Visit

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The Visit is a 2015 horror film from M. Night Shyamalan . Two children staying with their grandparents while their mother is on vacation realize that something is horribly wrong with Nana and Pop Pop when strange things start happening after 9:30 pm.

No relation to the play or video game of the same name.

This movie provides examples of:

  • Subverted when she realizes that her children have been staying with strangers and not their real grandparents. She immediately calls the police and sets out to save them, telling them to escape to the neighbors as soon as possible.
  • All There in the Script : The credits gives the names of the grandparents as Marja and Fredrick Jamison (the grandparents) and Claire and Mitchel (the imposters).
  • Alone with the Psycho : The entire movie is the children stuck in the house with the two deranged "grandparents".
  • An Aesop : Don't hold on to anger so much that you can't forgive/reconcile with someone, especially if they're your loved ones. Or they might end up killed and replaced by escaped mental patients before you get the chance.
  • Ate His Gun : Becca walks in on the grandfather seemingly about to do this.
  • Arbitrary Skepticism : Becca is adamant that there's nothing abnormal about grandma, even when they see her crawling on the floor and scratching the walls like an animal.
  • Ax-Crazy : The grandparents, especially the grandma.
  • Bittersweet Ending : Tyler and Becca kill "Nana" and "Pop Pop", but are initially traumatized by what they endured and what they had to do , though the final scene shows they largely grew out of the trauma and they seem better than ever. In addition, their real grandparents are dead and Loretta never got a chance to reconcile with them. She urges Tyler and Becca not to hate their father like she hated her parents.
  • Brick Joke : Becca scoffs at Tyler's request for him to rap at the end of the documentary, saying no documentary would dare do it. Not only does Tyler himself rap, but another rap song by East Coast Connection is played over the credits.
  • Cassandra Truth : Tyler is the only one convinced in the beginning that something is wrong with the grandparents. Both Becca and their mother insist that "they're just old," and Becca doesn't come around until she finds her nana laughing at nothing in a rocking chair.
  • Chekhov's Skill : Tyler's interest in football. Midway through the film, he confesses the reason why he thinks his father left: he froze in the middle of an important peewee league football game, allowing the other team to win. In the end, after freezing up when the grandfather assaults him, he takes the old man down after he threatens Becca, first by tackling him into the kitchen drawers, then slamming the fridge door into his head repeatedly.
  • Deadpan Snarker : Becca. Becca: ( after Tyler spits a rap for her documentary ) Yes, 'cause that's exactly what an Oscar-winning documentary has over the end credits. A song about misogyny.
  • Disappeared Dad : Becca and Tyler's father ran off with another woman prior to the events of the movie. They both have a lot of pent-up anger towards him because of it.
  • Evil Old Folks : Something is most definitely wrong with Nana and Pop Pop.
  • Excrement Statement : The fake Pop Pop smears Tyler's face with a used adult diaper.
  • Fairytale Motifs : From the trailer and the poster, this seems to be something of a Hansel and Gretel tale. And the ultimate explanation for why everything happens is straight out of Little Red Riding Hood .
  • Fan Disservice : The grandmother, oh so much. First flashing a pale, wrinkly naked buttcheek at the children as she turns away, then later scratching at a door like an animal while completely in the nude.
  • Foreshadowing : The mundane explanations for the figure under the porch and what is in the woodshed predicts the non-supernatural twist at the end of the film.
  • Found Footage Films : The kids are recording their trip and this footage seems to make up most of the film. Surprisingly for this genre, the footage is gorgeously shot, with Becca even setting up camera angles that provide full views of rooms — both resulting in longer, steadier takes than this genre is known for.
  • Genre Savvy : Both of the kids, Becca for being an aspiring filmmaker and Tyler being... a 13-year-old, are pretty savvy in regards to what to do when dealing with horror-esque situations.
  • Harmful to Minors : The protagonists are two kids who end up getting exposed to appalling violence, including finding the bodies of their murdered grandparents, and having to kill the unstable old couple they're staying with themselves.
  • Irony : Becca catches all of the crazy on her cameras and still doesn't notice what is going on right in front of her.
  • Insane Equals Violent : Nana's sundowning. She claws at walls and tries stabbing children in their sleep. Downplayed with Pop Pop who only gets violent once he's been exposed.
  • Kick the Dog : In the climax, as he's getting ready to kill the boy, "Pop Pop" tells him, "You know what? I never liked you."
  • Kill and Replace : The real Nana and Pop Pop were replaced by two of their own patients who were jealous of them and their perfect lives.
  • Lampshade Hanging : Becca uses cinematography terms often and describes a scene's actual importance to the plot right after it happens.
  • Done intentionally at the end of the climax when the mother's favorite song, a sappy classical string piece, blares as the children soaked in blood and crap flee into their mother's arms.
  • Never Got to Say Goodbye : Overlaps with Parting-Words Regret . The mom's parents have been killed, and she never got the chance to reconcile with them.
  • Offing the Offspring : Claire is revealed to have killed her own children during a schizophrenic episode, and the visit with the "grandchildren" was meant to be a way to make her feel like a mother again.
  • Potty Failure : Pop Pop suffers from incontinence and has to excuse himself during the family game night after an embarrassing and very audible bowel movement.
  • Precision F-Strike : Tyler lets one out after killing "Pop Pop" (and subsequently working through his greatest fear) .
  • Red Herring : The Shed and the well are ominous and creepy, but they're ultimately irrelevant to the actual plot.
  • The Reveal : "Nana" and "Pop Pop" are actually escaped mental patients that killed the real grandparents and stole their identities.
  • Running Gag : Tyler decides to substitute curse words with the names of female pop stars.

the visit movie grandma

  • Deanna Dunagan's performance as Nana really drives this home. The "hide and seek" sequence is a perfect example of how much of a masterful Mood Whiplash the film can be.
  • Snow Means Death : It's winter at the house, and the bleak landscape adds to the creepiness.
  • Supernatural-Proof Father : Given a Gender Flip . Mom doesn't believe anything's wrong. At first .
  • Too Dumb to Live : Stacey, you know these people are the escaped mental patients. You know that the people living at the house you're visiting haven't been seen for days. You're actively confronting said mental patients. Why are you going to follow them behind the house instead of getting help?
  • Wham Line : "Those aren't your grandparents."
  • "What Do They Fear?" Episode : Becca is afraid of mirrors and Tyler is afraid of germs. Becca irrationally believes her father left because he didn't think she was his pretty girl anymore. Tyler is obsessed with cleanliness as a method of controlling his life. Both of these get used against them, and they manage to conquer both of them .
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Shyamalan's found-footage spooker has teens in peril.

The Visit Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Teens learn to overcome past fears to deal with cu

The main characters are teens (13 and 15) who try

Dead bodies, one hanged. Elderly man killed in a s

Minor innuendo involving 13-year-old boy who imagi

"F--k" is used once. Other words include

Skype is used as part of the plot. Sony laptop sho

Adults occasionally smoke cigarettes. A boy mimes

Parents need to know that The Visit is a found-footage horror movie from director M. Night Shyamalan. There are plenty of spooky images, sounds, and dialogue, as well as jump scares and a small amount of blood and gore. Viewers see dead bodies (including one killed in a rather shocking way), and two teens, 13…

Positive Messages

Teens learn to overcome past fears to deal with current situations. They sometimes work together but at other times are forced to split up.

Positive Role Models

The main characters are teens (13 and 15) who try their best to survive a bad situation; they're brave, but their situation isn't one anyone would emulate. The adults in the story aren't particularly admirable.

Violence & Scariness

Dead bodies, one hanged. Elderly man killed in a shocking way. Some blood. Spooky images, spooky dialogue, and jump scares. Stabbing with a mirror shard. Teens in jeopardy. Vomiting and poop. A man briefly assaults another man. Rifle briefly shown.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Minor innuendo involving 13-year-old boy who imagines himself a ladykiller. Nana's naked bottom is shown twice.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

"F--k" is used once. Other words include "s--t," "ass," "ho," "bitch," "goddamn," "hell," "douche," and possibly "a--hole." Middle finger gesture.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Skype is used as part of the plot. Sony laptop shown. A Yahtzee! game, with references to toy companies Hasbro and Milton Bradley.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Adults occasionally smoke cigarettes. A boy mimes "pot smoking" with his fingers.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Visit is a found-footage horror movie from director M. Night Shyamalan . There are plenty of spooky images, sounds, and dialogue, as well as jump scares and a small amount of blood and gore. Viewers see dead bodies (including one killed in a rather shocking way), and two teens, 13 and 15, are frequently in peril. The 13-year-old boy fancies himself a ladykiller, which leads to some minor innuendo, and the "Nana" character's naked bottom is shown a couple of times. Language includes a use of "f--k," plus "s--t," "bitch," and more, most frequently spoken by the 13-year-old. Adult characters infrequently smoke cigarettes, and there's a very brief, mimed reference to smoking pot. Shyamalan is a filmmaker whom horror hounds love to hate, but this movie could be a comeback that fans will want to see. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

  • Parents say (19)
  • Kids say (82)

Based on 19 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Thirteen-year-old Tyler ( Ed Oxenbould ) and 15-year-old Becca (Olivia DeJonge) agree to spend a week with their grandparents while encouraging their mom ( Kathryn Hahn ) to take a vacation with her boyfriend. The kids have never met their grandparents, "Nana" (Deanna Dunagan) and "Pop Pop" (Peter McRobbie), at least partly because when their mother left home 15 years earlier, something terrible apparently happened. At first things seem fine, but then Nana and Pop Pop start behaving strangely. Even if it can all be explained -- Nana gets "sundown" syndrome, and Pop Pop requires adult diapers -- it doesn't quite ease the feeling that something's wrong. Meanwhile, Becca documents their visit on video, hoping to capture something that explains it all.

Is It Any Good?

After several perplexing misfires, writer/director M. Night Shyamalan has scaled back, gone for a lower budget and a lighter tone, and emerged with his most effective movie in over a decade. THE VISIT begins interestingly; the potentially creepy moments can be easily explained away and even laughed off, but the director still manages to create a subtle, creeping dread that steadily builds toward the climax.

Shyamalan uses the found-footage concept with more creativity than most other filmmakers, displaying his usual intriguing grasp of three-dimensional space, as well as empty space. The characters themselves are even aware of certain cinematic theories that could make their "documentary" more interesting. They're refreshingly intelligent and self-aware, and they never blunder stupidly into any situation. If the movie has a drawback, it's that fans will be looking hard for clues to one of Shyamalan's big "twists." As to what it is, or whether there is one, we're not saying.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about The Visit 's violence . How much is shown, and how much is suggested? How did it affect you? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

Tyler considers himself a "ladykiller." Is his dialogue inappropriate for someone his age?

Tyler likes to rap and posts videos of himself. Is he expressing himself, or is he merely seeking fame? What's appealing about fame? Is it OK for kids to start their own online channels?

Movie Details

  • In theaters : September 11, 2015
  • On DVD or streaming : January 5, 2016
  • Cast : Kathryn Hahn , Ed Oxenbould , Olivia DeJonge
  • Director : M. Night Shyamalan
  • Inclusion Information : Female actors
  • Studio : Universal Pictures
  • Genre : Horror
  • Run time : 94 minutes
  • MPAA rating : PG-13
  • MPAA explanation : disturbing thematic material including terror, violence and some nudity, and for brief language
  • Last updated : April 7, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Wealth of Geeks

Wealth of Geeks

Classic Tales for Quality Time: 15 Kids’ Films to Enjoy with Grandma

Posted: October 1, 2023 | Last updated: April 6, 2024

<p>Watching films with a family member can be a great way to have fun memories, but it can be challenging when the family members have decades between them and can’t decide what suits them.</p> <p>Luckily, we’ve compiled a list of movies kids can enjoy with their grandmothers. From timeless classics to modern favorites, these 15 films will bring joy and laughter to the kids and grandma’s movie night.</p>

Watching films with a family member can be a great way to have fun memories, but it can be challenging when the family members have decades between them and can’t decide what suits them.

Luckily, we’ve compiled a list of movies kids can enjoy with their grandmothers. From timeless classics to modern favorites, these 15 films will bring joy and laughter to the kids and grandma’s movie night.

<p>Aladdin is a classic <a href="https://wealthofgeeks.com/12-disney-movies-best-songs/" rel="nofollow noopener">Disney</a> film that folks of all ages can enjoy. The lovable street urchin falls in love with the beautiful princess Jasmine who's out of his league. To keep her love, he must face the evil Sultan Jafar. Aside from the beautiful story, the catchy songs make the film a masterpiece.</p>

1. Aladdin (1992)

Aladdin is a classic Disney film that folks of all ages can enjoy. The lovable street urchin falls in love with the beautiful princess Jasmine who’s out of his league. To keep her love, he must face the evil Sultan Jafar. Aside from the beautiful story, the catchy songs make the film a masterpiece.

<p>Although there have been many memorable voice performances in animated films, few have quite the everlasting legacy and indelible appeal as Woody from the <em>Toy Story</em> films. I cannot imagine any other actor voicing this toy cowboy in these four animated ventures that take Woody, his foe to friend Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of his toy friends through many adventures.</p> <p>Voice work is unlike any other acting in that you must convey each word without the benefit of your physical being. Although actors are often filmed for reference, it is still up to the animators to bring that character to the screen. Animation is a dazzling medium, but without the right actors voicing the characters, the film is far less effective.</p> <p>Woody is a leader who is often proud, stubborn, kindhearted, and brave. Hanks breathes life into this character in a way only he could, giving Woody his unmistakable voice and very particular, lively personality.</p>

2. Toy Story (1995)

Take a trip to infinity and beyond with Toy Story ! This beloved Pixar film introduces us to Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and many lovable toys that come to life. It’s a tale that showcases the importance of loyalty and the joy of friendship. Toy Story is a movie that will leave both kids and grandparents smiling.

<p class="p1">Given his distinctive face and full-bodied performances, it’s easy to overlook the power of Dafoe’s voice. But director Andrew Stanton, who co-wrote the movie with Robert Peterson and David Reynolds, takes advantage of the actor’s gravelly timbre for the Pixar film <i>Finding Nemo</i>. Sure, designers give the angel fish Gil a deep scar that recalls the actor’s own features. But Dafoe brings notes of vulnerability and hope to the wisened sea creature, allowing him to encourage young Nemo (Alexander Gould) to escape the fish tank that holds him and reunite with his father, Marlin (Albert Brooks).</p>

3. Finding Nemo (2003)

Dive into the ocean’s depths with the movie Finding Nemo , even though it is animation. This heartwarming adventure follows a clownfish named Marlin as he searches for his lost son, Nemo.

Along the way, they encounter the forgetful Dory, among other “helpful” characters. This movie teaches bravery and shows the lengths one would go to for their family.

<p>This movie is centered on Goofy and his teenage son, Max, as they embark on a hilarious road trip. It explores the experience of the father-son relationship while on a road trip and emphasizes the importance of embracing one’s true self.</p><p><em>A Goofy Movie</em> offers powerful messages in its plot, heartwarming characters, and rib-cracking moments. It’s a film that will bring generations together in laughter and nostalgia.</p>

4. A Goofy Movie (1995)

This movie is centered on Goofy and his teenage son, Max, as they embark on a hilarious road trip. It explores the experience of the father-son relationship while on a road trip and emphasizes the importance of embracing one’s true self.

A Goofy Movie offers powerful messages in its plot, heartwarming characters, and rib-cracking moments. It’s a film that will bring generations together in laughter and nostalgia.

<p>Another family-friendly pick that could fit all age groups, <em>Coco</em> is a masterful blending of music and storytelling. Disney/Pixar's film about a Mexican family's celebration of Dia de Los Muertos and all that messy family history can entail is heartwarming and hilarious. While some moments of peril may be frightening, they are few and far between.</p>

5. Coco (2017)

Coco is a breathtaking cinematic gem crafted by Pixar. The film revolves around Miguel’s journey into the vibrant Land of the Dead. Overcome with the zeal to be great, he explores his family’s hidden musical history.

This enchanting tale of love, memory, and following one’s passion will leave a lasting impression on viewers.

Photo Credit: Studio Ghibli

6. Castle In The Sky (1986)

Castle in the Sky is an adventure movie that will appeal to lovers of this genre. The movie is about young Pazu and Sheeta, who journey through a fantastical world of floating castles, sky pirates, and ancient mysteries. This thrilling tale of friendship will keep the entire family reeling from excitement.

<p>Xenovitz quoted the film, “We'll always be friends, won't we?” And Caitlinisgreatlin admitted, “Just READING that hurts my heart. Ugh!” User phantom_avenger said, “People always talk about how <a href="https://wealthofgeeks.com/underrated-disney-animated-movies-and-where-to-stream-them/">Disney movies</a> always go for the happily ever after ending.”</p> <p>They continued, “But if anything, this movie does the exact opposite. It gives us a very mature ending that relates more to reality. Sometimes the meaningful friendships we build with people don't last, but sometimes that's not always bad.”</p>

7. The Fox and the Hound

While a little sad, this classic Disney movie is sure to delight grandparents and kids alike. The beautiful, old-style animation and cute characters will entertain even the most discerning of movie fans. 

<p><em>My Neighbor Totoro</em> is a film about two sisters who move to the countryside with their father. As they explore their new home, they encounter magical creatures who keep them company while in the town.</p> <p>It's a delightful tale filled with friendship, imagination, and wonders of nature.</p>

8. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

My Neighbor Totoro is a film about two sisters who move to the countryside with their father. As they explore their new home, they encounter magical creatures who keep them company while in the town.

It’s a delightful tale filled with friendship, imagination, and wonders of nature.

<p>“The diner scene kills me every time. I’ll put him in a box. Then I’ll put that box into another box. I’ll mail that box to myself, and when it arrives, I’ll SMASH IT WITH A HAMMER,” one person quoted. “Eartha Kitt’s voice acting is the greatest of all time. Such an underrated Disney movie,” another person added.</p>

9. The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)

The Emperor’s New Groove is an animated comedy movie about a young emperor transformed into a llama to regain his throne. This film has colorful characters and entertaining adventures for the young and old.

<p>A boy befriends an innocent alien resembling a massive robot. However, a dubious government agent wants to destroy the extraterrestrial being. Eli Marienthal and Vin Diesel team up well in this animated science fiction featuring Jennifer Aniston.</p>

10. The Iron Giant (1999)

This animated movie is about a young boy who befriends a giant robot from outer space. It explores friendship, acceptance, and the power of choice. It’s a captivating film one will appreciate for its endearing characters and powerful messages.

<p><em>Madagascar</em> is a fun-filled, animated adventure film that follows a group of animals. While trying to escape captivity, they unexpectedly find themselves in the wild.</p> <p>Starring characters like Alex and Marty, this movie's sparkling humor is one reason it is among the most loved in the animation world.</p>

11. Madagascar (2005)

Madagascar is a fun-filled, animated adventure film that follows a group of animals. While trying to escape captivity, they unexpectedly find themselves in the wild.

Starring characters like Alex and Marty, this movie’s sparkling humor is one reason it is among the most loved in the animation world.

<p><em>Rango</em> is one movie with an excellent plot and stunning visuals. It is about the adventures of a chameleon, the sheriff of a wild town. The film contains clever references and witty dialogue, and the animation is top-notch.</p>

12. Rango (2011)

Rango is one movie with an excellent plot and stunning visuals. It is about the adventures of a chameleon, the sheriff of a wild town. The film contains clever references and witty dialogue, and the animation is top-notch.

<p><em>A Bug's Life</em> is an animated film that takes you into the miniature world of ants. The plot centers on their struggle against a group of menacing grasshoppers. This film offers endearing characters, beautiful animation, and a heartwarming story about courage and teamwork.</p> <p>This <a href="http://reddit.com/r/MovieSuggestions/comments/12yjo5a/kids_animated_movies_for_whole_family/?sort=top" rel="nofollow noopener">thread</a> inspired this post.</p> <p>This article was produced and syndicated by<a href="https://wealthofgeeks.com/kids-films-watch-with-grandma" rel="nofollow noopener"> Wealth of Geeks</a>.</p>

13. A Bug’s Life (1998)

A Bug’s Life is an animated film that takes you into the miniature world of ants. The plot centers on their struggle against a group of menacing grasshoppers. This film offers endearing characters, beautiful animation, and a heartwarming story about courage and teamwork.

<p>This animated film pays homage to just about everything in pop culture, and <em>Star Wars</em> is no different. The Millennium Falcon makes an appearance, including characters like Chewbacca, C-3PO, and Lando Calrissian. Some of these are even voiced by their original actors.</p>

14. The Lego Movie (2014)

The Lego Movie is a great movie for the entire family, with jokes that will be funny for so many age ranges. Plus, a lot of the characters are voiced by a lot of popular actors including Will Arnett, Chris Pratt, Will Ferrel, and Elizabeth Banks. 

<ul>   <li>Tomatometer: 97%</li>   <li>Runtime: 1h 54m</li>  </ul> <p>It is up to a young girl and her family to save the entire planet from a threat that aims to destroy Earth. Goofy, heartwarming, and well-animated, this is sci-fi fun for all ages.</p>

15. The Mitchell’s vs. the Machines (2021)

The Mitchell’s vs. the Machines is such a fun movie about family dynamics and trying to find a common ground with the people you love the most. When a family road trip turns into a world-saving mission, this family will have to figure out their strengths as a family in order to save themselves and the world.

Source: Reddit. 

<ul> <li class="viewsTitleText"><a href="https://wealthofgeeks.com/movies-destroy-you-from-the-inside/" rel="noopener"><span>25 Movies You Can Only Watch Once Because They'll Destroy You</span></a></li> <li><a href="https://wealthofgeeks.com/iconic-90s-movies-nostalgia/" rel="noopener">14 Iconic 90s Films That Will Ignite Your Nostalgia</a></li> </ul>

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  • 25 Movies You Can Only Watch Once Because They'll Destroy You
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Marisa Abela in Back to Black (2024)

The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time. The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time. The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time.

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  • Trivia Marisa Abela had done most of the singing in this film herself. She trained extensively to mimic Amy Winehouse 's vocals.
  • Goofs Blake Fielder-Civil met for the first time Amy Winehouse in 2003. The movie shows that they met at a bar. On the wall, you can see a mural with multiple people and you can see Rihanna with short hair that was her look in 2009. Rihanna's first album came out in 2007.

Technical specs

  • Runtime 2 hours 2 minutes

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