“The Visit” succeeds in providing frightening images, if that is what people like. The image of a grandmother chasing her grandchildren, in a sort of half-play, half-menacing way is a bit scary. Add a bloody hammer and some killings into the mix, and the movie becomes scarier yet. And don’t forget the vomit being projected from a character and a soiled adult diaper. All of this might be a bit much for many viewers.
In this story, a single mother decides to take her kids to see their grandparents. Their mother left home long ago after a bad fight, so the grandparents haven’t seen the grandkids and really want to. The mom (Kathryn Hahn), who has tended to make bad decisions over the years, hopes the trip will be good for both the kids and for her, as she goes to hang out with her boyfriend. Teen daughter Becca decides to kill two birds with one stone and record the trip for a school project, as a record of a journey and her life at the time.
However, after the initial greetings with the grandparents, “Nana” and “Pop Pop” begin to act, to put it mildly, very strangely. Soon, Becca and her brother Tyler begin to wonder: Are these two strange people really their grandparents? And if not, where are their true grandparents and what happened to them? What they find is frightening and horror-filled, not to mention violent.
Due to the strong content of this film, including language and nudity, we are unable to award “The Visit” our Dove Seal. .