The Uninvited

"Can you believe what you see?"

2009 1h 27m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 1,687

Horror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Anna returns home after spending time in a psychiatric facility following her mother's tragic death and discovers that her mother's former nurse, Rachel, has moved into their house and become engaged to her father. Soon after she learns this shocking news, Anna is visited by her mother's ghost, who warns her that Rachel has evil intentions.

“Can you believe what you see?”

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Cast

Emily Browning
Anna
Arielle Kebbel
Alex
David Strathairn
Steven
Elizabeth Banks
Rachael
Maya Massar
Mom
Kevin McNulty
Sheriff Emery
Jesse Moss
Matt
Dean Paul Gibson
Dr. Silberling

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Charles Guard
Writers: Kim Jee-woon, Carlo Bernard, Craig Rosenberg
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Charles Guard, shot by Daniel Landin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Christopher Young. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jim Page shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Emily Browning and Arielle Kebbel and David Strathairn carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Can you believe what you see?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0815245 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Charles Guard directs. Daniel Landin behind the camera. Christopher Young scores. Jim Page cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 17 years ago.
3Directed by Charles Guard, shot by Daniel Landin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Christopher Young. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Jim Page shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Emily Browning and Arielle Kebbel and David Strathairn carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Can you believe what you see?".
8IMDB entry: tt0815245 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 9 themes, including "remake", "death of mother", "evil stepmother", "evil woman".

The technical file

Cinematography: Daniel Landin
Original score: Christopher Young
Editing: Jim Page
Production design: Andrew Menzies
Costume design: Trish Keating
Makeup / hair: Donna Bis
VFX supervisor: Bruce Woloshyn
Sound: David Parker
Stunt coordinator: Marny Eng
Runtime: 87 min · 1h 27m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $41,624,046
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Uninvited (2009)

Also by

Charles Guard

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2019-07-22
★ 8/10
Haunting mysteries on the coast of Maine with Emily Browning and Elizabeth Banks After her mother dies in a tragedy, a teen girl (Emily Browning) is sent to a mental hospital. Upon returning to her father’s mansion on the coast of Maine, she reunites with her older sister (Arielle Kebbel) and tries to get along with her dad’s new girlfriend (Elizabeth Banks), her mother’s former nurse, who appears to be taking over. David Strathairn plays the father, a successful author. “The Uninvited” (2009) is a mystery/horror that combines elements of “The Sixth Sense” (1999), “Half Light” (2006) and “The Ring” (2002), although it’s a little more subdued than the latter. If you like the haunting tone of those movies and the spectacular locations of the latter two, you’ll appreciate it. Browning with her ultra-cute face was 20 during filming, but looks 14. Meanwhile Banks is effective as the biyatch gold-digger and Strathairn is convincing as the clueless father. The story plays out in a too-predicable manner. If you saw the trailer beforehand it basically tells you everything you need to know. But not really: The last 15 minutes pulls the rug out with some surprising revelations. I heard there was a twist before viewing and went over various possibilities in my mind while watching, but the movie fooled me. Great job on this front. Not everything is as it appears. I’d say more, but I don’t want to spoil it. My relatively high rating is due to the lingering power of the film's message on individual perception. It's potent and applicable stuff, expertly executed. The film doesn’t overstay its welcome at a mere 1 hour, 27 minutes. It wasn’t shot in the Northeast, however, but obviously British Columbia (Bowen Island). It’s an American remake of the Korean film “A Tale of Two Sisters” (2003). GRADE: B+/A-
John Chard2019-10-15
★ 5/10
We survive by remembering. But sometimes we survive by forgetting. The Uninvited is directed by The Guard Brothers and written by Craig Rosenberg, Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard. It stars Emily Browning, Elizabeth Banks, Arielle Kebbel and David Strathairn. Music is by Christopher Young and cinematography by Daniel Landin. A remake of Korean film "A Tale of Two Sisters", plot finds Anna (Browning) released from a psychiatric institution, she was placed in there following a suicide attempt when her terminally mother died in a boathouse fire. Once home she begins to encounter bad dreams and supernatural visions... It was yet another American remake of an Asian horror film, at a time when doing so was in vogue, unfortunately this is one of the weakest of the bunch. Not exactly terrible, it's just so unoriginal and devoid of any suspense or chiiling atmosphere. In fact it feels more like a murder mystery piece but with a couple of spook scenes inserted into the narrative. Pic is predominantly saved by the finale, where the story unravels with some genuine surprises. Cast are all fine in perfs, even if Strathairn is utterly wasted in his under written role. 5/10
JPV8522022-04-11
★ 6/10
Okay psychological thriller featuring a fine performance by Emily Browning. This is one I saw back in '09 and pretty much feel the same way I did back then. Nothing great but worth checking out I suppose. 3.0/5