Based on the South Korean chiller A TALE OF TWO SISTERS, the film introduces us to troubled teen Anna as she prepares to be released from a psychiatric institution. Having witnessed the accidental death of her ailing mother, and having been saved from a subsequent suicide attempt, Anna knows that the road to recovery will be long and bumpy. Making the path more treacherous is the presence of Rachel, the mother's nursemaid who has now become Anna's father's soon-to-be wife. Already bound by their resentment of her, Anna and older sister, Alex, come to suspect Rachel of foul play when Anna is visited by ghosts.

Now here's a clever thriller that is dressed up in a run-of-the-mill PG-13 Korean horror remake. It's unusual to ever see a remake to be good, although there are some exceptions, including THE RING and THE GRUDGE. Might as well add this one to the list too because THE UNINVITED is a meticulously crafted film that will have you guessing until the shocking finale. When I mean "shocking," I may be exaggerating because the twist has been done before. However, the funny thing is that people keep on falling for it, or at least I think they do.

What makes THE UNINVITED different from the others? Well, first of all, I loved the technical aspect of the film. I have to admit, the film is slick and shot really well. The scenery is beautiful, having a good production design. The score by Christopher Young is actually a score, and not something generic. Young, who also did the music for DRAG ME TO HELL, is one of the few composers in horror films who do a great job on the musical aspects of a film.

Usually, many horror films pass the former aspect of what I've just listed (maybe not the music). However, they usually fall on the latter, that is, the story and its characters. I haven't seen the original film so I don't have any say on that, but I found the plot of the film fairly interesting and suspenseful in parts. However, the scares do get a little generic for my taste and some parts of the story are slow, but overall, it's efficient, yet ingenious.

Along with the story, what holds up this film are its characters. Emily Browning does a terrific job as the lead. She makes the improbable plot look plausible and realistic. Both she and Arielle Kebbel have a great chemistry with each other. Elizabeth Banks ups the ante of the evil stepmother role. Banks proves to us that she can work with many roles, showing her comedic and sweet side in ZACK AND MIRI. David Strathairn does a decent job, although he really doesn't have much to work with in here.

In general, the movie is better than most horror remakes released these days. This movie actually has an interesting plot with grounded characters and some suspenseful moments. Sure, the scares may be a little generic, relying on the score to let the audience know when something scary will happen, but it's not over-the-top. And although with its short running time, the film does suffer some slow spots, but I'm sure many would appreciate what the film has in store for the audience rather than violence, nudity, and gore. 3/4

I remember being fairly perturbed to find that they had cut those scenes. I think they were probably the most powerful part of the script.

Originally posted by dEd Grimley Yea, I know, really? And it was such an important plot point... Like how else would he pick people to be on the list?

Yes, they decided to cut out those scenes where he barks out orders of "Okay, all you young and beautiful women who look great naked, you come with me. As for the rest of your ugly, old hags, best of luck to you!". I mean come on, that is the tradition of all good dramas.