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Parents' Guide to

The Uninvited

By James Rocchi, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

American remake of Korean horror film is violent but dull.

Movie PG-13 2009 87 minutes
The Uninvited Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 6 parent reviews

zoomin
zoomin Parent
November 26, 2019
age 14+

The Uninvited

My ten year old begged me to watch this movie and I stupidly said yes. After the movie we as a family thought it had a lot of flaws. It was also pretty scarry for a ten yearbold so I wouldn't recommend this movie to any one under the age of 14. Also Don't BE FOOLED BY THE TRAILER!!

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Whatemail0
Whatemail0 Adult
July 10, 2019
age 15+

If anything it's a twist you won't get in many other movies.

Truly, it is a dark film, but that doesn't mean it should be abandoned. It starts with a PG-13 setting of a child who lost their family in a harsh way, and as the story progresses you unvail a more mature tone of something deeper (I am doing my best to say this without spoilers). Honestly please watch it! It is a story you won't understand until the twist :)

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

After a brief sanitarium stay following a breakdown and suicide attempt in the wake of her terminally ill mother's death in an explosion, Anna (Emily Browning) is going home. Glad as she is to see her father (David Strathairn) and sister (Arielle Kebbel), Anna is less happy to see her father's girlfriend, Rachel (Elizabeth Banks), who -- not coincidentally -- used to be her mother's nurse. Haunted by visions, Anna begins to realize that perhaps Rachel had something to do with her mother's death.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (49 ):

Another in a long line of Asian horror films remade for American audiences, THE UNINVITED has all the hallmarks and drawbacks of peers like The Grudge and Pulse. There are familiar scary visions, a reliance on atmosphere over plot, and a contempt for the audience -- manifested by emphasizing violence and chills over plot and character, as if enough blood and gore will distract us from the shabby plot moments and the characters' shallowness.

Worst of all, The Uninvited builds to a climactic twist that feels more annoying than exciting and more shallow than suspenseful. The filmmakers want you to examine all the ways that the twist rewrites what you've seen before, but that aim would be a lot easier to accomplish if they'd actually given you a reason to care about all of that stuff. The Uninvited whould perhaps have been more honestly titled The Uninspired.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the central plot point -- what challenges do families face after the death of a parent? How does this movie exaggerate some of those real-life issues? Do you think it's trying to send a particular message?

  • Why ar Asian horror films so popular as material for Hollywood remakes. How does their typical style of violence differ from other kinds of horror movies?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: January 30, 2009
  • On DVD or streaming: April 28, 2009
  • Cast: Arielle Kebbel , David Strathairn , Elizabeth Banks
  • Director: Thomas Guard
  • Inclusion Information: Female actors, Polynesian/Pacific Islander actors
  • Studio: Paramount Pictures
  • Genre: Horror
  • Run time: 87 minutes
  • MPAA rating: PG-13
  • MPAA explanation: violent and disturbing images, thematic material, sexual content, language and teen drinking
  • Last updated: August 28, 2023

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