''The Uninvited'' is a 2008 American horror

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed and written by Bob Badway and produced by Michael Emanuel, Jasper Jan and Jim Stoddard. The film stars

Marguerite Moreau Marguerite Moreau (born April 25, 1977) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Jesse Reeves in the fantasy horror film ''Queen of the Damned'', Katie in the comedy ''Wet Hot American Summer'', and her role as Connie in ''The Might ...

Brittany Curran Brittany Elizabeth Curran (born June 2, 1990) is an American film and television actress. Beginning as a child actress, she is known for her roles on the television series ''Men of a Certain Age'' and '' The Magicians'', and for the film ''Dear W ...

and

Colin Hay Colin James Hay (born 29 June 1953) is a Scottish-Australian musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He came to prominence as the lead vocalist and the sole continuous member of the band Men at Work, and later as a solo artist. Hay's music ha ...

in a tale about a young woman's cured fear of

space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...

, relapsing in the return of her nightmarish past and the emergence of supernatural entities that come to haunt her remote house.

Plot

A young,

agoraphobic Agoraphobia is a mental and behavioral disorder, specifically an anxiety disorder characterized by symptoms of anxiety in situations where the person perceives their environment to be unsafe with no easy way to escape. These situations can in ...

woman, Lee Ferris (

), lives in a remote house with her husband, Nick Ferris (

), a

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

who produces an award-winning documentary, ''Living in Fear'', on her battle with a bizarre fear of space. Developed after seeing an apparition as a child, Lee had recently undergone

psychotherapy Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome pro ...

from her

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

, Dr. Schulman (Donna W. Scott), to cure her condition that eventually relapses in the wake of her returning nightmarish past. Although the couple faces financial woes (and Lee has trouble finding a job), Nick pays his ex-production assistant, Helena (

), for her services. He then goes out for one whole day to perform a "job" he vows will change both of their lives, leaving his newest project to record onto a

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

, while Lee rests. The house soon becomes haunted by supernatural forces, as Lee is tormented by nightmares and learns that thirty years ago, a group of seven people inexplicably died in the house she lives, though Nick withheld this information from her upon moving in. She also discovers Nick's new project explores the spiritual world after watching the recorded video he left behind. She contacts her friend, Trina ( Jillian Bach), who helps her over the phone to deal with her fear and panic attacks as it worsens. Using techniques Dr. Schulman taught her, Lee stays close to walls and surfaces, only moving around in vacant space with her eyes closed. Later that night, a thunderstorm commences, and Lee sees a man, Helmut (Zia Harris), in her driveway who is struck by lightning. He supernaturally revives as a zombie just as Lee blindly runs out of the house in fright. Zombie Helmut pursues her and takes her back into the house before she locks him out. Lee finds a bag enclosed with bloodstained sheets in the basement. Helena breaks into the house armed with a gun, revealing it’s hers. She tells Lee the truth that Nick hid from her, admitting she was suicidal and needy for cash, so in desperation, she made a deal to hand over the care of her baby to Nick, both for money and also to prevent children’s aid from taking her baby. Wanting her baby back, Helena awaits Nick's arrival. Zombie Helmut breaks in and Helena shoots him, though she becomes mortally injured and pleads with Lee to save her baby before she dies. Eventually, Lee becomes a psychological survivalist, overcoming her deepest fears. During the search for the baby, it's revealed the baby was left in the house. Nick concedes to Lee he is working for certain "forces" and plans to offer the baby up for a sacrificial ritual to be performed in their haunted house in exchange for the resolution of their financial problems. Lee is against it and prepares to shoot him with the gun, but Nick threatens to harm the child. Zombie Helmut appears and kills Nick to take the baby. Lee shoots him, however. The next day, Lee departs the house with the baby, leaving the demonic spirits behind. As she is walking down a road, zombie Helena watches her child being carried away.

Cast

as Lee *

as Helena *

as Nick *Donna W. Scott as Dr. Schulman * Jillian Bach as Trina *Michael Emanuel as Father Mitello *Zia Harris as Helmut *Phalana Tiller as Palmist *Linda Larson as Bloody Old Woman *Marion Kelly as Old Woman

Reception

Gordon Sullivan of

DVD Verdict DVD Verdict was a judicial-themed website for DVD reviews. The site was founded in 1999. The editor-in-chief was Michael Stailey, who owned the website between 2004 and 2016, and the site employed a large editorial staff of critics, whose reviews ...

reviewed the film, claiming "a strong visual sense and a good central performance can't overcome the fact that The Uninvited doesn't have a coherent story." He does, however, commend the director for effectively setting up the look of the film to suggest both openness and claustrophobia and for using the documentary format to introduce the illness of the main character which he calls "bold" and "brilliant". All in all, Gordon believes it "shows tremendous potential, but doesn't quite hang together as an effective horror film."

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Uninvited 2000s horror thriller films 2008 independent films 2000s psychological horror films 2008 psychological thriller films 2000s supernatural horror films 2008 films Agoraphobia in fiction American haunted house films American horror thriller films American independent films American psychological horror films American psychological thriller films American supernatural horror films American supernatural thriller films Films about mental health 2000s English-language films 2000s American films