The Uninvited (2009)

Directors:

Charles Guard
Thomas Guard

Writers (WGA):

Craig Rosenberg (screenplay) and
Doug Miro (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

30 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Fear moves in

Plot:

Anna Rydell returns home to her sister (and best friend) Alex after a stint in a mental hospital, though her recovery is jeopardized thanks to her cruel stepmother, aloof father, and the presence of a ghost in their home.

Plot Keywords:

Nurse | Boathouse | Name On Door | Hanging A Picture | Diner

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Emily Browning	...	Anna
Arielle Kebbel	...	Alex
David Strathairn	...	Steven
Elizabeth Banks	...	Rachel
Maya Massar	...	Mom
Kevin McNulty	...	Sheriff Emery
Jesse Moss	...	Matt
Dean Paul Gibson	...	Dr. Silberling
Don S. Davis	...	Mr. Henson
Lex Burnham	...	Iris
Matthew Bristol	...	David
Danny Bristol	...	Samuel
Heather Doerksen	...	Mildred
Alf Humphreys	...	Priest (as Alfred E. Humphreys)
Ryan Cowie	...	Orderly
Troy Rudolph	...	Orderly
John Prowse	...	Butcher
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
C.A. Fraser Bain	...	Orderly (uncredited)

Directed by
Charles Guard		(as The Guard Brothers)
Thomas Guard		(as The Guard Brothers)

Writing credits (WGA)
Craig Rosenberg		(screenplay) and
Doug Miro		(screenplay) &
Carlo Bernard		(screenplay)
Jee-woon Kim		(motion picture "Changhwa, Hongryon") (as Jee-Woon Kim)

Produced by
Doug Davison	....	executive producer
Casey Grant	....	co-producer
Michael Grillo	....	executive producer
Roy Lee	....	producer
Laurie MacDonald	....	producer
Walter F. Parkes	....	producer
Tom Pollock	....	executive producer
Ivan Reitman	....	executive producer
Riyoko Tanaka	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Christopher Young

Cinematography by
Daniel Landin		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Jim Page
Christian Wagner

Casting by
Debra Zane

Production Design by
Andrew Menzies

Art Direction by
Margot Ready

Set Decoration by
Dominique Fauquet-Lemaitre

Costume Design by
Trish Keating

Makeup Department
Gitte Axen	....	makeup artist
Donna Bis	....	hair stylist
Victoria Down	....	key makeup artist
Jason James	....	makeup lab tech
Kevin Kirkpatrick	....	special makeup effects artist: lifecasting
Sherry Linder-Gygli	....	key hair stylist (as Sherry Gygli)
Bart Mixon	....	special makeup effects artist
Christopher Mark Pinhey	....	special makeup effects artist
Bill Terezakis	....	special makeup effects designer (as William Terezakis)
Maureen Terezakis	....	special makeup effects producer

Production Management
Abby Callahan	....	post-production supervisor
Casey Grant	....	production manager
Michael Grillo	....	production manager
Mark Graziano	....	post-production executive (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
James Bitonti	....	first assistant director: additional photography
James Bitonti	....	second assistant director (as James A. Bitonti)
Jim Brebner	....	first assistant director
Justin Elsworth	....	trainee assistant director
Megan M. Shank	....	third assistant director (as Megan Shank)
Rhonda Taylor	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Vaughan V. Baker	....	key scenic artist
David Clarke	....	set designer
John Coven	....	storyboard artist
Alexandra Cram	....	prop buyer
Sharon Dever	....	construction buyer
Michael Dundas	....	paint foreman
Andrew Glavina	....	signwriter
Harry Griffin-Beale	....	construction coordinator: re-shoot
Haida Harper	....	assistant property master
Christine Hawkes	....	on-set painter
Erich Hepnar	....	head greensman
Scott Holburn	....	on-set dresser
Leah Hong	....	graphic designer
Janette Hyland	....	lead painter
Bryan Korenberg	....	property master
Charles Leitrants	....	construction coordinator
Andrew Reid	....	buyer: set dressing
Al Rourke	....	construction foreman
Janice Lynn Coats	....	scenic carpenter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Michael Babcock	....	additional sound
Brad Brock	....	foley mixer
Michael J. Broomberg	....	foley artist
G.W. Brown	....	adr editor (as Greg Brown)
G.W. Brown	....	dialogue editor (as Greg Brown)
Tom Burns	....	sound re-recordist
Naomi Dandridge	....	adr mixer
Carmen Flores De Tanis	....	assistant sound editor
Robert Fernandez	....	score mixer
David E. Fluhr	....	additional sound re-recording mixer
Terry Garcia	....	assistant sound editor
Tiffany S. Griffith	....	dialogue editor
Jeffrey J. Haboush	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gary A. Hecker	....	supervising foley artist
Scott Hecker	....	supervising sound editor
Mike Hibberson	....	boom operator (as Michael Hibberson)
Denise Horta	....	dialogue editor
Rick Hromadka	....	sound designer
Rick Hromadka	....	sound effects editor
Travis MacKay	....	adr recordist
David Parker	....	additional sound re-recording mixer
Derek Pippert	....	foley editor
Miguel Rivera	....	dialog and adr supervisor
Philip Rogers	....	adr recordist
Greg P. Russell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jeff Sawyer	....	sound effects editor
Karen Schell	....	sound
Roy Seeger	....	assistant sound editor
Eric Thompson	....	adr mixer
Hugo Weng	....	dialogue editor
David Werntz	....	sound effects editor
Rob Young	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Graham S. Hollins	....	special effects assistant
William H. Orr	....	special effects coordinator (as Bill Orr)
John Wilkinson	....	special effects technician (as John A. Wilkinson)
Teresa Wilkinson	....	special effects assistant

Visual Effects by
Simon Ager	....	digital compositing artist
Graeme Baitz	....	lead rotoscope artist
J. Cody Baker	....	digital intermediate assistant (as James Baker)
Michael Boggs	....	scanning manager
Justin Brekke	....	digital film I/O technician: CIS Vancouver
Shauna Bryn	....	visual effects executive producer (as Shauna Bryan)
Kristin Dearholt	....	digital color grading: CIS Vancouver (as Kristine Dearholt)
Brian Fisher	....	lead digital compositing artist
Chad L. Fox	....	previs artist (as Chad Lee Fox)
Zane Harker	....	digital color grading: CIS Vancouver
Steven Hodgson	....	on-set supervisor
Alicia Johnson	....	visual effects coordinator
Tom McHattie	....	digital compositing artist
Christine Petrov	....	digital compositing artist
Gary Poole	....	digital compositing artist
Chris Roff	....	visual effects producer
Casey Rolseth	....	previs artist
Lorraine Rozon	....	visual effects producer
Curtis Tsai	....	data I/O: CIS Vancouver
Mike Washburn	....	rotoscope artist
Bruce Woloshyn	....	visual effects supervisor (as Bruce G. Woloshyn)
Michael Eagle-Hodgson	....	on set vfx assistant (uncredited)

Stunts
Byron Briscoe	....	stunt double
Kimberly Chiang	....	stunt performer
Laura Lee Connery	....	stunt double: Elizabeth Banks
Marny Eng	....	stunt coordinator
Daniel Browning Smith	....	stunt double: Matt
Maja Stace-Smith	....	stunt double: Arielle Kebbel

Camera and Electrical Department
Jay Anderson	....	generator operator
Rob Brady	....	lighting technician
Stephen S. Campanelli	....	camera operator
Dean Collins	....	key rigging grip
Drew Davidson	....	gaffer
Shane Dobie	....	best boy electric
Gil Forrester	....	dolly grip
Darryl Foulds	....	grip
Dan Fraser	....	lighting technician
Kimberly French	....	still photographer
Dan Gorval	....	best boy grip
Sean M. Harding	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
James S. Harvey	....	lighting technician
Phil Klapwyk	....	dimmer board operator
Kim Olsen	....	key grip
Dylan Paul	....	balloon light technician
Jean-Marc Saldini	....	assistant camera
Troy James Sobotka	....	leadman grip
Jim Wenting	....	rigging electric best boy
Tyler Woeste	....	second assistant camera
Keith Woods	....	rigging gaffer

Casting Department
Heike Brandstatter	....	casting: Canada
Andrea Brown	....	extras casting director
Andrea Brown	....	extras casting
Tiffany Mak	....	casting assistant
Coreen Mayrs	....	casting: Canada
Caitlin McKenna-Wilkinson	....	adr voice casting
Amy Nygaard	....	casting assistant
Tannis Vallely	....	casting associate
Chrissie Vides Alvarado	....	casting assistant (as Chrissie Armstrong)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Silke Guglielmo	....	truck costumer

Editorial Department
Michel Aller	....	first assistant editor
J. Cody Baker	....	digital intermediate assist (as James Baker)
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter
Tricia Chiarenza	....	color timer
Vince Filippone	....	first assistant editor
Leigh Folsom	....	first assistant editor
Shaun Paul Gordon	....	post-production coordinator (as Shaun Gordon)
Nick Monton	....	digital intermediate producer
Stephen Nakamura	....	digital intermediate colorist
Wendy Nomiyama	....	post-production assistant
Missy Papageorge	....	digital intermediate producer: Company 3
Tyler Ruocco	....	editorial production assistant
Marilyn Sommer	....	negative assembly and preparation
Stefan Sonnenfeld	....	digital intermediate executive producer: Company 3
Kevin Stermer	....	apprentice editor
Ian Turpen	....	digital intermediate scanner: Company 3
Frank Robinson	....	colorist: Technicolor Creative Services (uncredited)

Music Department
Pete Anthony	....	conductor
Pete Anthony	....	orchestrator
Bruce Babcock	....	conductor
Bruce Babcock	....	orchestrator
Samantha Barker	....	score music coordinator
Kristen Baum	....	score coordinator
Max Blomgren	....	music programmer
David Blumberg	....	orchestrator
Richard Bronskill	....	auricle programmer
Mark Buys	....	score coordinator
Tom Calderaro	....	music preparation
Tom Calderaro	....	supervising music copyist
Vincent Cirilli	....	pro tools operator (as Vincent Cirelli)
Christy Crowl	....	choir conductor
Sandy DeCrescent	....	orchestra contractor (as DeCrescent Rotter)
Greg Dennen	....	music recordist
Robert Fernandez	....	score mixer
Robert Fernandez	....	score recordist
M.B. Gordy	....	musician: Percussion
Jennifer Hawks	....	executive in charge of music
Paul S. Henning	....	musician: violin
David Klotz	....	music editor: temp music
Jon Kull	....	orchestrator
Sean McMahon	....	orchestrator
Thomas Milano	....	supervising music editor
Flavio Motalla	....	score producer
Sara Niemietz	....	vocalist
Jasper Randall	....	choir contractor
Peter Rotter	....	orchestra contractor (as DeCrescent Rotter)
David G. Russell	....	composer: additional music
David G. Russell	....	synthesizer programmer: score
Jimmy Schafer	....	score synth programmer
Samuel Joseph Smythe	....	score programmer
Andrew Spence	....	score programmer
Richard Temple	....	synthesizer programmer: score
Jonathan Timpe	....	assistant score coordinator
Gregory Tripi	....	music programmer
Brandon K. Verrett	....	score coordinator (as Brandon Verrett)
Gernot Wolfgang	....	orchestrator
Christopher Young	....	orchestrator
Max Blomgren	....	synthesizer programmer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
David Holm	....	transportation captain
Scott Irvine	....	transportation coordinator
Dave Miller	....	driver: cast
Terry Woodcock	....	driver

Other crew
Debera Barager	....	production accountant
Stuart Blackie	....	production assistant
Sheri Buckham	....	accounting clerk
Bill Burns	....	location manager
Unjoo Lee Byars	....	main title producer
Charlene Callihoo	....	assistant accountant
Juliette Caron	....	french subtitles by
Jason Crosby	....	marine coordinator
Alix Falkiner	....	assistant location manager
Alex Fong	....	assistant: Mr. Parkes
Dan Griffin	....	production assistant
Linda Kroll	....	assistant: Ms. MacDonald
Adam Kulick	....	representative: Goldcrest Pictures Limited
Susan Lambie	....	script supervisor
Peter Lapres	....	first assistant production coordinator
Eddie Lombardi	....	representative: Goldcrest Pictures Limited
Tom MacNeill	....	production assistant
Petar Mateiasevich	....	production assistant
James McBurney	....	production assistant
Lee Anne Muldoon	....	unit publicist
Tony Murphy	....	representative: Goldcrest Pictures Limited
Carly Norris	....	assistant: Mr. Lee & Mr. Davison
Claire Oakley	....	assistant to the Guard brothers
Simona Pandele	....	production assistant
Laura Porkert	....	assistant location manager
Carmen Siegers	....	first assistant production coordinator: additional photography
Carmen Siegers	....	second assistant production coordinator
Cherie Smid	....	animal trainer: magpie, snake
Shelly Strong	....	production executive
Kimberley Sutton	....	assistant: Mr. Grillo
Anthony Walters	....	representative: Goldcrest Pictures Limited
Scott Steyns	....	playback coordinator (uncredited)

Thanks
James Speight	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• DreamWorks SKG (as DreamWorks Pictures) (presents)
• Cold Spring Pictures (in association with)
• MacDonald/Parkes Productions
• Montecito Picture Company, The (as Montecity Picture Company)
• Vertigo Entertainment
• Medien 5 Filmproduktion (produced in association with)
• DWBC Productions (uncredited)
• Goldcrest Pictures (in association with) (uncredited)

Distributors

• Forum Cinemas (2009) (Lithuania) (theatrical)
• Karo Premiere (2009) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Lusomundo Audiovisuais (2009) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures Entertainment (2009) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (2009) (France) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (2009) (USA) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2009) (Chile) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2009) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures International (UPI) (2009) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• DreamWorks Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• DreamWorks Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Film1 (2010) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Kadokawa Pictures (2010) (Japan) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment Finland (2009) (Finland) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)

Special Effects

• CIS Vancouver (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Canada Film Capital  tax incentive consulting services
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies
• Company 3  digital intermediate
• DeCrescent / Rotter  orchestra contractor
• Lakeshore Records  soundtrack
• Pacific Title  titles
• Runway  post-production services
• Sony Pictures Studios  sound mixed at (as Sony/Kim Novak Theatre)
• Wildfire Studios  adr recording facility
• Wildfire Studios  sound post-production facility
• William F. White International  chapman camera dollies
• Yale Women's Slavic Chorus  choir

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violent and disturbing images, thematic material, sexual content, language and teen drinking

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA | Canada | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44547) | UK:15 | Australia:MA | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | Ireland:16 | Singapore:PG (edited version) | Sweden:15 | Germany:16 | France:U (with warning) | Mexico:B | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-15 | Brazil:16 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Ireland:15 (video rating) | Singapore:PG13 (edited TV version)

Filming Locations:

Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

Don S. Davis' final theatrical film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Alex and Anna are looking online for information about the Wright children murders, they come across an article which ran in a local paper about the event. The story mentions that the children were apparently "heavilly" (incorrectly spelled) drugged when they were killed.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Matt:I love you... I have a condom.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Rotten Tomatoes Show: The Informers/The Soloist/Tyson (#1.9)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

My Party

Better than expected, but far too content at being above average

After being cleared for release from a mental hospital, Anna (Emily Browning) returns home to her writer father Steven (David Strathairn) and sister Alex (Arielle Kebbel). In her absence, Emily's father has grown closer to her late mother's former caretaker Rachel (Elizabeth Banks). Anna is continually hallucinating and seeing her dead mother, insisting that her death was not an accident and that Rachel had something to do with it. With this in mind, she sets out with Alex to prove Rachel is not everything she seems.

I did not expect much from The Uninvited, but surprisingly, I received a lot more than I expected.

Despite being an American remake of the Korean film A Tale of Two Sisters, The Uninvited does enough to make it stand out on its own. I never saw the original film, but I imagine it looked different than this film does. It is dark and atmospheric from the very beginning, and continues on the same wavelength to the very end of the film. It frequently blends horror with psychological terror, developing a movie that could have easily been a throwaway scare-flick for pre-teens to scream through, but ends up being a fairly accomplished film. This is not a film anywhere near the quality of the greatness found in the likes of The Silence of the Lambs, but it is a film that was not just scraped out for a profit.

The story itself, as twisty and loopy as it gets, is fairly well done. Although I was not too interested at the beginning, the film draws you in rather tightly, revealing itself quite nicely over its short 87-minute running time. Yes, there are plenty of predictable moments laced throughout the film, but there are a few moments of genuine surprise as well. The film never makes the claim that it is trying to be original, but it does a unique enough job that you can only see shades of what has come before (as opposed to a standard American horror film basically spelling out exactly what it is ripping off, or homaging sort to speak). Even with the cheap scares around every corner, it still managed to make me jump back more than once.

What does not make sense however, is how some things are explicitly stated while others are briefly alluded to. A lot of what happens is fairly obvious for even the least astute of audiences, yet the film dumbs itself down more than once to fit the conventions of 2000-era PG-13 horror. When something ambiguous comes up, it is either explained in-depth, or done away with entirely. A rather crucial character element of Anna's is revealed very close to the beginning of the film, but is never explored in any capacity. We understand her motivations and what drives her quest for the truth, but there are a few background details that even after the film concludes, still left me a bit baffled. Why explain some things that are obvious, but not bother touching on ones that are not?

Despite not having starred in a lot of things, Browning is quite good in her role as Anna. Struggling throughout the film with mental anguish and hallucinations, Browning makes this young teenage character convincing in a way only someone so young could do. She is not perfect in the role, but you can see the desperation and heartbreak in her face and her actions. This is an actress who becomes her role, and never falters out of it. She carries the film from beginning to end, and never looks the worst for it. She is a young actress I hope to continue to see more of, especially in higher fare.

Kebbel, while not as powerful as Browning, commands when she is on-screen. She works beautifully off of Browning, and makes their relationship clear and pure from their first moment together. Their chemistry makes the film as surprising as it is. It easily could have been something that was clouded over, or underplayed. But the filmmakers use every opportunity to stress the strength of the relationship of the two sisters, and their willingness to go the distance for each other. Some moments are just heartbreaking, seeing the lengths they are willing to go, but Kebbel keeps herself in check at all times, and gives a great performance.

Strathairn, despite the Oscar-nomination for Good Night, and Good Luck., seems to have fallen on being the wise older character in every movie since, and gives the same old performance here. He is good as always, but seems more mellowed down than he should be. Banks on the other hand, is completely out of her comfort zone, and her performance is an obvious reflection. In some scenes, she is downright terrifying as the evil potential stepmother, and in others, she is laughably bad. There is no middle ground, and no one seems to have been able to suggest any consistency tips for her. While she gives a decent performance anyway, it could have been stronger with a more confident actress.

But what the film is guilty of is its lack of reinvention. It is a unique piece of horror for 2009, but the film never strives to be anything bigger or better. It lacks the motivations to really make something of itself, and never even tries to be something better than it could be. The Uninvited really surprised me for how good it actually was, but surprised me more in how easily it could have been even better. A lean running time, a great pair of young actresses, and some decent supporting acting could have made this small picture quite the notorious horror flick. But instead, it seems content just being an above average run-of-the-mill psychological thriller.

7/10.

(Portions of this review originally appeared on http://www.dvdfanatic.com).