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"THE UNINVITED" (2009) (Emily Browning, Elizabeth Banks) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Heavy Extreme *Extreme Moderate Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Heavy Extreme None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy None Heavy Moderate Heavy QUICK TAKE: Horror: After being released from a mental institution, a teenager must not only contend with her father's new girlfriend, but also the growing belief that the woman might have been responsible for her ailing mother's death, a point driven home by visions of her and other ghosts determined to warn her about her future stepmother. PLOT: Ten months after the death of her ailing mother (MAYA MASSAR) in a fiery explosion, teenager Anna Rydell (EMILY BROWNING), is being released from the mental institution -- where she's been kept following a suicide attempt -- to return home to her author father, Steven (DAVID STRATHAIRN), and his new girlfriend, Rachael Summers (ELIZABETH BANKS). Her presence -- she was once the late mom's nurse -- doesn't sit well with Anna or her sister Alex (ARIELLE KEBBEL). And that doesn't stem just from the adults' bedroom behavior, but also the fact that Anna is troubled by nightmares and visions of her burned mom trying to warn her about something. When other ghostly figures -- of three young kids -- also start popping up and Anna's erstwhile boyfriend, Matt (JESSE MOSS), says he knows something about the night of her mom's death, Anna starts to get suspicious about Rachael and her possible involvement with that. As she and Alex start digging into Rachael's past, and the ghostly appearances and warnings continue, Anna begins to worry about her safety as Rachael seems determined not to allow the teen to mess with her relationship with Steven. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? They might if they're fans of ghost-based horror films and/or are fans of someone in the cast. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For violent and disturbing images, thematic material, sexual content, language and teen drinking. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: To avoid spoilers, the big twist at the end of the film isn't revealed in the character descriptions below, while the face value characteristics up to that point are listed: EMILY BROWNING plays a teenager who's just been released from a mental institute following a suicide attempt after the death of her ailing mother in a fiery explosion. Unable to remember that night, she's beset by troubling nightmares as well as visions of and/or real encounters with her mother's ghost and that of some children. She's also uncomfortable with Rachael as her dad's live-in girlfriend, and then becomes suspicious that she was somehow involved with her mother's death. ELIZABETH BANKS plays her dad's new girlfriend who was his ailing wife's nurse. She's moved into the house and has sex with him, and tries to be accommodating to Anna upon her return, but becomes progressively more sinister as the story unfolds. She uses profanity, some of it briefly strong. ARIELLE KEBBEL plays Anna's teenage sister who doesn't get along with their dad and doesn't like Rachael, meaning she quickly believes Anna's allegations regarding the latter. She uses profanity and is intoxicated in one scene. DAVID STRATHAIRN plays Anna's dad, an author who seems happy with Rachael (with whom he had an affair before his wife's death), and isn't pleased by the way his daughter is acting toward her. MAYA MASSAR plays Anna's late mom who repeatedly shows up in ghastly ghostly form to warn her about her safety. JESSE MOSS plays Anna's erstwhile boyfriend who wanted to have sex with her in the past (and later admits to be drunk at the time) who now works as the delivery boy for the local grocer and seems to know something about the night of the death of Anna's mom. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this horror film that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Sexually related dialogue is present, as is a partial view of a sexual encounter (no nudity) and there are faint sounds of another involving the same unmarried couple, while a teen boy is briefly on top of a teen girl (clothed, but she stops before sex), older teen girls are occasionally seen in skimpy attire (bikini, bra & panties), teen sisters find a woman's vibrator, and varying amounts of cleavage are present. A person is murdered off camera, there's some brief fighting, and a flashback shows a house accidentally exploding. Some of that has fairly bloody results (especially the aftermath of the unseen murder), visions of decomposed and/or burned ghosts are present, and those scenes, moments of potential peril, and standard haunted house type material might be unsettling, suspenseful and/or scary to viewers. Bad attitudes are present, while some behavior on display might be enticing for some kids to imitate. Tense family material occurs throughout the film, teenage drinking is present, and one such girl appears intoxicated, while there's a brief drug reference. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's some of that from lightning. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there are varying amounts of camera movement at various points in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Some teens drink at an outdoor party at night. Anna asks Alex if the latter is drunk and her sister replies that she was at a party where drinks were served. Talking about Rachael, she (Alex) says that she (Alex) might be drunk, but at least she knows what the truth is. She then heads off for the bathroom stating "Here comes the burrito" (meaning she's about to vomit, not seen or heard). About their night on the beach in the past where he wanted to have sex with her, Matt tells Anna that he was nervous so he drank a lot, adding that he was dumb and drunk. From another room, Alex lies to Rachael that she's "totally hung-over" and is expecting a headache. Alex states that Rachel is "like a crack-whore without the dignity." People have wine at a party. About dealing with Rachael at a party the latter is throwing, Alex states that this is going to take a lot of alcohol. We see a drink on Steven's desk. BLOOD/GORE A corpse partially pops out of a large plastic bag, and it appears somewhat decomposed as well as possibly dismembered (since the body parts are not arranged normally). In a nightmare, Anna sees blood pour out from a keyhole in a door. We see scars on Anna's wrists, indicating an apparently earlier and unseen suicide attempt (and another patient talks of the blood). While drunk, Alex heads off for the bathroom stating "Here comes the burrito" (meaning she's about to vomit, not seen or heard). A burned arm suddenly pops up from below Anna's bed and lands on the covers, followed by the second one. Anna has a vision or encounter with her dead and burned mom towering over her. Rachael tells Anna that as a nurse for elderly patients, "I wiped old people's asses for a living." Anna has a nightmare where blood runs from a keyhole in a door, while a ghost girl drops a glass of milk that turns into blood when the glass shatters on the floor. We see a drowned body being retrieved from a body of water (no blood or gore, just dead). Anna shows bruises on her arms from where a ghost grabbed her the night before. We briefly see photos of murdered children (one arm, and the face of the boy). Rachael's head is a little bloody after Anna hits her there in self-defense. Alex has some blood on her arm following an unseen encounter with Rachael. We see blood flow back into a syringe when a sedative is jammed into Anna. Anna wakes up to discover blood on the floor and then follows that trail through the house and outside to a dumpster where she discovers a dead and bloody body. The perpetrator is bloody and holds a bloody knife, followed by some of that blood getting on Anna's clothing. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Rachael tells Anna that as a nurse for elderly patients, "I wiped old people's asses for a living." She then adds that the only way she got through that and their condescension toward her was the thought that they'd be dead soon. While Anna travels into town with Rachael, Alex goes through the latter's stuff, looking for clues about her. Rachael becomes meaner and more sinister toward Anna as the story progresses. There's talk that a nanny murdered three kids in the past by sedating and then stabbing them to death. A teen murders an adult (off-screen, we see the bloody aftermath). We learn that Steven was having a sexual affair with Rachael before his ailing wife's death. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Anna leaves an outdoor party and heads home through the woods, only to discover some large plastic bags, freshly dug holes, and a shovel. She slowly goes to open one bag and a corpse partially pops out, folded or partially dismembered (the body parts are not arranged normally). The head then twists around one-hundred and eighty degrees and warns her to run, so she does. She then slowly goes to the guest house, blood runs from a keyhole, she sees her ailing mother in bed, and then there's a fire followed by an explosion (all a nightmare on her part, narrated by her). Anna wakes up a night, hearing the bell her ailing mother formerly used to call them for help. She then sees a shadow pass by the door, the doorknob move, and then the door opens, but no one is there. Anna, who's frightened, then sees something of a figure in the dark corner of the room, and it moves across the floor making raspy sounds. One burned hand and then another suddenly pop up and grab her bed. Anna sees a shadow pass by under her door, and slowly goes to investigate, leading her to the guest house at night during a thunderstorm where she hears her late mom's bell ringing. She then sees a hand come out from under a blanket or something similar, followed by a figure crawling across the dark floor toward her. Its neck make a creaking sound and the figure then stands, revealing her burned mother who towers over her (seen in flashes of lightning) yelling about murder. Anna sees the ghosts of three kids in a diner, but they then disappear. Matt enters Anna's bedroom, wet and cold, and thus removes his shirt. The two kiss while seated on her bed, and there are some roaming hands on both parts (nothing explicit), but his spine buckles and starts to bulge out in a gross way, finally resulting in him standing but bent over badly, sideways. He grabs her and says, "Your mother tried to warn me" and she runs out of the room in fright, but when she returns moments later, it's suddenly daytime and he's gone. We see a drowned body being retrieved from a body of water, with the sheriff stating that the guy's boat hit a log, breaking his back. Anna shows bruises on her arms from where a ghost grabbed her the night before. Rachael tightens a necklace around Anna's neck while standing behind her and after Anna reveals she knows about Rachael's real identity (but Anna is unharmed from this as Rachael stops). Anna removes a heavy and filled garbage bag from the trashcan, but then notices movement from inside it. She then slowly goes through it, surprised when a can suddenly pops out and rolls under the stove. Anna then peers under that, only to be startled when a ghost figure suddenly pops out at her, menacingly saying "You're next" before being dragged back under there by something unseen. Due to that shock, Anna backed into a table, knocking Rachael's roast to the floor, and she's none too pleased, holding a prong in a menacing fashion by Anna before jamming it into the roast. Anna spots the ghost of a girl at another person's funeral and follows her through the cemetery. That ghost then joins her ghost siblings and Anna continues following them, but then loses sight of the three. She then ends up partially falling into a grave that collapses beneath her. We see that Rachael has overhead Anna and Alex suspecting her of being a past murderer. Rachael grabs Anna and tries to jam a sedative-filled syringe into her, with Anna crashing into a desk during that. Rachael comes at her again, but Anna repeatedly hits her on the head with something, slightly bloodying her. Anna tries to run out, but Rachael grabs her foot and trips her. Anna gets up and runs to another room, closing the door on Rachael's hand, only to find Alex on the floor, sedated and with a bloody arm. Anna tries to escape in Rachael's car, with it stalling before she gets it started again. Rachael is then at the window and tries to get inside, but Anna drives off, with Rachael falling hard to the street. Anna wakes up to discover blood on the floor and then follows that trail through the house and outside to a dumpster where she discovers a dead and bloody body. The perpetrator is bloody and holds a bloody knife, followed by some of that blood getting on Anna's clothing. GUNS/WEAPONS Knife: Used to kill someone off-screen. See "Violence" for details. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "That nobody f*cked with," "That's bullsh*t," "Holy sh*t," "Now she's helping him cope, three times a night," "Was that you or nursey in the throes of ecstasy?" "She's like a crack-whore without the dignity," "(That is so) Awesome," "While you were searching for your inner psycho," "He's such an asshole," "You disgust me," "What the hell are you doing with that?" "Doing her teenage bitchy thing," "You totally jacked her Barbie kitchen," "You little suck-up," "I wiped old people's asses for a living," "Jesus, you scared me," "Bitch" and "Open this G*ddamn door." Some kids may be enticed to imitate any number of scares in the film. To sneak into Rachael's bedroom, Alex shuffles along the roof from one window to the next. We then hear the thud sound of her falling. Rachael wears a midriff-revealing top. JUMP SCENES A corpse partially pops out of a large plastic bag, and it appears somewhat decomposed as well as possibly dismembered (since the body parts are not arranged normally). Anna suddenly moves some hangers on a rod in the attic (accompanied by sudden exposed light by doing so). A burned arm suddenly pops up from below Anna's bed and lands on the covers, followed by the second one. A hand suddenly comes out from under a blanket or something similar on the floor. Anna removes a heavy and filled garbage bag from the trashcan, but then notices movement from inside it. She then slowly goes through it, surprised when a can suddenly pops out and rolls under the stove. Anna then peers under that, only to be startled when a ghost figure suddenly pops out at her. Rachael is suddenly at a car window. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of suspenseful, ominous and scary music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None PROFANITY At least 1 "f" word, 3 "s" words, 2 asses (1 used with "hole"), 1 hell, 2 uses of "G-damn" and "Oh my God" and 1 use each of "God" and "Jesus." SEX/NUDITY We see a close-up of Matt on top of Anna, kissing her (both are clothed, at a party at night), and he says he has a condom, but she says she shouldn't be there and gets up and leaves. As she does, we see another teen in a bikini top, as well as a shirtless guy, among others there. Rachael shows varying amounts of cleavage in various outfits throughout the film, including once while sweaty after working out. We see Alex in a bikini. Alex sarcastically comments on Rachael once being their mother's nurse and now helping their dad cope "three times a night." Anna hears the faint sounds of Rachael and her dad having sex (her sounds and that of the bed squeaking), and thus puts on her headphones to drown out the sound. The next day, Alex asks Anna, "Was that you or nursey in the throes of ecstasy?" They then talk about a bell their late mother used to call for them, with Alex saying Rachael got that for their mom so that Rachael hear the mom coming "while she was riding dad" (and she wiggles her body a bit, in a sexual fashion, to drive home that point). Alex shows a little cleavage. We see Alex in a small bikini, while Anna is in a one-piece bathing suit. About their night on the beach in the past where he wanted to have sex with her, Matt tells Anna that he was nervous so he drank a lot, adding that he was dumb and drunk. Alex states that Rachel is "like a crack-whore without the dignity." While Anna travels into town with Rachael, Alex goes through the latter's stuff, looking for clues about her. When Anna returns, Alex shows some sexy lingerie she found (with a sarcastic comment about when the stripper pole is being installed), and then holds up a vibrator, saying "Meet Mr. Chubby." Anna doesn't want to hold it, and Alex removes the batteries before putting it back, stating, "Party's over, Rach." In a sisterly and nonsexual way, Anna asks Alex to stay in bed with her until she (Anna) falls asleep, with Alex agreeing but jokingly adding, "No funny stuff." Matt enters Anna's bedroom, wet and cold, and thus removes his shirt. The two kiss while seated on her bed, and there are some roaming hands on both parts (nothing explicit), but his spine buckles and starts to bulge out in a gross way, finally resulting in him standing but bent over badly, sideways. He grabs her and says, "Your mother tried to warn me" and she runs out of the room in fright, but when she returns moments later, it's suddenly daytime and he's gone. Rachael puts lipstick on Anna, stating that boys supposedly like a girl's eyes, but what they really want is "a pretty mouth." Anna and Alex each show some cleavage in their party dresses. After sedating her, Rachael undresses Anna on her bed, down to her bra and panties, and then puts a nightshirt or nightgown on her. We see a flashback to Anna peering through a keyhole to see her dad having sex with Rachael (both are standing, clothed, with her leaning back on a desk or something similar, with kissing, some movement and heavy breathing, but no nudity). SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Anna is troubled by nightmares about her mother's death, and can't remember the details of that night (and has been institutionalized for apparently trying to commit suicide over that). Anna has another imagined or remembered view of her ailing mother in bed, calling out for her. Alex clashes with her father (at one point telling him "You disgust me" -- for not sending her letters and such to Alex in the mental hospital) and doesn't like Rachael. At the same time, Anna isn't comfortable with Rachael living there, changing things, and trying to assume - at least partially - the mom role. Anna has a vision or encounter with her dead and burned mom towering over her. Rachael tightens a necklace around Anna's neck while standing behind her and after Anna reveals she knows about Rachael's real identity (but Anna is unharmed from this as Rachael stops). Anna's allegations about Rachael put a strain on her relationship with her dad. We see distraught family members at a funeral. Rachael becomes meaner and more sinister toward Anna as the story progresses. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Anna's doctor saying that some people survive traumatic events by remembering, while others do so by forgetting that. Why stepmothers (or women in similar roles) are often portrayed as villains in fiction. We see scars on Anna's wrists, indicating an apparently earlier and unseen suicide attempt (and another patient talks of the blood). Rachael puts lipstick on Anna, stating that boys supposedly like a girl's eyes, but what they really want is "a pretty mouth." VIOLENCE During Anna's nightmare, there's a fire followed by an explosion of the guest house. We see a drowned body being retrieved from a body of water, with the sheriff stating that the guy's boat hit a log, breaking his back. There's talk that a nanny murdered three kids in the past by sedating and then stabbing them to death (the acts are not seen). Rachael grabs Anna and tries to jam a sedative-filled syringe into her, with Anna crashing into a desk during that. Rachael comes at her again, but Anna repeatedly hits her on the head with something, slightly bloodying her. Anna tries to run out, but Rachael grabs her foot and trips her. Anna gets up and runs to another room, closing the door on Rachael's hand, only to find Alex on the floor, sedated and with a bloody arm (saying Rachel attacked her). Anna tries to escape in Rachael's car, with it stalling before she gets it started again. Rachael is then at the window and tries to get inside, but Anna drives off, with Rachael falling hard to the street. Anna's mom suddenly turns into Rachael who's over her on a couch and jams a syringe into her, sedating her. Anna wakes up to discover blood on the floor and then follows that trail through the house and outside to a dumpster where she discovers a dead and bloody body. The perpetrator is bloody and holds a bloody knife, followed by some of that blood getting on Anna's clothing. We see a flashback to an accidental fire that causes an explosion in the guest house, killing two people inside that (we don't see the deaths). We see a flashback where a person lets go of another on a rocky outcrop, sending that person to their death below (not seen). Reviewed January 28, 2009 / Posted January 30, 2009

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