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Arielle Kebell and Emily Browning Get 'Uninvited' to DVD
by Nadya Vlassoff
 Although The Uninvited is based on the Korean horror hit, A Tale of Two Sisters, it doesn’t stray too far away from the American remake formula of Asian cinema. However, unlike films like The Grudge, The Uninvited shies away from the in-your-face spectacle of “Boo!” terror, instead basing its thrill tactics on suspense and cinematography chosen by brother directing duo, Thomas and Charlie Guard. Nowhere near as frightening and creepy as the original A Tale of Two Sisters, The Uninvited will certainly entertain some horror fans who have no preconceived images of the original and those who haven’t been burned out by wave of Asian horror remakes of the past decade.
The storyline unfolds as Anna (Emily Browning), returns home from a mental institution, where she had been placed for psychiatric help after the death of her mother. Upon her return, she discovers that her father (David Strathairn) is living with new girlfriend, Rachel (Elizabeth Banks) who now acts as a step-mother to her sister Alex (Arielle Kebell).
After their mother’s mysterious death, Anna and Alex get entangled in a thrilling web of mystery to find out what actually happened. Once back at home, Anna recounts the death of her mother in the small deckhouse by the pier where her mother spent the rest of her days, stricken with illness before her death. From there Anna and Alex soon discover that Rachel is not the person she appears to be as the sisters delve deeper into the dark past of their new mom. While the two sisters desperately attempt to alert their father to his fiancé’s deception, it is Anna and Alex who are thrust into a spiral of deception and lies. When it’s all said and done and the mystery becomes clear, the truth is revealed and The Uninvited features a twist ending that takes you completely by surprise. And largely, perhaps to a fault, The Uninvited is all about the ending.
 Shot on the Sunshine Coast outside of Vancouver (the same location as the new TV series Harper’s Island), The Uninvited takes full advantage of the lush, misty forest and secluded island location to create an atmosphere where the characters are sequestered from any contact with other people. This, coupled with the flashbacks throughout the film, creates a creepy uneasiness that keeps you somewhat uncomfortable on the edge of your seat for the entire story, which works effectively in maintaining an off-putting tone.<>/p>
However, The Uninvited borrows heavily from other films in the sense that we’ve seen many bizarrely contorted figures crawl across floors, shambling in search of the main characters to kill. Is it frightening anymore? Not really, just interesting on a visual level. Although there is an off-putting, uneasiness throughout, the story features an awkward structure of dream sequences that interrupts the flow of events quite frequently within the reality. Given the back and forth, some of success of The Uninvited hinges on whether you’re not confused and if you can maintain focus as to the events in each and every scene in order to understand the rest of the film.
 Despite offering some decent thrills along the way for a remake that feels much too late to matter, also featuring a stellar cast that gives the film a sense of well-rounded maturity and authenticity, it’s the confusion and/or focus aspect that is the Achilles heel of The Uninvited. Having said that, The Uninvited is much better served on DVD in case you have to go back to figure things out.
Much of The Uninvited stays close to the standard DVD extras found on most discs and certainly doesn’t reinvent the concept of special features. However, there’s a lot to be had in the way of added value as the bonuses get going with the featurette “Unlocking the Uninvited,” which features cast, director and producer interviews that shed some light on the way the film was created. Emily Browning and Arielle Kebbel reveal why they were able to portray such a unique sister chemistry on set due to their relationship away from the camera while the Guard Brothers explain their approach to putting a new spin on the original A Tale of Two Sisters. Interestingly, the directing brothers reveal that the Korean version left some questions unanswered while the remake addresses those issues and gives the ending a feeling of closure.
Along with the featurette, the disc boasts a brief alternate ending that sheds a bit more light on a certain character’s journey, allowing the viewer to understand some of the choices made. It will either confuse you more or you’ll get it completely. Rounding out The Uninvited extras are a series of deleted scenes that, like the alternate ending, shed a bit more light on parts of the story that may seem confusing at times.
 While The Uninvited falls into the same genre trappings of the typical Asian horror remake, it's not an exact carbon copy. The writers chose to change parts of the film that would allow the characters of Anna and Alex to tell the story with a different twist. Was it a successful choice? If you are a horror film aficionado, then you might find it lacking. For those looking for an unexpectedly decent spookfest, The Uninvited definitely has its shocking moments that are perfectly placed and well timed in a newly remade and twisted tale of a wicked stepmother.
Studio: Paramount/DreamWorks
Release Date: 4/28/09
Length: 87 minutes
Features:
Unlocking the Uninvited
Deleted Scenes
Alternate Ending
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