The Visitant (2014) Reviews

• The Visitant: A pleasant surprise

  Platypuschow2017-09-09

  I tend not to like the "Ghosty" films, though I'm a horror fanatic I find this sub genre highly clichéd and very boring. Once you've seen one you tend to have seen them all. For this reason I went into The Visitant with no expectations so was pleasantly surprised to see that this is actually a competently made horror title with a few good ideas under it's belt. It's not going to win any awards for originality but I got what I wanted out of it regardless, entertainment. With a decent lead, an interesting story and less of the usual genres tropes I have to say this is one of the better "Ghosty" films I've ever seen. The Good: Solid lead Some good ideas Neat finale The Bad: You'll have seen most of it before

• Simple Haunting film is well done

  loomis78-815-9890342015-08-05

  Samantha (Feren) works as a fortune teller at the local amusement park. She doesn't really believe in the supernatural but she needs the job since she was widowed a year ago when her husband died in a freak car wreck. An after-hours client named Lee (Glaner) shows up and demands her help. Lee has been plagued by a demon that she can't shake. Samantha goes through the motions and tells the spirit to leave Lee alone. Samantha goes home and the suspect spirit has attached itself to her and her big house starts playing supernatural tricks on her. Samantha's best friend Maya (Wiu) consults with her by telephone and web-cam. Maya is a supernatural expert and the one who talked Samantha into being a fortune teller. As the night progresses Samantha becomes more terrified until she gets the idea that it could be her dead husband trying to communicate with her. Will she open herself up to the spirit? And is it her husband or something more evil lurking? This tightly made independent film claims to be based on actual events. Who knows, but Director Jon Binkowski makes the most out of a very small cast and limited locations with a strong production and a flair for delivering some spooky moments. Using lighting and very subtle digital effects at just the right time, Binkowski raises some goose bumps and keeps the viewer engaged. A great moment happens when Samantha just misses seeing a charging spirit on the screen of her TV she just turned off. An above average musical score from Stephen O'Connor helps the overall effectiveness of the film. Written by Binkowski and Stephen DeWoody, The Visitant's biggest flaw comes from the two characters having a constant conversation to further the plot. More characters would have helped break this up a bit. It didn't help having the two characters arguing over the validity of the paranormal which begins to wear on the audience as the movie goes on. The scares are well done, and at least this movie has some, even though more hardcore audiences might find it a bit on the light side without any blood or gore. Hey it isn't "Insidious" but it isn't trying to be either, it is a simple straight head haunting thriller with a chilling ending that may be predictable but still works.

• Fairly decent scares

  myplane1502014-02-20

  I have been watching and very much enjoying horror movies for a long time. In fact, I rarely get scared anymore. My nephew and girlfriend think I am weird because nothing gives me the heebie jeebies. So I love it when a movie gives me the chills. Last effective movie I saw was The Conjuring (see it!!!). Anyway, this movie actually gave me said chills on a couple of occasions. Not because it was really scary but because it was effectively creepy. The movie was well acted throughout and the story wasn't bad. I think most gave it a low score because it is kinda slow but, in horror, slow is good. Also, the ending could have been a bit less hokey. All in all though, not too shabby.

• clichéd script, stagnant characters= lousy movie

  tdrish2014-02-19

  Let's give you a quick break down of The Visitant. Scale of 1 to 10, 1 being weakest, 10 being strongest. Ready? Let's go! SCARY...4 CHARACTERS...3 UNIQUE...1 VIOLENCE...2 NUDITY...0 LANGUAGE...2. So why in the world is this movie rated R? I HAVE NO IDEA! This seems like the perfect flick for your 13 year old daughter having the slumber party tonight, as I have seen nothing posing even remotely a threat. A spooky scene here and there, but it's nothing we haven't even seen before. Stuff moves, doors slam, nobody there, and our main character Samantha still remains skeptical of everything that is happening around her. There's not much plot progression, heck, there's barely even a plot. The whole movie seems to play out as scene after scene of random "scare factor" montage. By "scare factor", I'm talking about the whole haunted house scenerio. It's got a clichéd script, there's barely any characters in the movie, and it has about the most let down ending I've seen in awhile. Nothing is explained. And you constantly want to scream at the TV "WHY ARE YOU STILL STAYING IN THE HOUSE!" Overall, The Visitant is a very annoying movie to watch, and yet, you're still watching it, expecting it to get better, but it doesn't. However, in spite of it all, the cinematography is pretty good, you can get the feel that the efforts are pretty strong, so I can't call the movie a total bust. I think the flick relies too heavy on the bogus, played out scenes ( come on, does it really take you that long to walk up and down the stairs!? Get a weapon, and be prepared for the worst, it's time to put your big girl panties on!) Too much relying on this, rather then story telling, and you're not cracking a 5 out of 10 with me, so 4 is all you get out of me, Visitant. Go visit someone else, maybe you'll get a better rating out of them.

• RIKKI DON'T PLAY THAT NUMBER

  nogodnomasters2018-10-07

  Samantha (Michele Feren) is an out of work actress, making mortgage payments by pretending to be a psychic at a local amusement park. She helps a customer (Sallie Glaner) exercise a spirit that gets attached to her. Strange things happen in her home as she consults her friend Maya (Tracy Wiu) by phone as to what to do about a ghost. This is also the one year anniversary of her husband's death. This is a low budget "B: grade horror film. There are no jerking cameras. Most of the filming is of Samantha in a house with stuff moving, most of which we don't see move, it just appears there. In the end we find a connection. There is no specific closure, but you can surmise. The film ends rather abruptly, but not as bad as what Peter Jackson did to us. It is a good little thriller to watch in the dark with screaming girls. Don't expect too much. Parental Guide: No f-bombs, sex, or nudity.