The Visit is a special film for its director and screenwriter M. Night Shyamalan: On the one hand it brought him an artistic and critical comeback, on the other hand it gave him a new, fresh style. Not to mention that it is Shyamalan’s only found-footage movie!

Picture: Copyright Universal Pictures
Breaking Down The Visit
At the heart of The Visit lies a dysfunctional family dynamic, a recurring theme in M. Night Shyamalan’s storytelling. The mother, now living with her new boyfriend, is estranged from her own parents, leaving her two children—Rebecca and Tyler—without any connection to their grandparents. However, this is about to change. Interestingly, the initiative doesn’t come from the mother, but rather from the children, who push to meet their grandparents for the first time. Their motivation? A desire to reconnect their fractured family, setting the stage for two of Shyamalan’s most defining themes: a family in crisis and the transformative power of children.
Children as the Driving Force
In The Visit, the children serve as the catalysts for reconciliation, taking it upon themselves to mend family ties. Rebecca, the daughter, attempts to bridge the gap through her passion for filmmaking—a creative endeavor that, in her eyes, acts as a tool for healing. This meta-narrative element underscores Shyamalan’s fascination with storytelling as both an art form and a means of emotional restoration.
Psychological Horror and Shyamalan’s Deep-Rooted Fascination with the Mind
Another signature element of Shyamalan’s work is the exploration of psychological and psychiatric themes. Tyler, the younger brother, exhibits an obsessive need for cleanliness—a direct response to his father’s abandonment, manifesting as a coping mechanism to maintain control over his life. However, the true psychological tension in The Visit emerges with the grandparents’ unsettling behavior, which becomes the film’s central mystery. In many ways, the entire plot is built upon a foundation of psychological disturbance, making it one of Shyamalan’s most psychologically driven narratives.
Given that Shyamalan’s wife is a psychologist, it’s likely that her influence plays a role in his ongoing exploration of mental illness, trauma, and the human psyche—key motifs that add depth and authenticity to The Visit.
By blending family drama, psychological horror, and the resilience of children, The Visit showcases why Shyamalan remains a master of suspense-driven storytelling with emotional depth.
Shyamalan’s taking up recurring motifs in The Visit
The Visit also reflects some other motifs from Shyamalan’s cinematic universe. This is exciting to watch. There are for example:
- The rocking chair (reference to The Village)
- The children’s swing (allusion to The Happening)
- Trees filmed from below (allusion to The Village)
- The importance of water in the history of grandma (allusion to Lady in the Waterand Signs)
- Creepy old people (allusion to The Happening)
- The central station and trains (allusion to Unbreakable, Split, Glass and The Happening)
- Philadelphia and its surroundings as a place of action (all films)
- Almost only one location (the grandparents’ house) (in Signs the house of the Hess family, in Split Kevin’s cellar vault, in Glass the Psychiatry, in Lady in The Water the apartment complex etc.)
- The use of reflections (allusion to The Sixth Sense, Signs etc.)
There are surely more, here is only a part of it. Especially the use of reflections is interesting, because it is a sign which can be interpreted as a hint to twists: Suddenly the story is reflected in a whole new light. And that’s where we would have already arrived at the last point: The almost usual Shyamalan twist is also found in this movie!
Shyamalan’s New Style: A Fresh Era of Creativity
A Bold Leap into the Found Footage Genre
The most striking change in The Visit is Shyamalan’s unexpected embrace of the found footage format. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that a filmmaker known for his technically polished, traditionally shot films would venture into what is often considered a “low-budget” style. Yet, he did—and the result was astonishing!
What makes The Visit so impressive is how it capitalizes on the strengths of found footage while avoiding its common pitfalls. Shyamalan strips away the excessive shaky cam, the amateurish feel, and the poor storytelling that often plague the genre. His stroke of genius? Making one of the main characters an aspiring filmmaker who genuinely wants to create a high-quality documentary. This clever narrative device justifies the camera work and elevates the found footage approach into something both immersive and artistically refined.
A New Shyamalan Era Begins
The Visit marks the beginning of a new creative phase for Shyamalan—one defined by smaller budgets, tighter storytelling, and increased on-set creativity. His approach shifted to:
- Minimalist production choices to encourage ingenuity.
- Fresh, young talents behind the scenes—cinematographers like Maryse Alberti or Mike Gioulakis, editors like Luke Ciarrocchi, and unconventional sound choices (either no music or minimalistic scoring by West Dylan Thordson).
- A more dynamic visual style, with faster editing, youthful actors, and a looser, more energetic composition.
A Fresh, Energetic Take on Filmmaking
Another standout aspect of The Visit is its unprecedented tone. This is the first Shyamalan film where horror and comedy exist in near-perfect balance—reminiscent of Lars von Trier’s The House That Jack Built (2018). The dichotomy between genuine terror and horror satire is brilliantly executed. You’ll laugh hysterically one moment and feel completely terrified the next—something never seen before in Shyamalan’s work (not even in The Happening).
Compared to Shyamalan’s deeply layered, poetic films from 1999 to 2006, his post-Visit projects might seem less intricate and complex. However, they exude a sense of freshness, dynamism, and raw creativity. It almost feels as though, as Shyamalan ages, his films grow younger—a fascinating paradox.
That’s a damn good twist!