The Uninvited

In brothers Charles and Thomas Guard's The Uninvited (a remake of a 2003 Korean film), Emily Browning stars as teen Anna, back home after a mental hospital stay to live with her older sister Alex (Arielle Kebbel) and widowed father Steven (David Strathairn), who's keeping company with Rachel (Elizabeth Banks), the former nurse to Anna's dead mother. Both Anna and Alex think daddy's making a big mistake by cozying up to Rachel, and once the girls learn that the erstwhile caregiver has a few skeletons in her closet, they set out to break up the relationship…with deadly results. Although this brief synopsis makes The Uninvited sound like a routine thriller, it's actually a supernatural chiller, which becomes evident once Anna starts receiving regular visits from ghosts: her mom, and three children who may or may not be linked to Rachel's mysterious past. Sporting the usual quota of unexpected loud noises and things that go bump in the night, as well as a Sixth Sense-type “reveal,” The Uninvited is a slightly better than average atmospheric horror flick and is therefore a strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the “Unlocking The Uninvited” making-of featurette (19 min.), six minutes of deleted scenes (6 min.), a brief alternate ending, and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for an uneven chiller.] (E. Hulse)