Very well executed

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The acting in this movie is really good.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

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 double bluff twist The Bad:You'll have seen most of it before Things I Learnt From This Movie:Ghost themed films can be entertaining, who knew!?

Like most people, when I watch films I want to see something interesting and entertaining....neither of which is found here.You can read the review for the background of what the film is about. However, the nuts and bolts - just are not in this film. The acting is forced, not natural. The script is incredibly poorly written. The beginning is actually worse than a high school play or script. This film spells out everything surrounding the world of the "fortune teller" within about two minutes, it is actually laughable - and if this were done in school, the student would receive an F.As the story attempts to unfold it is just more and more of a mis-mash attempt at fear using loud sounds, music and screams at varying points. There are strange points in the film where they use the annoying shaky-cam, but then again flip to the level cam - it doesn't make sense....even taking into consideration the script at the point.You see a "fortune teller" living in a multi-million dollar decked out home (they make $20 per reading prior to taxes), it would be more believable if she were in a small home. There is more attached to this point of the film, but I don't want to give away any information in that regard - but it is not believable in the least.Hopefully - someone in Hollywood will give backing/funding to one of the many talented people with film ideas that are pounding on doors.....but it hasn't happened yet.

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.

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.