Sandy Kenyon reviews M. Night Shyamalan comeback 'The Visit'

NEW YORK (WABC) -- It has been called a comeback for the director of "The Sixth Sense" and "Signs." M. Night Shyamalan's new movie is a spooky, low-budget film called "The Visit."

A single mom long estranged from her parents agrees to let her son and daughter try to connect with them with a visit to her parent's home. "The Visit" starts off fine, until she learns via Skype with her children that "There's something wrong with Nana and Pop Pop."

She insists it is just their old age that makes them seem odd.

After being told by their grandparents to stay in their bedroom after 9:30 p.m., they ignore the warning and step out into a nightmare that is a reality they are trying to escape. All is not as it seemed at first in this remote farm house, and not everyone there is exactly as they appear.

The performers, both young and old, were chosen for their talent and skills rather than casting Hollywood names.

"In this movie, the edict was: let's not have anyone who's super famous," Shyamalan said.

The new movie marks a comeback for Shyamalan, who has tried but failed to equal the success of his blockbuster, "The Sixth Sense," released in 1999. "The Visit" marks both a return and a departure from his big-budget films.

"I made the decision that I want to do smaller movies," he said.

And having the main character Becca make a video during "The Visit," breaking the fourth wall, allows the director to comment on his craft.

It can be a risk to shoot in only one location and to not cast major stars in a film, as the stagnant scenery and unknown names can bore moviegoers. But the last 20 minutes of the film are as scary as Shyamalan's best work.

It is as though Shyamalan was going through the motions until the final act, when he shows audiences, again, why he was once among the most promising filmmakers of his generation.