Manoj Shyamalan, know to most as M. Night Shyamalan, is one of the most well-known film directors of our generation, and he has written another one of his signature mind-bending horror films in “The Visit.” His previous successes in the genre include unforgettable works like “The Sixth Sense” and “The Village,” and there is a reason why these works are unforgettable. They’re not all the best-written or the scariest, but they all touch audiences in the deep, dark places they do not wish to explore. This is what makes Shyamalan resonate so much with audiences. He holds up a mirror to the audience and makes them face their deepest, darkest fears, all the while keeping a certain air of comedy and mystery to the film.

Prior to this year’s debut of “The Visit,” Shyamalan was seeming to take a short hiatus from his signature disturbing brand of horror to venture into the realms of science fiction, creating such films as “The Last Airbender,” which was based on the television series “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” and “After Earth,” which starred Will and Jaden Smith in a post-apocalyptic society. Thus, “The Visit” is being hailed as Shyamalan’s return to form in his cinematic writings. This is a great way for him to reestablish himself with a new generation of fans. His first hit, “The Sixth Sense,” was released the same year as I was born, so much of the movie-going youth today may not know him for his origin style, making “The Visit” a smart business maneuver as well as a smartly-written movie.

It begins innocently enough, with a mother about to send her two children off to visit their grandparents, whom they have never met, for a week. The mother discusses the why the children have never met their grandparents in the form of an interview in a documentary that her daughter is making. The film continues in the same way, as the daughter and son make a documentary about their first time meeting their grandparents in an attempt to help their mother find closure about her past. It begins extremely humorously as well with the typical bickering between siblings and the silliness that old people naturally bring to situations, especially uncomfortable ones, but once the children reach their grandparents’ house, things take a turn for the disturbed. In addition to this, there is, of course, a massive plot twist that caught this writer and a few of his constituents completely off guard.

“I thought the movie was really entertaining,” junior Sean Rhomberg said. “It was a super good mixture of horror and comedy. It did a good job of grabbing your attention and keeping it, and it had a really good plot twist that you didn’t see coming.”

Mr. Rhomberg could not be more right. I am not ashamed to admit that I am still trying to wrap my head around the movie as a whole, but from what I do understand of it, it was an excellent film. Shyamalan did a remarkable job at fusing terrifying scenes with comedic relief, and it served as a truly unforgettable throwback to his success of the early 2000s. By crossing genres and hitting so close to home with the setting of Grandma’s House, this move far surpassed my expectations, and it well over performed the its 62 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Needless to say, this movie should come with a mandatory bathroom break right before Shyamalan takes you on one of his infamous 180-degree plot twists, and it made me a little nervous to visit my grandma any time in the near future. Taking this all into account, I give M. Night Shyamalan’s The Visit” a confident 8/10. It is a very well-written comedy/horror movie that will take you to every emotional state from laughter to depression to fearful urination.