Now that "The Visit" seems to be considered a respectable return to form for M. Night Shyamalan, it doesn't take a lot of guts to say that I really think he's a great director. "The Sixth Sense" and "Unbreakable" are absolutely great movies and "Signs" is one of my all-time favorites. It's a film that scores a rare perfect 10 to me. I even like "The Village" quite a lot.

And another thing...I love the art of the "twist". Watching a movie or TV show and having the rug pulled out from under me is one of my favorite treats. I love the "Twilight Zone", Alfred Hitchcock and any other writer or director that can flip a story on its ear. Here's the kicker with enjoying the art of the twist...you don't spend time trying to figure it out before it happens. Let it come to you. Don't waste your time trying to be smarter than the storyteller. Just let it happen.

Now, Shyamalan is known mostly for these twists in his films. It dominates the fact that his work looks stunning and overshadows the gift he has in bringing out great performances, at least in his early films. I've never seen "After Earth" or "The Last Airbender", but I don't consider him being anything other than Director-for-Hire regarding these two movies.

I knew absolutely nothing about "The Visit" going in. In fact, I didn't even know that Shyamalan was releasing a film of his own until about two weeks before it hit the theaters. Once I found out, I purposely avoided all trailers, advertising, everything. This was my hope...that "The Visit" be another great Horror/Thriller movie that I know he can make. Yeah, yeah. I know "The Happening" was his Horror effort and I think it could have been much better if Wahlberg and Deschanel hadn't been cast. What a weird vibe that movie had.

Sadly, I don't consider "The Visit" to be a return to the genre. "The Visit" is a dark comedy. It's got a few jump scares and provides opportunities for some nervous laughter. It also has a great twist, which was the most enjoyable part of the movie for me. All things considered though, this is not ever going to be something I will add to my list of Shyamalan favorites. It's just trying too hard to be clever. The found footage style, the kid that raps...it all just seems to cater to people that he's trying to impress. I don't get the feeling that he made a film aimed at his core audience. The audience that knows what a great filmmaker he can be. And that is very disappointing to me.

Ultimately, I liked "The Visit" and was encouraged to hear theater goers talk of how much they enjoyed it as they left their seats. If the regular movie watching public likes it enough to keep Shyamalan working, I might get a great Horror or Thriller film out of him again.