Before reviewing The Uninvited, it should be noted that I have not seen "A Tale of Two Sisters," the Asian film upon which this Americanized remake is based. So after watching this picture through objective eyes, I have to admit - The Uninvited wasn't the train wreck I was expecting. At the very least, it was more effective than that other "Un" thriller released last month.

The Uninvited revolves around Anna (well played by Emily Browning from A Series of Unfortunate Events), a teenager with severe mental issues that stem from a horrible tragedy in which the end result was the death of her mother. After a lengthy stint in an institution, Anna returns to her gorgeous beach side home where she must mend fences with her bitter older sister (played by the lovely Arielle Kebbel), and come to terms with the fact that her father (played by the dependable David Strathairn) is now romancing a much younger woman (effectively played by cutie Elizabeth Banks). Getting back into the swing of things doesn't come easy for Anna, and before long, things go from bad to worse as she quickly begins to suspect that there's something about the new woman in her father's life, that just ain't right.

The Uninvited is a puzzle of a movie, and while it works mighty hard to fool the audience at every corner, it does offer up a handful of sufficient scares. Further props to directors Charles and Thomas Guard for getting a lot of mileage out of a pretty amazing location. The beach home is both breathtaking and creepy.

The ending of this picture really took me by surprise, and after it was over, I was mad at myself for not having picked up on the clues earlier. I won't elaborate further, but I will say that there is a payoff here and while it is slightly derivative, I was fooled by it nonetheless.

While far from perfect, The Uninvited benefits from solid acting and efficient direction. It isn't exactly a groundbreaking genre film, but I was never bored by it. In fact, it's almost misleading to call The Uninvited a horror film even thought that's how it's being marketed, but to say more would be to spoil this movie's secret, so we'll end on that note.