Ten Years Ago, a Found Footage Horror Movie Marked a Major Shift for Hollywood

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By 2015, the trend for found-footage films seemed to be on its decline. However, it experienced a revival in 2009 with the success of “Paranormal Activity,” reaching its height of popularity in 2012 with “The Devil Inside” and “Chronicle.” After that peak, audiences gradually lost interest in this genre, as evidenced by the struggling box office performances of films such as “Devil’s Due” and “Project Almanac”. Even “Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones,” which was profitable, earned less than half of what “Paranormal Activity 3” made just over two years prior. Major studios started focusing on other genres for inspiration instead.

Prior to the found-footage genre taking a break, it still managed to score a major success with M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Visit” in September 2015. This film not only proved profitable but also rejuvenated a director who was believed to have reached the end of his career. This movie is among the last hits in the wave of found-footage cinema, following the popularity of films like “Cloverfield” and “Paranormal Activity”.

Why The Visit Was So Integral To Shyamalan

Following a successful run of four back-to-back box office successes starting with The Sixth Sense, director M. Night Shyamalan experienced a prolonged period of financial and artistic struggle. In 2006, his film Lady in the Water, which aimed to tell a bedtime story, was met with financial disappointment and widespread criticism, earning it a place among the most ridiculed mainstream releases that year. Subsequently, Shyamalan directed two of the most critically panned blockbusters ever: The Last Airbender and After Earth.

In simpler terms, these recent projects of M. Night Shyamalan lacked the suspenseful and imaginative elements that were trademarks of his earlier films like “Lady in the Water” and those with daring concepts such as “Unbreakable”. Instead, he was creating films that felt like rehashes of Nickelodeon cartoons, which significantly damaged his reputation. This decline in quality led some audiences to reportedly boo when they saw his name in trailers for a film like “Devil”, where he served only as a producer. Was there any chance Shyamalan could recover from this low point in his career?

The role of “The Visit” became significant here. It was the initial self-financed film for Shyamalan and marked his comeback to straightforward suspense movies. Notably, the use of found footage in “The Visit” made it a cost-effective production compared to “Airbender” and “Earth”, which each required over $100 million for production, whereas “The Visit” was produced with just $5 million.

This method allowed M. Night Shyamalan to personally create the film’s title and have greater control over the project’s creative aspects. Regardless of whether you enjoyed the movie or found it disappointing, The Visit distinctly showcased Shyamalan’s signature style, a departure from his big-budget action films. This unique approach proved successful for the director. Notably, The Visit outperformed expensive studio productions such as After Earth, The Happening, and Lady in the Water in domestic box office earnings.

Shyamalan’s Long-Term Benefits From The Visit

The movie titled “The Visit” received favorable feedback from both critics and viewers. This film marked a significant comeback for a once-dismissed filmmaker in Hollywood. Following this success, he promptly started working on “Split“, a project that turned out to be his most successful movie after 2002 at the domestic box office. Starring James McAvoy, this movie garnered even more ecstatic reviews and audience excitement, solidifying Shyamalan’s return to prominence in Hollywood. Previously considered as a peripheral figure in the industry, he was now back with a bang.

The movie ‘The Visit’ marked a fresh approach for M. Night Shyamalan as a filmmaker, as his future projects no longer confined themselves to the conventional thriller genre but also encompassed self-financing ventures. This innovative production and financing method was later seen in movies like ‘Old’ and ‘Knock at the Cabin’. Despite none of Shyamalan’s films released after 2019 reaching the domestic earnings of $100+ million, as ‘Split’ and ‘Glass’ did, he hasn’t fallen into the obscurity often associated with Hollywood.

Contrarily, he no longer has a long-term agreement with Warner Bros., but instead, he’s writing and directing movies for them. This contract has already produced the 2024 cult film “Trap” and the upcoming adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ novel “Remain.” The release of “The Visit” seems to have sparked a renewal in the career of a renowned genre movie director, one that doesn’t appear to be slowing down. It’s fascinating to consider that this revival began with a low-budget film and a subgenre that was losing popularity. However, before found footage cinema largely disappeared from theaters, it granted M. Night Shyamalan another opportunity in the film industry that continues to resonate in modern cinemas.

The Visit is now available for digital rental or purchase from Prime Video or Apple TV.

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2025-08-30 18:41