After making big-budget movies likeThe Last AirbenderandAfter Earthover the past few years, directorM. Night Shyamalanreturned to his thriller roots last year withThe Visit. The filmmaker teamed up with producerJason Blumfor this low-budget story that features largely unknown actors. WithThe Visitarriving onBlu-rayandDVDtoday fromUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment, we have an exclusive preview where the filmmaker discusses his casting approach.
The director addresses the notion that 80% of a director’s job is casting, revealing that his first decision was to only cast actors who weren’t “super-famous.” He talked about his approach to castingThe Visit, stating that he wouldn’t let anyone be around him while he was making his decisions, and that he thinks the result is “a perfect constellation of actors.” The filmmaker adds that stars such asOlivia DeJonge,Ed Oxenbould,Kathryn Hahn, Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie were chosen with purity.
A family visit takes a terrifying turn when two siblings learn who Grandma and Grandpa really are inThe Visit, a found documentary-style suspense thriller currently available onDigital HD,Blu-rayandDVD, as well as On Demand, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The first collaboration from Academy Award-nominated writer-directorM. Night Shyamalanand Academy Award-nominated producerJason Blum,The Visit Blu-rayandDVDare packed with exclusivebonus featuresincludingdeleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurette, and a suspenseful alternate ending.
When Becca and Tyler are sent to their grandparents' secluded Pennsylvania farmhouse for a weeklong stay, they quickly discover something is not right with the elderly couple. Faced with strange rules and increasingly frightening behavior, the children soon realize it will take all their wits to make it home alive. Critics rave the latest heart-pounding thriller from the director ofThe Sixth Senseand Signs and the producer ofParanormal ActivityandThe Purgeis a “deliciously creepy triumph.” (Scott Mendelson, Forbes.com)
The Visitearned $65.2 million domestically and $97 million worldwide, which aren’t blockbuster numbers by any means, but it was produced on a miniscule $5 million budget. In case you didn’t get a chance to seeThe Visitin theaters, take a look at our exclusive preview below, where directorM. Night Shyamalanexplains his casting process. Will you check outThe VisitonBlu-rayandDVDthis week?
