Ten years after M. Night Shyamalan’s chilling found-footage thriller The Visit, a long-awaited sequel arrives with The Visit II: Homecoming. While the first film shocked audiences with its sinister twist and unsettling depiction of familial trust gone wrong, the sequel expands on that concept with more emotional depth, psychological tension, and a darker sense of generational trauma.
Set five years after the events of the original, Homecoming follows a now-older Becca and Tyler, the siblings who narrowly escaped their murderous “grandparents.” Becca (now in her 20s) is an aspiring documentary filmmaker coping with PTSD, while Tyler struggles with trust and aggression. When they are contacted by a social worker about their estranged biological grandfather—a man presumed dead but recently discovered living in isolation—the siblings are reluctantly drawn back into the nightmare they thought they left behind.
Against their better judgment, they agree to film one last documentary—a personal journey to understand their family's buried history. But when they arrive at the secluded farmhouse in rural Pennsylvania, strange events begin to unfold. Their grandfather, seemingly lucid but deeply paranoid, warns them about “watchers in the walls.” At first, it feels like mental illness. Then the disappearances begin.
Director Shyamalan returns to his roots here, blending psychological horror with subtle supernatural undertones. Gone is the overt twist structure; instead, the dread builds slowly, echoing the mood of The Sixth Sense and Signs. Shaky handheld camerawork, dimly lit hallways, and eerie silence make the atmosphere deeply claustrophobic.
The film cleverly avoids repeating the original’s formula by shifting the theme. The Visit II focuses on the inheritance of trauma—both literal and metaphorical. Are Becca and Tyler simply victims, or is the madness in their blood? Is the grandfather’s terror a symptom—or a warning?
The final act delivers a slow-burn reveal involving a long-abandoned asylum, falsified identities, and the revelation that their grandfather may not be the only one living on the property. It’s less of a twist, more of a peeling back of layers—and it works.
While it doesn’t aim to terrify with jump scares, Homecoming delivers unsettling, quiet horror—the kind that lingers long after the credits roll. Olivia DeJonge and Ed Oxenbould reprise their roles with maturity, capturing the lasting effects of childhood trauma with nuance and restraint.
