Pratik Handore
Directed by the Guard Brothers, ‘The Uninvited’ is a 2009 psychological horror film that film follows Anna Ivers, who finds herself suspecting his father’s new girlfriend of killing her mother. Anna’s suspicion is filed by dark and disturbing visions, which are complemented by the story’s setting. Moreover, the narrative adapts the storyline from a South Korean, which itself is rooted in Korean folklore. As a result, viewers must be wondering when and where the North American adaptation takes place. SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Uninvited Likely Takes Place in Maine
‘The Uninvited’ follows Anna Ivers, a young girl who is admitted to a psychiatric institution after her mother’s death. After being cleared by her doctor, Anna returns home and reunites with her father and older sister. However, she also comes into conflict with her father’s new girlfriend, Rachel Summers, whom she suspects of being involved in her mother’s death. The film sees Anna trying to solve the mystery of her mother’s death. While the movie does not establish a firm timeline for its events, it is evident that the story occurs sometime in the late 2010s.
In the movie, it is revealed that Rachel was working for a nursing agency until 2005 before she moved away. A news article about Mildred Kemp dating to 1996 refers to events nine years before Rachel changed her name. Hence, it is safe to say that the movie takes place sometime between 2005 and 2009. Since Rachel has known the Ivers family for at least a couple of years, it is safe to say that the movie takes place around the year 2008. However, by leaving the exact timeline a mystery, the narrative plays with the unreliable narrator trope, which makes the third-act twists all the more shocking.
Most of the movie takes place in and around the Ivers household, which is a large two-story house overlooking a waterbody, most likely a lake. The family also owns a boathouse located on the lake’s banks. However, the film does not directly reveal the exact geographical location of the Ivers home. Instead, subtle clues and details are hidden in the cinematography, suggesting that the movie takes place somewhere in the US state of Maine.
A record at Rachel’s old workplace suggests she was employed in South Portland, a city in Cumberland County of Maine. Hence, we can deduce that the Ivers home is located near South Portland, somewhere in Cumberland County. However, by keeping the exact location a mystery, the creators add to the suspense and horror of the plot. Maine has been the setting of several horror stories, most notably the works of author Stephen King. As a result, choosing the state as the broader setting for the story allows the makers to play into the genre tropes and elevate the horror existing within the atmosphere of living in a secluded home in Maine.
However, filming of the movie itself took place in a waterfront property on British Columbia’s Bowen Island in Canada. Hence, the makers recreated the vibe and atmosphere of Maine in Canada by constructing the Ivers house set instead of filming on location. This decision likely allowed the makers to control the shooting environment while also obtaining the necessary look and feel of the Ivers house, which is the story’s primary setting.
Read More: Is The Uninvited Based on a True Story?
