If you're going to rip someone off, you ought to rip off the best. Unfortunately, Hollywood seems determined to remake every mildly successful Asian horror movie. Case in point: The Uninvited, an American take on the Korean chiller A Tale of Two Sisters.While not a big fan of that version or its new update, I think both display considerably more class than their derivative brethren. Neither one is a perfect movie, but they both give it the old college try.

Anna Ivers (Emily Browning) has gone through a lot in the past ten months. Ever since her mother perished in a terrible accident, Anna's memory has been on the fritz, spurting nightmarish fragments of that horrible night. After recuperating in a mental institution, she's ready to re-join the real world, rushing into the loving arms of her father Steven (David Strathairn) and, more importantly, her sister Alex (Arielle Kebbel). But the one thing Anna's not prepared for is Rachel (Elizabeth Banks), her dad's new girlfriend, who just happens to be her mother's former caretaker. The chipper Rachel appears eager to become a part of the Ivers clan, but young Anna senses some sinister intentions behind that pearly-white smile. Her visions become invaded by a trio of ghostly children, who indicate that Rachel is responsible for their deaths. Is all this a product of Anna's fractured psyche, or are supernatural forces warning her of an evil which she and Alex may fall victim to next?

Having seen A Tale of Two Sisters, I went into The Uninvited not completely expecting the usual horror grind. In the tradition of Dark Water and Korea's "Ghost School" series, this movie is more akin to a supernatural drama rather than a straightforward scary movie. Of course, The Uninvited is peppered with a handful of such moments to make it a little more exciting for American moviegoers, but surprisingly, these frights don't get in the way. Sure, directors Charles and Thomas Guard often resort to the old standby of cranking up the volume so high, the sound will blow out your eardrums if someone so much as blinks. But I enjoyed the more freaky sequences, if only because they helped ramp up the film's energy. A Tale of Two Sisters' biggest problem was taking things way too slowly, so I'm thankful The Uninvited picked up the pace a bit. At a hair under 90 minutes, this film  doesn't overstay its welcome and makes swift work of going about its business. The cinematography also does a very effective job of establishing a somber and spooky atmosphere.

Although The Uninvited deserves credit for at least trying to make a horror movie that doesn't involve stupid teenagers done in by cursed technology, its efforts aren't entirely successful. The film's ending and Elizabeth Banks share most of the blame. I hate to toss what's a mostly decent movie aside because of a sloppy denouement, but the Guards stake so much of the story on it, it's hard not to do so. I dare not spoil what takes place, so I'll just say there's another recent horror release with the same idea. The Uninvited handles the ending with a little more tact, but it still feels more like a cheap cop-out than a shocking resolution, resulting in more questions than there are answers. Banks, on the other hand, overplays the wicked stepmother a tad too much. In a role requiring more than the usual amount of ambiguity, she delivers every line as if it will be shortly followed by a maniacal cackle. Fortunately, her fellow castmates fare better; Browning and Kebbel turn in uncommonly good performances as the tight-knit sisters, and Strathairn's presence brings a true sense of dignity to the production.

I don't want to poo-poo The Uninvited too much, for in comparison to recent multiplex fodder like The Eye and Shutter, it's the horror genre's second coming. This movie won't make you launch your popcorn into the stratosphere, but it's dependable for a few good chills.

MY RATING: ** 1/2 (out of ****)

(Released by DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures and rated "PG-13" for violent and disturbing images, thematic material, sexual content, language and teen drinking.)