I honestly think that I could have offered better ideas for adapting this book to film while still keeping it under 2 hrs. The dramatic moments seemed to be focused in the wrong spots. I didn't really care about a dog coming back to life. (which wasn't even in the book)Furthermore, I was disappointed that Morgan Elliot was a veterinarian instead of a Methodist minister. Most of the messages about religion were deflated to appeal to a secular audience. And, in general, I felt that the movie was much darker than it had to be. I understand that it is considered a "thriller," but many of the more humorous characters, such as Dee Baylor, were either merged with other characters or left out completely. I so wanted to see Dee Baylor running down the street after Jim Baylor with a gun in her hands or Penny getting blown up in Don Anderson's appliance shop. For some reason I had imagined lighter moments when I was reading the book. Most of the movie is literally dark; it is either night time or we are stuck in a dark basement or something. And, what was with those lights flickering on and off in the supermarket? It looked like some sort of aliens or monsters were invading. Finally, I have to say something about the unoriginal special effects used when the demons are leaving the bodies. It honestly looks like a sorry attempt to mimic the same effect they used in "The Green Mile." The book is amazing, but this movie is less than spectacular. I really felt like it was a waste of time. Just read the 600 page book!

I read the book and watched the movie. I have some respect for Frank Peretti bringing Christian fiction into the horror realm, but everything he has written was overtly cheesy, unoriginal, and used too many words to say nothing. His movies aren't much better.The movie was insanely better than the book, but steals way too many scares from original horror movies like The Exorcist and maybe a bit from Evil Dead II.Family fun movie, nothing more, really.There is enough going for this film that it held my attention more than a lot of other sub-par movies, like Justin's scenes. Other than that, there are quite a few cliché elements, but not as many as you would expect from something like this.2/10

If you want to ruin any chance of a good film then cast Edward Furlong in a leading role. Apparently the makers of "The Visitation" weren't worried about the quality of their film, because they did exactly that.Dark angels set the stage for a false messiah who gains a small town's discipleship through healing of various ills. A once-pastor, now unbeliever suspects something amiss. With the aid of the town's veterinarian, they set out to expose the devil and make his true purpose known.The plot is interesting enough, and I thought fairly above average in the clever department. It was when I saw Edward Furlong cast as a Jesus-wanna-be, that I lost hope.

THE VISITATION is a watered-down THE EXORCIST or POLTERGEIST, as a quartet of strange figures visit a small town and start working miracles -- only to follow this by taking back the miracles and wreaking havoc. Are these angels of light or angels of destruction and death and darkness? You decide. One of them looks like Jesus in a plaid shirt and baggy dungarees. Another looks like a heavy from a DIE HARD movie, complete with long, greasy locks and a long, black trenchcoat. If it wasn't so badly written, I might have mistaken THE VISITATION for a Stephen King story or even a Dean Koontz saga. No such luck. It was written by a guy who apparently is becoming a name in youth-oriented, supernatural tomes with a bit of fundamentalist preaching. Several familiar faces pepper this low-budget thriller, including Martin Donovan as a fallen preacher, Kelly Lynch as a newly arrived vet, and the kid from TERMINATOR 2 as the plaid-shirt Jesus who sounds remarkably like Michael J. Fox in a bad wig and grungy beard. Few scares or thrills, but worth a watch with one eye while reading with the other.