The Visit (2015) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The children's mother, Paula, arranged for them to spend a week with their grandparents while she stays behind. Becca agreed to the trip partly to give her mother time to bond with a new boyfriend she met at Starbucks, hoping a five-day getaway would help rekindle her romantic life.

Foreshadowing: Paula mentions during the interview that she has been estranged from her parents for 15 years, hinting at underlying tensions.

• paula
• mother
• estranged
• grandparents
• visit

Paula reveals that in her teenage years, she fell deeply in love with a substitute teacher, a romance her parents violently opposed. When Paula was 19, a mysterious incident occurred that severed ties with her parents for the past 15 years, though she refuses to share specific details with Becca.

Foreshadowing: Paula tells Becca that if her grandparents want to share their side of the story, that is their choice, implying the truth is more complicated.

• paula
• estrangement
• parents
• substitute teacher
• teenage love

Sundowning is a condition commonly associated with dementia, where symptoms worsen in the late afternoon and evening. Pop-Pop uses this term to explain Nana's increasingly bizarre and aggressive behavior as a way to dismiss the children's concerns and normalize her disturbing actions.

Foreshadowing: The term is introduced early in the visit as a cover for the grandparents' escalating threats.

• sundowning
• dementia
• nana
• behavior
• pop-pop

While filming Pop-Pop working in the shed, Tyler discovers a hidden stash of used adult diapers, revealing that Pop-Pop struggles with incontinence. Nana casually explains this away, stating that everyone has bodily issues as they age, but the discovery adds to the growing unease.

Foreshadowing: Tyler's curiosity about what Pop-Pop is doing in the shed builds tension before this disturbing reveal.

• shed
• adult diapers
• pop-pop
• nana
• secret

During a game of hide and seek, Nana suddenly transforms from a seemingly harmless grandmother into a menacing figure, chanting "I'm going to get you" as she chases the children. This marks the first overt threat the children experience, signaling that their grandparents pose real danger.

Foreshadowing: The playful game of hide and seek lulls the children into a false sense of security before the attack.

• nana
• chase
• children
• hide and seek
• attack

On their final morning, Becca and Tyler realize the grandparents' true identities pose a deadly threat. They devise an escape plan and confront their grandparents, leading to a violent showdown where the children must fight for their lives before finally managing to contact their mother.

Foreshadowing: The escalating bizarre behavior and secret nighttime filming culminate in this desperate final attempt to survive.

• friday
• escape
• confrontation
• survival
• children

During the chaotic confrontation with their grandparents, the children manage to reach their mother by phone, revealing the horrifying details of their experience and the threats they faced while staying at the house.

Foreshadowing: The children's earlier frustration with poor cell phone reception becomes critical as they desperately need to call for help.

• mother
• phone
• contact
• escape
• help

The Visit's twist reveals that the people posing as Nana and Pop-Pop are not the children's real grandparents at all. The imposters are mentally disturbed individuals who apparently murdered the real grandparents and assumed their identities, using the secluded home as a base for their sinister activities.

Foreshadowing: The mysterious estrangement, the violent opposition to Paula's teenage romance, and the incident when Paula was 19 all hint at deeper family violence.

• twist
• grandparents
• imposters
• murder
• identity

Paula insists that despite the years of silence, her grandparents are genuinely kind-hearted people who volunteer at the local hospital. She believes in giving them another chance and wants Becca to document her first encounter with them for her school project, unaware of the danger awaiting her children.

Foreshadowing: Paula's insistence that her parents are kind-hearted creates dramatic irony as viewers witness the grandparents' true nature.

• paula
• mother
• permission
• danger
• trust

The children secretly film during the night and capture Nana engaging in odd and disturbing behavior, including moments of terrifying confusion and aggression. Pop-Pop's explanation of sundowning initially accounts for this, but the nighttime footage reveals a much darker reality behind their facade.

Foreshadowing: The found-footage style documents these nighttime events, building toward the horrifying climax.

• night
• filming
• behavior
• nana
• strange