The Invitation (2015)
Party Guest: Logan Marshall-Green (Will), Emayatzy Corinealdi (Kira), Tammy Blanchard (Eden), Michiel Huisman (David), Lindsay Burdge (Sadie), John Carroll Lynch (Pruitt)
After a mysterious 2 year absence and no contact with friends and family, David and Eden return to Los Angeles and throw an elaborate dinner party inviting a small group of their closet friends, including Eden’s ex-husband Will who believes their intentions are less than friendly.
Minor Spoilers
The story is told from Will’s perspective who has not been able to fully recover from the accidental death of his and Eden’s son 2 or 3 years earlier (can’t recall the timeline). The repercussions from the child’s death included Eden trying to kill herself and then meeting David in a grief support meeting. Shortly after their marriage, David and Eden disappear, re-emerging 2 years later in a state of euphoria having dealt with the pain of losing their loved ones and moving forward.
From the start the mood is one of quiet unease and suspicion boarding on paranoia as Will is seeing odd behaviour everywhere he looks in the home that was once his. But is there something sinister afoot or is Will projecting his grief and the difficulty he feels being back in a place that was once happy but now only holds ghosts of a better time. Adding to his suspicions is the free-spirited woman Sadie who returned from Mexico with David and Eden and is living in the house and another new friend, Pruitt who reveals later that he killed his wife but is no longer a threat or dangerous after serving his time and being reborn through the cult that David and Eden joined while in Mexico. Yeah, that’s where the euphoria and eerie cheer are coming from.
Thoughts and Conclusions: This is a slow, slow burn but there is a definite pay off and the pace ramps up in the last 20ish minutes. The climax was not completely unexpected but the final scene was and I liked it. I won’t say what it is but it defiantly could have been left open to a sequel. Overall, if you can be patient and enjoy the paranoia and slow build to the intense end, I would recommend this one. If you don’t enjoy the more psychological and subtle horror and want action and violence skip it.
Dawning Creates 