The Invitation (2015)

Will (Logan Marshall-Green) has been invited with his girlfriend Kira (Emayatzy Corinealdi) to a special dinner party being hosted by his ex-wife Eden (Tammy Blanchard) and her new husband David (Michiel Huisman) at their home.  Once there, he is able to able to reunite with a few long-time friends PLUS a VERY flirtatious house guest of the hosts named Sadie (Lindsay Burdge).  Also visiting is a mysterious tall, intimidating gentleman named Pruitt (John Carroll Lynch) with some disturbing stories to tell AND once they're there....almost everyone is extremrely physically affectionate....hmmmmm.  Needless to say, this is NOT your typical dinner party as traumas are revisited, old wounds are re-opened, and much wine is drunken by the guests.  Ten years ago, director Karen Kusama (Girlfight, Jennifer's Body, Destroyer) delivered one of the more tense and unsettling thrillers of recent years so it's time to RSVP and respond to....The Invitiation. :o 

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

Transcript

THE INVITATION – 2015

Directed by Karyn Kusama

Starring Logan Marshall-Green, Tammy Blanchard, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Michael Huisman, Lindsay Burdge, Mike Doyle, Jay Larson, Michelle Krusiec, Karl Yune, and John Carroll Lynch 

Genre: Psychological Folk Horror (Audio clip)

Damn....this movie was more f$%ked up than I expected - very uncomfortable and intense, deliberately paced but never dull! Karyn Kusama directs the shit out of this, utilizing every shot and sound for maximum tension - she pretty much keeps you gripped in a vice for from the opening scene and never lets go. 😮

And it's all in service to a relatively simple story about grief - kind of a combination of a home invasion and cult horror film – which I found VERY effective, kinda saw where it was going but still wasn't prepared for where it went. Logan Marshall Green (the poor man's Tom Hardy) as Will leads an extremely attractive cast where at first it all seems kinda distracting how beautiful everyone is but it seems to only add to the heightened reality of what transpires. Also a standout (but no less attractive) is John Carroll Lynch playing Pruitt who once again demonstrates how impressive a character actor he us - he's really one of the best out there who can show both menace and warmth with virtually the same facial expressions. 

The overall story is deceptively simple with a pretty straightforward set-up.  It mostly focuses on a dinner party….a pretty mysterious dinner party up in the Hollywood Hills overlooking LA.  This has all been seemingly orchestrated by Will’s  ex-wife Eden played by Tammy Blanchard in one of the more unique performances – she initiated all of this by sending Will and a few other couples this very handsome yet somewhat vague INVITATION….hence the title.  

Will is attending this party with his girlfriend Kira (Emayatzy Corinealdi) and the party is at his previous home with Eden….who is now married to David (Michael Huisman)…and they have a VERY flirtatious house guest who’s also there named Claire.  And when Will and Kira arrive….everyone is EXTREMELY physically affectionate….hmmmm.   And once Pruitt joins the party, things just get MORE interesting…..how things develop is just a masterclass in tension-building.  One key question becomes where is the line between social awkwardness and the genuine threat of danger.   

And to truly delve into the plot TOO much beyond that would spoil it too much as this film received a pretty small release about ten years ago.

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

Overall this is a very talky and often eerie film so whatever music there is actually pretty sparse….but there IS infact a score and it’s a pretty good one.  Moody, very string-based, you often don’t notice it but it works to add to the generally unsettling tone of the story and setting.  This film’s score composed by 20 year journeyman Theodore Shapiro who hails from Washington, DC and has conducted score for several films I have seen though I can’t honestly remember the scores…..The Devil Wears Prada, Tropic Thunder, A Simple Favor, and Bombshell.  Regardless, Shapiro certainly brings it when it counts as his music playing over the film’s final, violent climax is VERY effective – not spoiling anything here to say that this track is called, “Rupture.” (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

This was a pretty spare production to say the least as it’s all filmed at one location with a pretty small cast….there’s no talent wasted here as far as I can tell.  That said….just a unique issue here: apparently through not fault of the film’s, it is now often overshadowed and/or confused by ANOTHER film with the same exact title which came out just seven years later….just three years ago, yes that would be THE INVITATION directed by Jessica Thompson and starring Natalie Emmanuel which came out in 2022.  Haven’t seen it but I have heard it has a slightly similar premise and is not NEARLY as good. (Audio clip) 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

It’s genuinely difficult to choose ONE standout sequence or moment which stands out the most because it is a genuinely steady build for at least 70 minutes.  But if I had to pick a genuine turning point for where things get DARK….it would be a monologue which occurs around forty minutes into the movie from none other than Lynch’s Pruitt.  And the crazy thing is that the lead-up to is the initiation of this playful game called “Would You?” which involves the hostess passionately kissing one of their guests….and then that same guest being offered cocaine by the host.  It becomes evidently clear that a big part of the strategy FROM our hosts is to distract and/or titillate their guests as a way to prime them for….whatever they’re priming them for.  But yes back to Pruitt who just starts explaining what HE wants…..and it’s a pretty horrific confession….. (Audio clip) 

Extremely chilling and you can see Will’s face start to drop as this continues…..Lynch just NAILS this moment as he comes off as pretty sincere in his remorse but it doesn’t make what he’s saying any less frightening.  This actor has ALWAYS been a scene-stealer whether he’s playing Marge’s doting husband in Fargo or the apparent Zodiac killer IN Zodiac.  You’re THINKING shit just got real….and then there’s the hostess Kira ONCE again doing her distraction campaign by declaring that she wants to kiss another guest…..such a potent sequence of events and things just escalate from there. (Audio clip) 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

Since her initial breakout with the acclaimed indie hit Girlfight in 2000 – which ALSO introduced the world to star Michelle Rodriguez – Karyn Kusama’s filmmaking career has had some ebbs and flows but she has remained a distinct filmmaker.  Aeon Flux with Charlize Theron was her big attempt at a big budget actioner and unfortunately didn’t connect, apparently the dark High School horror comedy Jennifer’s Body has become somewhat of a cult sensation, and she has also directed her share of prestige TV shows including Yellowjackets, The L World, The Man in the High Castle, and Billions.  I haven’t seen more than half of this stuff but one consistent aspect has been a stark visual style, a willingness to delve into character minutae, AND…..more often than not the female perspective.  Now the latter part isn’t as prevalent with this film but one thing which cannot be denied is that within the context of this story, there is SOME degree of empathy for just about every character, even the ones who are clearly revealed as VILLAINS towards the end. (Audio clip) 

And that’s a big reason why this film works SO damn well at putting you through the ringer…..it’s pretty much entirely told through Will’s perspective, we’re watching for signs of danger RIGHT alongside him, and yet….we can see how he MIGHT be misreading others as those there are dealing with their own traumas.  We see this play out during a couple of key moments in the second half of the film ESPECIALLY one interaction which he has with Michael Huisman’s David who’s co-hosting this “party.”  All of this intimately shot and performed pretty naturally – for delivering one of the more intensely harrowing chamber pieces of recent years, Karyn Kusama is the MVP. (Audio clip) 

Final Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 

Make no mistake this is not an easy watch for many and I get why….but if you’re looking for a supremely scary and thought-provoking chamber piece in the great recent tradition of films bigger films like Get Out or The Menu, consider this a very high recommendation.  And at a crisp 100 minutes with JUST enough violence shown for effect but no endless lingering shots of dismembered corpses or white folks looking menacingly, it never wears out its welcome nor loses its grip thanks to efficient storytelling....take some notes, Ari Aster! 😉  Happy Tenth Anniversary to a true hidden gem just waiting to be discovered or rediscovered!

Streaming on Peacock, Arrow, and crunchyroll

And that ends another FREE TO FORGIVE review!