The Invitation (2015)

A heartbreaking horror film that doubles as a psychological drama about grief and loss. It keeps you on your toes, but it's tough to stay upright when the rug keeps being pulled out from under you

Directed by: Karyn Kusama
Cinematography by: Bobby Shore
Country: United States
Genre: Horror/Thriller/Psychological Drama/Mystery

The Invitation is one of my favorite horror movies from the past few years. It's equal parts gripping thriller, psychological drama, and paranoid horror. Writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi twist the audience around so much it's hard to tell which direction is up, and you'll definitely be trying to find your way up to get some air because the story is so thick full of paranoia it'll drown you. Will (Logan Marshall-Green) and his current girlfriend Kira (Emayatzy Corinealdi) - as well as some old friends - receive an invitatioOoOoOoOoOnnnnnn to a dinner party hosted by Will's ex-wife Eden (Tammy Blanchard), and her new husband David (Michiel Huisman). That all sounds fine and dandy except that no one has heard from Eden in two years, including Will, ever since the tragedy that split the former husband and wife apart. On top of that Eden seems to have undergone a drastic personality change that rubs their guests entirely the wrong way. Will, still stricken with grief from the tragedy and blaming himself for not preventing it, becomes increasingly unstable - and unnerved by the way Eden has seemingly recovered from the trauma unscathed - and paranoia begins seeping into his vulnerable psyche to the point that he starts causing scenes and questioning whether the dinner party has a sinister agenda, especially after discovering Eden and David joined a "cult" during the two years they were away. His actions lead Eden and the other guests, including Kira, to wonder just how far gone Will's emotional state really is.

Karyn Kusama (Aeon Flux [2000], Jennifer's Body [2009]) crafted an absolute gem with The Invitation, and I am more than ready for her future projects. This film will spin you on your head and the third act is one for the ages. Bobby Shore's cinematography, guided by Kusama's intelligent shot selection, does a wonderful job of putting the audience inside the damaged mind of Will with claustrophobic close-ups as if the walls are closing in around him, and remote full shots showing him all alone. Showing his feelings of helplessness in an unpredictable world. One of my favorite shots from the movie frames Will inside of a perpendicular mirror so the image shows a series of Wills staring back at each other, reflecting his fractured state, his loss of control over himself, and his isolation.

The atmosphere of the movie constantly transitions between warmth and suspicion; the scene at the dinner table exemplifies this clever camerawork. The glow of the candlelight and food being passed from friend to friend draws us in and makes us feel comfortable, but Will's shifting eyes immediately put us back on edge.

Theodore Shapiro's plucking, prodding, scratching score only heightens the emotions evoked by Kusama's camera.

Thematically The Invitation reminds me a lot of Jennifer Kent's The Babadook (2014). Both films tell a tragic story about the devastating effects of grief and loss, although The Babadook takes a more allegorical approach with the monster symbolically stepping in, whereas The Invitation puts very human faces on the entire affair, making it more accessible to feel the pain of the characters. The casting is spot-on, and even with half of Logan Marshall-Green's face hidden behind a beard it's easy to feel every emotion that passes through that bushy face, which says a lot about his ability to act with his eyes. And speaking of acting with eyes, props to John Carroll Lynch, who's presence commands attention in every frame he's in. That dude is intimidating even when he's being friendly.

If you're a horror fan, The Invitation needs to be the next movie you watch, and guess what, it's on Netflix you big dopey dope, so go watch it now. If you don't have Netflix, use the account from one of your 30 friends who does. If you don't have friends, I'm sorry, I'll be your friend as long as you promise to watch The Invitation with me. Let's have a toast!

5/5