Horror movie season is upon us, and while we‘ve barely escaped summer, The Invitation is giving us a head start with a diffused horror film that scratches the surface but doesn’t entirely break the skin.
Okay, we’ve discussed this before, but if you forgot, here’s the rundown.
Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel, Game of Thrones) is a struggling artist who works as a cater waiter. Still grieving the sudden loss of her mother, she takes a DNA test to see if there are any long-lost relatives out there she can connect with. Boom — there’s a match. She has a cousin who flies in from London to meet her. After a quick first meet, her cousin Oliver (Hugh Skinner, Fleabag) invites her back to London to attend a family wedding in the English countryside.
Pause. Yes, in retrospect it’s probably not a good idea to travel across the pond with someone you don’t know, whether they are family or not. We know this, but we can’t fault our girl for wanting to establish some blood ties. And, if she didn’t go, we wouldn’t have a film.
Now, here’s the thing. If you haven’t seen the trailer it’s probably a good idea to stop reading this now and go into the film completely blind. If you’re feeling reckless, keep reading.
The trailer for The Invitation already told viewers what would happen in the film. We knew that she would arrive and eventually discover that the handsome lord of the manor, Walter (Thomas Doherty, Legacies), is a vampire and that she’s been brought to the estate under false pretenses. But thankfully, it didn’t ruin the experience. In this gothic romance, the reward isn’t in the big reveal, but in the slow creep journey, we take to arrive at that moment.
Evie’s arrival ushers in a wave of feelings that distract her from first noticing her eerie surroundings. In this story, penned by Blair Butler, Evie isn’t just in a new setting geographically but also culturally. Walking into an all-white family of aristocrats will make even the most poised person feel a little out of place. Adjusting to that environment while indulging in Walter’s charm helps Evie overlook the haunted red flags.
Director Jessica M. Thompson manipulates the gorgeous setting to draw the viewer into what feels like a renaissance fairytale by day and a dreary nightmare by night.
Emmanuel is the quintessential final girl. She has charm and bite, and despite her decision to fly across the pond to visit with a family she knows nothing about, she has common sense. We didn’t have to yell at the screen too much in this film. She’s also the only Black person in the movie outside of her bestie Grace (Courtney Taylor, Insecure) who, throughout the film, is saying everything the audience is thinking while watching Evie embark on this journey.
Some horror films overload their stories with obscenity, but gore and violence don’t necessarily depict scare. Thompson plays off the audience knowing what Evie doesn’t. We know she’s walking into a trap, yet we want her to because we’re waiting to understand the “why” of it all. Once we finally reach that moment, the film rushes to a finish at what feels like vamp speed. We didn’t get as much background as we wanted into Walter’s story or the family tradition that’s kept her family so well off for all these years.
The last moments of the film are sure to have viewers smile, reminding us of the importance of having a good bestie.
The Invitation could’ve used a little more bite, but the nibbles it offered still made for an enjoyable experience. Emmanuel proves worthy of the lead role and delivers a likable character you’ll root for from beginning to end. Doherty’s effortless seduction crafts the perfect vampire and will have viewers willingly offering their necks. It’s a light-horror film to ease you into the fall horror season.
The Invitation is now playing in theaters.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Other Articles
No Comment! Be the first one.