The Invitation is a 2016 drama about a dinner party at a man’s former home, thinking his ex-wife and her new husband have sinister intentions for their guests.
Today’s Netflix Pick is a sensational thriller/horror-ish movie with one of the best endings in recent years. Starring Logan Marshall-Green, the film is a spine-tingler with a wicked slow burn, featuring some very moody atmosphere and plenty to make you think. It’s The Invitation and it’s what you’re watching tonight. Here’s why?
THE STORY: Directed by Karyn Kusama, it follows Will (Marshall-Green) and his girlfriend Kira (Emayatzy Corinealdi), who, after a strange incident with an animal on the road, drive to a dinner party at the home of Eden (Tammy Blanchard), his ex-wife, and her new husband David (Michiel Huisman). They are welcomed warmly, along with others, including a man who arrives a bit late, Pruitt (John Carroll Lynch) who has some news. Something is off though and Will is uncomfortable, especially when the conversation shifts to a sort of sales pitch to a community in Mexico called ‘The Invitation’, who are looking for new members. Will, like many, think it’s a cult, and in fact, he might not be so wrong. Truths are unmasked and as the night opens up, terrors come knocking.
WHY YOU NEED TO WATCH: Truly, this is an amazing little film, dark and sinister, smart and challenging, it has a simmering dread about that is impossible to shake. Marshall-Green is the heart of the story and we are meant to question his very sanity. Is the guy going mad or is this all real? Kusama’s direction is creepy and sometimes chilling but it’s never really scary, nor is it meant to be. Instead, it’s more a psychological thriller with plenty to keep you guessing. And nothing, not a single moment in the movie will have you ready for the ending, a shocking, well-earned finale that takes the local story global. Outstanding. It’s streaming on Netflix right now.