The Invitation (2015)

(Netflix Streaming, December 2019) Despite the film’s slow burn, it doesn’t take a long time to realize that The Invitation is not going to be a fun kind of film. As it opens with our protagonists making their way to an isolated Los Angeles home and hitting a coyote, the sombre way the protagonist puts the animal out of its misery sets the glum tone for the rest of the film. It doesn’t get any better despite a few forced cheers: Our protagonist is being invited back to his ex-house by his ex-wife, years after the death of their son. Other friends are also invited, but strange clues accumulate: one of them is missing, the door remains locked and the windows are blocked by iron railings. Then they’re showing a video in which a cult celebrates the death of one of their own. By the time the protagonist screams DON’T DRINK THE WINE, we’re well past the point when all guests should have left en masse. Going from sombre drama to a more exciting thriller, The Invitation nonetheless stays attached to its characters far more than the average thriller. By the time the expected deaths pile up, it’s a slightly different kind of thriller than we expect. (Although we can understand the moronic characters a bit better for not leaving, this isn’t a blanket excuse for them not doing so.)  Shot with a low budget featuring generally lesser-known actors, it does let director Karyn Kusama play a bit with the form, although not (maybe regrettably) committing to either a horror or revenge fantasy third act. There is a bit of a chill in the film’s last shot, but it does feel like an implausible afterthought rather than something with wider implications. I still enjoyed The Invitation, but wouldn’t exactly bring myself to recommending it.