The Invitation: DVD Review

The Invitation: DVD Review

Rating: R16
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

Creepy and unsettling, The Invitation's psychological thriller stars Logan Marshall-Green as Will, who's invited to a dinner party by his ex-wife Eden and her new husband after 2 years disappearing from their lives.

With a group of other friends and house guests, Will begins to grow suspicious of what's going on and finds cause for concern at every angle. But with a shared past and a common tragedy, Will's unsure of what's unfolding...

Trading on paranoia and unnerving, The Invitation's simplicity lies in its MO and its layers of dealing with depression and grief. Marshall-Green may look like Tom Hardy's Revenant character but the underplaying and the haunted tragedy within him is cleverly manifested and made real.

While it's a dinner party from hell scenario, and being killed by kindness, director Karyn Kusama delivers a taut piece that is really quite troubling. While Marshall-Green delivers as Will, it's American Horror Story's John Carroll Lynch who ups the ante as a mysterious entrant into the proceedings. The end may feel like it's got Purge elements to it, and suggest other similar avenues given the reveal, but it's to be hoped The Invitation's subtle study of grief and of friends and family coping is a one-off, a slow burning descent into misery and a reminder of how a chamber piece can shock when effectively deployed.