The Invitation

With its decent building of paranoid suspense by letting the viewer get to know the characters through their conversations, which are disturbed by occasional tense situations, The Invitation is a pleasantly sophisticated, less mainstream and smarter variation on the well-known The Purge. (22/01/2018)

Simply put, a perfect and incredibly stylish psycho-thriller that masterfully generates an unpleasant sensation of uncertainty on the viewer, and in the same manner plays with the mind of the main character, Will, who together with his new girlfriend, is invited to a party at the place of his ex-girlfriend and her new husband. The evening is also attended by other old friends, and the air smells weird from the very beginning. I can’t remember when was the last time I saw such superbly escalating paranoia. For most of the film, it isn’t clear who’s crazy – whether the hosts or the guests – or whether it isn’t just an unfortunate misunderstanding by both parts. All are realistic scenarios and all of them would be fitting to the genre category. And Karyn Kusama holds everything so firmly in her hands that the viewer can only rejoice. The climax is sharp as a barber’s blade and the last shot is the cherry on top. (09/04/2016)

I really underestimated The Invitation, just by not sharing the trailer on my fan page, because I found it bland, but the film was better. I was desperately biting my nails with boredom for the first 30 minutes, but with the start of the game "I Want", I acutely refocused and my attention was captured and committed to the film until the end. It is slightly disappointing that the film is quite readable and not too shocking in terms of plot development, and the ending itself, although surprisingly action-packed and suspenseful, was not brutal and nerve-wracking as it was in Mother's Day or Inside, for example. A big plus is the very last shot, which increases the rating by perhaps 15%. A good film, but there was potential here to be the hit of the decade with instant cult status if I had been behind the script!!! :D 75% (14/04/2016)

An interesting film that leaves you in no doubt that there is something evil among humans. It's good in terms of psychology, where this film triumphs. The premise itself isn't original, but how it all goes wrong and what happens is. And that is a good thing. Still, the film failed to impress me. Good, but not exceptional. (05/05/2016)