The Invitation Review

The Invitation is a female-centric horror film that aimed to have a gothic twist.

Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel) is a struggling artist in New York City. She takes a DNA test and discovers that she’s related to the English aristocracy. This leads to Evie flying out to England to meet her family and attend a wedding. However, there are strange goings-on at the Yorkshire Manor where Evie is staying.

The Invitation was a film that was ruined by its own trailer. The film had a big twist that might have shocked audiences who hadn’t seen the trailer, but to people who had seen the trailer they will be thinking about when will the big reveal happen. It was a similar issue that affected films like Terminator Salvation and Terminator Genisys because their trailers ruined major plot points.

However, even if a trailer does ruin a major surprise, a film should still be able to engage the audience. It’s why we rewatch films or watch them after receiving a spoiler. The Invitation had an issue to retain interest. The Invitation had a saggy middle act where Evie arrived in England, meets her extended family, and has a will-they-won’t-they relationship with Walter (Thomas Dorothy), the lord of the manor. It was more like a Richard Curtis film than gothic horror. The scenes where Walter tries to woo Evie could make audiences forget that it was a horror film.

The Invitation was trying to emulate Crimson Peak, a Guillermo del Toro gothic romance with a horror twist. Both films had American characters come to England, and enter a romance, but also experience some sort of supernatural menace. The Invitation did have a strong start with a prologue that set up the gothic tone, and there were some atmospheric horror sequences when the maids were sent to dark dank rooms in the mansion.

The filmmakers had noble intentions. They aimed to address issues of sexism and the class divide. Evie was introduced working as a waitress at a fancy corporate event and afterward, Evie and her friend, Grace (Courtney Taylor) talked about where they were groped when working. Due to Evie’s background, she had an affinity with the maids at the manor. She even tries to stand up for some of the maids against their stern boss, Mr. Fields the butler (Sean Pertwee).

Women were the victims of the monster. Some of the maids were sent to do tasks, unaware that they were going to be made into dinner. It was also noted that Evie was the only woman in the family. Everyone else at her family reunion was a man and they were thrilled to find a female member.

Race was addressed in the film. Evie was from a mixed-race background and it was a shock to find out her relatives were white wealthy Englishmen. Race was brought up when Evie asked about her family history and there were references when Evie was with her African-American friend, But race wasn’t as pronounced as the themes of class and gender.

Emmanuel has had success in franchises like Game of Thrones and The Fast and the Furious, but she was in a supporting role in those series. Emmanuel had an opportunity to have a leading role. She gave a competent performance and she performed with a solid American accent. It was amusing to hear Emmanuel make references to English culture as an outsider considering she’s from Southend in real life.

The Invitation did have an issue with its writing. The story requires a lot of coincidences to get started. Evie needed to do a DNA test and her cousin, Oliver (Hugh Skinner) also did one. If Evie didn’t take the DNA test then the events of the film would never have had a reason to happen. If Evie was researching her family history and discovered she was related to the aristocracy then it would have her a more active character.

The Invitation was a film that did not fulfill its ambitions. There were some nice gothic visuals and Emmanuel does her best, but it’s not enough to save this slow and plodding horror flick.