'The Invitation' a dark, chilling thriller

In the gothic thriller ‘The Invitation,’ after the death of her mother and having no other known relatives, Evie takes a DNA test and discovers a long-lost cousin she never knew she had.

Invited by her newfound family to a lavish wedding in the English countryside, she’s at first seduced by the aristocrat host but is soon thrust into a nightmare of survival as she uncovers twisted secrets in her family’s history and the unsettling intentions behind their sinful generosity.

‘The Invitation’ is a thriller that delivers a chilling atmosphere in most of the scenes and even has a few good scares scattered throughout. This new thriller has a few clever jump scares that come out of nowhere and might actually surprise you. Over the years, jump scares in most thrillers and horror films can get a little too predictable. But, the jump scares in ‘The Invitation’ are surprisingly good and are very creative.

A good amount of the thriller does a great job building up the suspense and mystery, especially when it comes to the lead character’s (Evie) newfound family. The movie can get a little predictable at times and can be a little cliched. Yet, if you enjoy a couple of great little scares, you won’t mind the predictability.

The gothic, dark atmosphere shown throughout the movie also helps give it a really eerie feel and helps with the scare factor as well. Once the movie reveals the dark secrets of the family and their motives, it does slowly fall apart just a little and that’s where the thriller gets to be fairly predictable.

Overall, ‘The Invitation’ does offer some good scares and thrills that will keep you entertained. Even with a somewhat predictable story, fans of the thriller genre won’t want to miss this ‘Invitation.’

The cast: Nathalie Emmanuel as Evie; Thomas Doherty as Walter; Stephanie Corneliussen as Viktoria; Alana Boden as Lucy; Sean Pertwee as Mr. Fields; Hugh Skinner as Oliver; Virag Barary as Emmaline; Courtney Taylor as Grace; Carol Ann Crawford as Mrs. Swift; Jeremy Wheeler as Jonathan Harker and Scott Alexander Young as Uncle Julius.

‘The Invitation’ is written by Blair Butler (Hell Fest; Polaroid) and directed by Jessica M. Thompson. Writer Blair Butler drew inspiration from the iconic 1987 Bram Stoker novel ‘Dracula.’ Filming for the thriller took place in Budapest, Hungary during September 2021.

‘The Invitation’ is rated PG-13 for terror, violent content, some strong language, sexual content and partial nudity and has a running time of 105 minutes.

If you have seen ‘The Invitation,’ let me know what you thought of the thriller on my Facebook page — Wyoming County Press Examiner reviews by Matt Palmer. Also, you can see on my page what I will be checking out next for the Examiner and see what I will be checking out during the upcoming Fall Film Festival.

https://youtu.be/5bL1ftuxgOE