The Invitation

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The Invitation

Released Apr 8, 2016

1h 39m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

114 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

While attending a dinner party at his former house, a man starts to believe that his ex-wife and her new husband have sinister plans for the guests.

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Critics Consensus

The Invitation makes brilliant use of its tension-rich premise to deliver a uniquely effective -- and surprisingly clever -- slow-building thriller.

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Max Weiss

Baltimore Magazine

Is this a film about grief masquerading as a horror film -- or vice versa?

Rated: 3.5/4

Jul 26, 2016

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Calvin Wilson

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Psychological thrillers just don't get any better than this.

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 21, 2016

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Beautifully paced, the movie traces a steady arc from amiability to apocalypse.

Apr 21, 2016

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Sarah Vincent

Sarah G Vincent Views

The Invitation wants the viewer to question the concept of appropriateness, which is why it set at a dinner party in an affluent home in a beautiful location. Dinner parties do not display normal human interactions but superimpose roles on ordinary people

Jun 12, 2024

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Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

Kusama crafts a slow-burn chiller for the ages that also serves as a meditation on the various ways people try to come to live with grief.

Feb 13, 2024

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Josh Slater-Williams

Vague Visages

Thanks to the skilled hand of director Kusama, The Invitation is a deeply uncomfortable but also eerily funny skewering of the hostility that can lurk under the veil of hospitality.

Nov 15, 2023

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Spike D

Sometimes I want to gather all the world's horror filmmakers in a single room and yell at them until they agree, by binding legal document, to stop their lazy, rote, trite, and frankly offensive use of dead animals as a stand-in for good storytelling.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

11/08/24

Full Review

Dean E

Slow burn to a dramatic conclusion. Great film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/30/24

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Lauren T

This movie was def a slow burn. It could have been a lot shorter film. The ending was interesting, good spin on things. It was a good weekend watch.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/17/24

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Colin B

This Movie is A phenomenal Slow Burn horror that is likely to Give you nightmares and chills

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/09/24

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the best movies ever made.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/21/24

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Brian E

This film was the ultimate slow burn.., an uncomfortable gathering of old friends that at first glance seems like a character study of people, once close, now grown apart with some past trauma added to the mix. Logan Marshall-Green plays a great starring character who spends the film trying to understand why his ex has apparently so easily moved on after the death of their child years before. He puts in a nuanced performance and I believe him to be a very underrated actor. I recommend this film if you are looking for a well written, character driven story that up’s the ante as the film progresses. Great movie!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/11/24

Full Review

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Karyn Kusama

Director

Logan Marshall-Green

Will

Tammy Blanchard

Eden

Michiel Huisman

David

Emayatzy Corinealdi

Kira

Lindsay Burdge

Sadie

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The Invitation: Trailer 1

2:10

The Invitation: Teaser Trailer 1

1:05

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Synopsis

While attending a dinner party at his former house, a man starts to believe that his ex-wife and her new husband have sinister plans for the guests.

Director: Karyn Kusama
Producer: Martha Griffin, Matt Manfredi, Phil Hay, Nick Spicer
Screenwriter: Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi
Distributor: Drafthouse Films
Production Co: Gamechanger Films, XYZ Films, Lege Artis Film
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 8, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $231.7K
Runtime: 1h 39m

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