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The Invitation

Play trailer 2:10 Poster for The Invitation 2016 1h 39m Mystery & Thriller Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
90% Tomatometer 118 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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The Invitation

The Invitation

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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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Critics Reviews

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Max Weiss Baltimore Magazine 07/26/2016
3.5/4
Is this a film about grief masquerading as a horror film -- or vice versa? Go to Full Review
Calvin Wilson St. Louis Post-Dispatch 04/21/2016
3.5/4
Psychological thrillers just don't get any better than this. Go to Full Review
J. R. Jones Chicago Reader 04/21/2016
Beautifully paced, the movie traces a steady arc from amiability to apocalypse. Go to Full Review
Eddie Harrison film-authority.com Mar 18
3/5
‘…an effective pot-boiler that whittles down the numbers to a predictable punch-line…’ Go to Full Review
David Day Horror Movie Talk 08/11/2025
10/10
I think my favorite part of The Invitation is the discomfort that you feel in a party is so well intoned, and all of the acting matches so well with the characters and their desires/intentions. It feels real, and it feels upsetting, and I love it. Go to Full Review
Isabella Liistro Loud and Clear Reviews 01/18/2025
There are no scenes, characters, or bits of dialogue that don’t belong. The tension builds and builds until we’re left with a masterful final shot that’s so subtle, but the implication is chilling. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Autonova T @Autonova 3d Perfectly made suspense thriller, keeps you intrigued, steadily escalates, drip feeds information, then has a frankly terrifying climax. Should be way better known See more karen N @karen99 5d It's a bore fest. A bunch of talking nothing going on. Time I'll never get back See more Paige B @Palan4 Aug 15 This is a great film.Unique plot, suspensful and terrifying at times but also hearfelt. You won't forget this movie, it will stick with you. See more Petros T @PetrosTserpelis Aug 8 Really unsettling and engaging. The cast is very well-chosen, as they will all elicit the intended reactions from you, with Logan Marshall-Green standing out. The film capitalizes on its claustrophobic setting and nails the creepy, asphyxiating vibe it goes for, leading up to the visceral climactic sequence, which crucially steers clear of action movie stylings. The inclusion of the misdirect with Troy and the final reveal felt a bit self-indulgent, but they didn't ruin the experience either. See more Michael E @ibeatu123 Aug 2 Slow burner first, but if you stick around, it’s an amazing story. Great performances from the actors especially the Lead. Would highly recommend watching this. See more John C @RT50093740 Jul 31 I can appreciate what this movie was aiming for, but it didn’t work for me. The premise became obvious within the first 30 minutes, so the rest felt like waiting for the characters to catch up. More importantly, the script relies on people ignoring an absurd number of red flags. If I went to a dinner where even one of these things happened, I’d be making an excuse to leave; not sitting down for another course. Instead of suspenseful, the party just felt awkward and boring. Well acted and competently directed, but the writing wasn’t believable enough to keep me invested. See more Read all reviews
The Invitation

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Movie Info

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
XYZ Films, Lege Artis Film, Gamechanger Films
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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