Initially, the famous director Sam Raimi was engaged in the horror film “The Invitation”, and Robert Tapert helped him with the script, among whose popular works, for example, “Xena the Warrior Princess” was included. But due to scheduling problems, they had to leave the project, which was started as a modern rethinking of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Instead, Jessica M. Thompson, for whom The Invitation is only the second feature film in her career after the 2017 romantic drama Moonlight, was called in to direct. We tell in the review below how successfully she managed to realize the original idea.
“Invitation” / The Invitation
Genre horror
Directed by Jessica M. Thompson
Cast Nathalie Emmanuel, Thomas Doherty, Stephanie Corneliussen, Alana Boden, Hugh Skinner
Premiere cinemas
Release year 2022
IMDb site
The main character of the film is the girl Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel). Shortly before the beginning of the story, she became an orphan due to the death of her mother. Evie’s father died in her childhood. She has no other relatives. However, the girl passes a newfangled advanced DNA test – and it turns out that she has a cousin Oliver (Hugh Skinner) from the UK. At the meeting, Oliver invites the heroine to some kind of luxurious wedding on an estate in Britain, in order to get to know relatives at the same time. And upon arrival at Evie, the owner of the estate, the aristocrat Walter (Thomas Doherty), immediately pays attention.
The problems of the film begin already at the stage of the trailer. After all, he spoils almost the entire plot, leaving no room for fantasy. This is a very strange decision in itself. So after all, the first two-thirds of the “Invitation” are desperately trying to confuse the viewer with their genre uncertainty. The trailer kills these attempts instantly.
This is not about some kind of excessive complexity, which sometimes like to lure horror. The filmmakers themselves did not seem to know what exactly they wanted to focus the viewer’s attention on. Until the final act, The Invitation tries to be both horror, romance, drama, and a social statement about closed communities and racial divisions within old families.
To show at least something intelligible from all this comes only from the romantic component. But this is understandable, if you remember the background of the director. Everything else is felt as too labored fuss, which does not carry any semantic load. Some scenes change to others without at least some clear intentions. Because of this, the main emotion during most of the viewing is bewilderment.
And this is strange, given that in the same “Dracula” by Bram Stoker, at the level of subtexts, a rather strong semantic load is hidden, at least about incest and sexually transmitted diseases. The authors of the “Invitation” also seem to want to say something similar in subtext, but they fail to do so.
Even the obvious trope with a modern American woman in a British society full of traditions and nuances is quickly forgotten here. And the aforementioned lack of distinct accents in the narrative is to blame for this.
Because of this approach, the horror component, which supposedly should become the main one in the film, also suffers. There is not a single really scary moment in the “Invitation”. And in the finale, horror is generally replaced by action, and rather mediocre.
Because of everything described above, it is not clear to whom the film can generally be advised. Lovers of romantic stories will be uncomfortable because of the regular, albeit not very successful, attempts to scare. Horror fans have nothing to do here. As a reimagining of Dracula, the film just doesn’t work. As a result, the general genre assortment turned out to be too faded to attract at least with its multifaceted combination.
The level of elaboration of the film perfectly characterizes already one plot. In the Invitation universe, there is an ultra-modern DNA test that notifies relatives of your existence if necessary, and shows a complete family tree. Pretty unusual moment.
Which is further in the plot, with the exception of one fleeting moment that does not affect the overall picture in any way, is not used. That is, the authors, trying to come up with a normal plot, came to an overcomplicated solution that does not fit in with the rest of the elements of the picture. And so with almost everything in the “Invitation”.
The beautiful scenery of an old English castle does not get enough content to make it interesting to follow. The film, in principle, looks gray and boring, even if it shows luxurious places. But all their gloss comes to naught due to weak directing.
