The Invitation

Alright, let's kick this month off! Tonight's film, and the first of this year's Binge, was The Invitation. This movie is a slow burner, but lucky in the world of slow burners, actually pays off at the end. 

The movie follows a man (Will) whose child died a few years back. He has remarried, as has his ex-wife who has spent the two years since their son died in Mexico at a creepy cult-like grieving group. While there, she picked up a couple buddies: a weird, often-naked psycho chick and the equal parts creepy/lovable bald guy from tons of movies whose name you don't know:

John Carroll Lynch. His name is John Carroll Lynch. Yeah, the guy who has played the Zodiac Killer(?), the lovably dumb husband in Fargo, Twisty the Clown in American Horror Story, and a cross-dressing brother in The Drew Carrey Show. See? Equal parts.

Anywho, Will gets invited (along with the rest of their friends) to a party at the house they used to live in together with their son. Crazy psycho girl, sans pants, is also there, along with big, hulking, creepy John Carroll Lynch. Things don't seem to quite add up at the party as it slowly seems that Will's ex-wife is working with her fellow cult buddies to convince Will and the rest of his friends to join up with the cult. Is this their goal, or is Will just blinded by grief over the loss of his son?

This is the important question of this film, and the one that takes nearly the entire runtime to answer. This movie isn't run-of-the-mill horror, but instead looks at the nature of grief, how we handle it, and how to healthily heal after loss. You are left wondering throughout the film whether Will is the one who has been driven mad or if his ex-wife has been brainwashed by her experience in Mexico. 

The Invitation is refreshing horror because of this, but also in how it treats the ending. The ending really does pay off the slow build but without relying on cheap twists. It's realistic, without the tired trope of "they're not dead yet!" I kept waiting for it (and to subsequently roll my eyes), but it never came. It's refreshing to see a writer not rely on tired tricks but instead step up to what the story needs. This shows a restraint that is lacking in lesser films; sometimes we don't need the kitchen sink. 

9/10