The Invitation (2022) Review – A Cliched and Toothless Gothic Romance

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are viewing The Invitation (2022).

Cheesy and occasionally fun but lots of issues

The Invitation follows young woman Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel) as she travels to London to meet a family of long-lost relatives. Obviously, everything isn’t quite what it seems with her newly discovered family. It isn’t long before she starts to learn dark secrets about them that she never could have imagined.

“The first half of The Invitation is almost a pure romance movie. It is actually uncanny at times, almost to the point where it is surprising when the horror kicks in.”

Everyone enjoys camp “Hammer Horror” style movies that are easy to digest, right? You know the type? You imagine it is going to be shit so if it is a bit better than that you are happy. The Invitation almost falls into this category. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, it’s hammy, a bit silly, and often quite enjoyable.

Unfortunately, The Invitation has some issues that go further than just an abundance of plot holes. To start, the first half of The Invitation is almost a pure romance movie. You know, the ones that feature a “will they, won’t they” relationship between two people from different worlds. So much of the early part of this movie reminded me of a Hallmark Christmas film. Even the look of the location and the arrival of Evie at Walter’s palace. It’s actually uncanny at times, almost to the point where it is surprising when the horror kicks in.

Too much romance, not enough scares

This is a bit of a problem for pure horror fans. It’s a bit too much of a romance and can be incredibly awkward and cliched at times. I laughed out loud at a couple of points due to the scenes Evie and Walter share. The dialogue is toe-curling and Walter comes across as a smarmy asshole. Let’s be honest, most horror fans can likely live without the declarations of love, noisy kissing, and awkward sex scenes. Said awkward sex scenes are even longer and even more awkward in The Invitation Unrated Edition.

It wouldn’t be so bad if it was well balanced with the horror but it just isn’t. This isn’t a scary movie in the slightest and the genre stuff that is there is ruthlessly dull. It’s been done a thousand times before and done much better. The same way that you would probably laugh in the face of someone who called Twilight a horror movie, you would laugh at the notion that The Invitation is a horror. It’s a romance with a silly twist and genre fan-service here and there.

“The Invitation would really appeal to non-horror fans that fancy something a bit different. For pure horror fans, however, it’s just not very good.”

With that being said, it isn’t worth sitting through over an hour of rote romance bullshit to get to a few scenes that aren’t even scary. The ending plays out almost like a version of Ready or Not. It’s all cat-and-mouse shenanigans around a large location. It’s not remotely interesting, though. There’s the odd laugh here and there but it’s not worth wading through the crap to get to it.

A bad script or bad acting?

Honestly, it is pretty hard to root for anyone in The Invitation. I enjoyed Thomas Doherty’s final 20 minutes as Walter. His character develops in a way that allows him to do something different from just being a boring romance male lead. Nathalie Emmanuel is decent enough. Everyone else kind of sucks.

I think a lot of it is down to terrible writing; the dialogue is just awful and unnatural. Conversations feel forced and can be horribly cliched. This is a particular problem with Evie and Walter’s interactions but extends to the rest of the cast, too. Stephanie Corneliussen as Viktoria, hams it up completely, especially towards the end. She’ll be divisive for sure. There’s a lot of scenes that feature really unbelievable reactions from characters but that’s par-for-the-course in movies like this.

The Invitation unrated edition differences

I am sure some of you are wondering about the differences between The Invitation vs The Invitation Unrated Edition. Teased during the movie’s initial cinema run, the unrated edition promised more gore, extended scenes, and more nudity. Considering the pretty average nature of The Invitation, that wasn’t exactly a tantalising prospect. Still, I have taken a look at it and can fill you in a little on the differences.

“The unrated version delivers a lot more gore. We have some graphic dismemberment and a beheading with a twist. It feels far more like an adult horror.”

Now, obviously I can’t go into details because I keep my reviews as spoiler free as possible. What I can tell you, however, is that The Invitation Unrated Edition does deliver a lot more on the gore front. It’s bloodier and that works well but its hardly a reason to go in for a second viewing. As far as nudity goes, this is horror for girls primarily. If you want to see more of Walter in the altogether, you will prefer the unrated version. We get some slightly obscured nudity but nothing salacious.

To go in on the gore a little, the unrated version does deliver a lot more of it. In fact, some of the scenes are pretty shocking. Basically, any of the scenes that featured a long angle or a cut away in the theatrical release are extended. We also have some graphic dismemberment and a beheading with a twist. This definitely would not have earned a PG-13 rating at the cinema. The added scenes make it feel far more like an adult horror.

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Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.

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