Movie Review: The Invitation (2022)

Synopsis: A struggling New York artist, Evie, takes a DNA test and reconnects with a cousin from England. She accepts his invitation to go to England and attend a family wedding and ends up falling in love with Walt De Ville, the lord of the manor the wedding is to be held at. However, she soon learns her invitation comes with a supernatural condition.

Who's in it? The movie stars Nathalie Emmanuel, Thomas Doherty, Sean Pertwee, Hugh Skinner and Alana Boden.


Review: I had seen multiple trailers for this movie and thought it looked interesting. So, when I came across it at our local library today, I decided to check it out. Overall, it was a good choice.

OK, I'll start out by saying the movie is a little more predictable than I would have preferred. My wife and I figured out the big "family secret" within a matter of minutes. I won't go into too much detail, but let's just say if you've seen the movie Dracula or read the book, it won't be too hard to figure out what they aren't telling Evie (Emmanuel) especially since this takes place in a manor known as New Carfax Abbey.

That being said, this still managed to be an entertaining film. For one, despite what I said about it being somewhat predictable, there was still a bit of a mystery about why De Ville (Doherty) was so interested in Evie. Plus, it was clear some of the characters weren't necessarily bad people, adding some element of surprise because it was unclear what they would do.

I also found I liked Evie. She was such a strong, independent character. She might have fallen for De Ville a little too quickly for my taste but otherwise managed to have a healthy bit of skepticism and curiosity while not being afraid to speak her mind and stand up for the hired help when needed.

I also thought the final battle was entertaining. It wasn't anything overly complex with a lot of unnecessary (and ridiculous) stunt work but still managed to be exciting and fun. I especially liked how the fight allowed one of my favorite supporting characters, Lucy (Boden) to stand up for and redeem herself. I wish more movies would feature such strong female characters, especially those in the horror genre.

Final Opinion: Like I said, the big secret isn't really all that hard to figure out. However, the overall movie still manages to be interesting and entertaining. I'd recommend it.

My Grade: A

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