Evie is a what some might call a struggling artist in New York City. Or at least she hopes to live up to that description someday. Right now, though, she’s more of a part-time server for a catering service. And the fact that she’s pretty has brought in more cash than any of her ceramic artwork has.
And to be blunt, that harsh truth and her mom’s recent death have left her a little depressed.
She feels so disconnected and lonely, in fact, that she decides to submit a DNA test she was gifted. Who knows, maybe she has some wealthy long-lost relatives who would lend her a bit of seed money for her dreams.
To Evie’s surprise, she does have some unknown relatives—an English cousin named Oliver. He just so happens to be in town for his realty business. They agree to meet for dinner. And Evie learns quite a bit about her family history.
It seems that her great grandmother’s affair with a member of the local gentry was quite the scandal way back when. And as Evie and cousin Oliver smile and chat their way through the meal, she reveals that her mother had always talked about one day going to England. At this, Oliver perks up.
“There’s a wedding coming up,” he says. “You should come. Everyone is dying to meet you.” He even agrees to pay her way. What’s a little cash and airline points between family members?
So, Evie goes. And while rolling up to the new Carfax Abbey estate, where the wedding is to be held, she gapes at the splendor of the place. It makes TV’s Downton Abbey look like a guest house. Oh, and the aristocratic young owner? He turns out to be as impossibly handsome and charming, as if he stepped out of a Jane Austin novel.
Not only that, but this well-heeled gent, Walter Deville, and all the crisply starched wedding guests and relatives are earnestly happy to meet Evie. She’s not just an ignored workerbee with a tray of hors d’oeuvres like she would be back in New York. It’s almost like she’s the guest of honor.
Could this possibly be real? And for that matter, where are the bride and groom? Shouldn’t they be the ones getting all the attention?
“The groom and the bride will make their grand entrance tomorrow,” Evie is told. Tonight, is more of a reunion. The wedding celebration will happen in its time. So, Evie settles in to enjoy the unexpected attention, the champagne, the handsome company. It’s all like a dream.
Of course, the problem with a dream is that it’s not always as pleasant as it might first seem. Nightmares are dreams, too.
Evie has a good friend in New York named Grace, and they stay in touch through regular phone calls. Grace is lovingly supportive of her friend. Evie also listens to a recorded phone message from her deceased mom who speaks words of love and encouragement.
Someone risks their life to save an innocent.
It’s very evident that this is a vampire flick. And from the very first scene we see eerie shadowed creatures suddenly appearing behind characters or crawling on the walls and ceiling. Evie also sees shadowy figures in the dark of her room and above her canopied bed while staying at Carfax Abbey.
The spiritual nature of these undead creatures is not discussed at any length. It’s just assumed that the audience knows of these dark, otherworldly beings. A vampire declares himself a god.
A man chants in what appears to be Latin after placing several women in deadly situations. But nothing directly religious or faith-focused is used here (a cross, holy water, etc.). There is, however, a statue in an outer courtyard depicting the biblical Eve with a serpent and an apple.
Walter Deville is indeed a very charming man. And he regularly flirts with Evie. Eventually the two begin kissing and they fall into bed together while stripping off their clothes. We see bare shoulders and backs and then, as the film jumps to after their intimate interlude, the pair lay in bed and Walter’s chiseled torso is exposed. We also see the pair both wearing somewhat revealing nightwear tops.
Evie and two female guests, Lucy and Viktoria, join other ladies for a spa day. Viktoria strips off her robe and swims naked in a pool adorned with scattered rose petals. We see her fully naked from the rear as she swims.
Women wear low-cut, cleavage-baring gowns.
At a catered event, Evie and Grace talk about being groped and touched by the male patrons. And Grace suggests that Evie should “snog” someone.
[Spoiler Warning] As the movie starts, a troubled young woman hangs herself from a banister with piano wire. We’re told that creatures of the night can only be killed by being impaled, having their heads cut off or by burning. We see two of those things take place.
Vampires claw and flail at mortals and each other with sharp fingernails. One of them drives its nails into a woman’s chest. Someone is stabbed in the chest with a large stake. Another is impaled with the tip of a spear. A third person is set afire in a huge blaze. (The head lopping is left for another time.)
Female maids are grabbed and abused (mostly just off camera). We see one young woman’s neck snapped. Another has her throat slashed and then she’s held over a punch bowl while her blood drains. (Several vampires drink from this bowl.) Someone lifts a dazed woman’s bare leg and bites her ankle, drinking from her. The camera spots the corpses of dead women. We see one with puncture holes on her neck.
A man wields a bloody cleaver, and later we see one of his victims tossed down on a table, a large gash on her forehead dribbling blood. A man slashes open his own wrist and allows someone to drink his blood.
A manicurist cuts open Evie’s cuticle. The young protagonist is battered about and stabbed in the course of an evening. A young woman is knocked unconscious by a large blunt object. A man’s face is burned when splashed with hot tea.
There are two f-words and a half-dozen s-words in the dialogue. “H—” and “a–hole” are exclaimed a couple times each as well. Someone calls a guy a “douchebag.” And God’s name is misused twice.
At the wedding celebration, the family reunion and a New York catered event, booze, wine and champagne flow freely. Nearly everyone is holding a glass filled with some alcoholic beverage. Evie drinks beer at home.
An elderly couple betrays someone’s trust.
Like too many unfortunate films before it, the trailer for The Invitation lets all of its important plot points out of the bag. (Or should I say … coffin.) And even if you haven’t seen that advert, well, this horror pic’s foreshadowing is so hamfistedly delivered that no one in the theater will be the least bit surprised by its “big surprise.”
Or anything else, for that matter.
For those still wondering what unsavory content they may encounter, let me give a quick list: Characters make out and reveal PG-13 levels of laying-in-bed-after-sex skin. There’s neck-snapping, stabbing, burning, throat slashing, drain-your-blood-into-a-punchbowl violence. And you’ll find a modicum of nasty language and lots of champagne flute sipping.
As for entertainment, well, that’s as absent as a tuxedo-clad Transylvanian in a garlic factory.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
