The Invitation

A somewhat tepid mix of romance and horror. Sure enough, that should tell you what kind of horror niche we're dealing with here. The budget was clearly there, but it takes a very long time before the film gets up to speed and the finale wasn't half as exciting as it should and could've been.

Evie is a struggling artist who tries to get by. She has no family to rely on, just a close friend. Out of the blue, she is contacted by an English cousin, who asks to meet up. He convinces her that she has a family in England who are dying to meet her. Evie accepts his invitation and goes on a trip to England.

The setting is lush and the production design clearly shows there was a proper budget. Nathalie Emmanuel is a rather poor lead though, the rest of the cast isn't much better. The film gets pretty cheesy, the pacing is a tad too slow and the finale lacks punch. It's not the worst horror film around, just a bit too mediocre.