The Invitation
Drafthouse Films | Release Date: April 8, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
74
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
1
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyApr 8, 2016
Kusama ratchets the story’s tension masterfully, building to a final shot that’s as chilling as it is perfect. Read full review
91
ConsequenceDominick Suzanne-MayerApr 7, 2016
The Invitation is supremely well-crafted. Read full review
88
St. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonApr 22, 2016
Psychological thrillers just don’t get any better than this. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsApr 14, 2016
The movie is a small marvel of contained spaces, exploited beautifully by Kusama and cinematographer Bobby Shore. Read full review
88
Boston GlobePeter KeoughApr 13, 2016
Kusama’s handling of point of view is diabolically shrewd. She maximizes the terror potential of the vapidly ostentatious modernist mansion without fetishizing it. She intensifies the monstrosity of some of the characters by making them all too human. And as for guessing the ending — good luck. Read full review
88
Slant MagazineMatt BrennanApr 4, 2016
A charged, unnerving turn of the screw, The Invitation is consumed by the fear of forgetting. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeApr 13, 2016
Kusama expertly manipulates the tone throughout, ratcheting up tension and releasing it in quick bursts of nervous laughter, only to build it up again. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshApr 8, 2016
Kusama reveals and conceals the geography of the house, parceling out just enough information to understand its logic, while leaving certain dim recesses mysterious. Read full review
80
The GuardianJordan HoffmanApr 7, 2016
While some viewers may complain that the action is too heavily weighted toward the ending, I’d argue that this is a strong example of destination-not-the-journey film-making. Read full review
80
VarietyJustin ChangApr 7, 2016
This well-acted, beautifully modulated exercise represents director Karyn Kusama’s strongest work in years, revealing an assurance of tone, craft and purpose that haven’t been in evidence since her Sundance prize-winning debut, “Girlfight.” Read full review
80
Village VoiceAbby GarnettApr 5, 2016
The buildup stretches longer than it should, but the payoff comes with a satisfying bang. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSusan WloszczynaApr 8, 2016
A dinner-party-from-hell scenario best served as unspoiled as possible. After all, a psychological thriller built upon slow-simmering tension is only as good as its surprises. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldApr 7, 2016
The horror is all the more effective for having sneaked up on us quietly. Read full review
75
IndieWireEric KohnApr 7, 2016
The Invitation maintains a unique intrigue that constantly defies expectations. Read full review
75
The PlaylistKevin JagernauthApr 7, 2016
A taut thriller that almost doesn't waste a single step. Read full review
70
The New York TimesManohla DargisApr 7, 2016
If the movie works as well as it does, it’s because Ms. Kusama can coax scares from shadows, silences and ricocheting looks. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeApr 7, 2016
It's a welcome human-scale outing for a director who stumbled upon leaping from 2000's breakout debut Girlfight to the would-be tentpole dud Aeon Flux. Read full review
67
The Film StageBill GrahamApr 7, 2016
As the tension effectively builds and pay-off is pulled off with aplomb, The Invitation is a mostly effective small-scale thriller, despite some missteps along the way. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleJosh KupeckiApr 6, 2016
There are a number of things that work in The Invitation: The cast is uniformly great (Tom Hardy – er, I mean Marshall-Green – is a standout, Lynch basically has a monopoly on the creep factor at this point in his career), and the film is elegantly shot. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldRene RodriguezMay 19, 2016
Set almost entirely in one location and shot in widescreen to accommodate its ensemble cast, The Invitation seems tailor-made for a talented filmmaker who wants to show off skills within the constraints of a small budget. But the script, by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi (who somehow still find work after having written The Tuxedo, R.I.P.D., and Clash of the Titans), is flimsy and nonsensical in the manner of cheap, straight-to-video-not-even-VOD horror pictures, and Kusama’s direction is clumsy and uninspired. She also telegraphs too many of the plot’s twists. Read full review
37
Washington PostMark JenkinsApr 21, 2016
The filmmakers keep trying to make Will appear paranoid, but he’s not fooled for long — and most viewers won’t be, either. Read full review
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