User reviews

Six friends (and a dog) each harboring a deep dark secret (minus the dog, of course) are invited to an old friend, Roland's (Lance Henriksen), secluded island retreat. Where they are promptly poisoned via wine at dinner. Seems Roland had experienced a near-death life-changing experience when he unknowingly drank poison while traveling abroad, and he wishes to share this 'gift' with the others in order to free them of their inner demons. But as one by one they start dropping dead, is his reasoning truly sound?

Henrikson is a magnificent actor who has been in some dreadful films (Pumpkinhead 3, the Mangler, etcetera) but with even a mediocre script, he can and does take the ball and run with it. Here he pulls off a pretty good performance, sadly however the rest of the cast can't hope to excel and pale in comparison. The movie itself is good enough until it devolves before your eyes into something akin to a Made-For-Lifetime TV movie. (you'll understand after watching it) But it still kept my interest for the most part, thanks in no small part to Lance.

My Grade: C-

This movie must have grown out of the near death experience of the writer or a close relative of the writer. When the experience happens and a person gets another chance at life, everything changes and with it the urge to let our loved ones know about the secret. A secret so hard to explain that it can only be heard in the mind's eye by going through the door of knowledge that brings many things into a clearer perception. The urge for Roland takes us viewers on a journey to educate not only us, but the characters in the movie and all of those involved in it's creation as well. I think that this visual story teller will inspire many to think.

Didn't know what this was about. Radom click on Netflix. It was a shock to watch the story unfold and the last scene was really a surprise. It was unsettling and indicative of a world gone a bit wild. Like the one we live in now. Up is down. In is out and yes is no. I like movie makers who take risks.

The Invitation is about a guy who invites 6 people to his house and makes them confess their worst secrets in order to live. They have no way of leaving the island or escaping. He poisons them and if they don't tell the truth, they won't get the anecdote and they will die. He does this because the same thing happened to him when he went to another country. People start getting sick and don't know what it going on until he tells them they must reveal their worst secrets or else they will die. This movie sounded pretty good from the cover when I went to rent it, but was one of the worst movies I've ever seen and I've seen some pretty bad movies. Everything that happens is so random and way out there. The idea of the movie was pretty good, but everything was really confusing and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The people who made this movie must have been crazy and I don't know how anyone would be able to understand it.

The DVD box made this one seem really good, in spite of the lack of a "name" cast (with the exception of Lance Henriksen). It started out slow and never really picked it's speed up. The curves aren't enough to keep your interest and at times, you get the impression that some of the cast isn't interested either. A couple of things never quite get explained and the ending lacks.

"The Invitation" is a B-flick from the get go. Telling a silly story about a man (Henriksen) who invites a bunch of friends to his island home only to poison them and hold back the antidote so they'll have some kind of near death experience or life altering epiphany or whatever, "The Invitation" starts off like a B-flick, ends like a B-flick, and everything in between is claptrap B-flick drama with poor performances, an awful story, psychodramatic overtones which don't work, a hidden agenda ploy which is utterly ridiculous, and huge plot holes which aren't even spackled up with titilators. Watch for this one on broadcast....so you can miss it. (D+)

Do not be fooled by the poster and cover art or by the trailer for this film, it is not a horror film. It is a morality play, and a pretty intriguing one at that.

The basic plotline: Roland (Henriksen) invites his six best friends to his island estate for a getaway. He tricks them into taking a poison and tells them that the only way he will give them the antidote is if they tell their greatest secrets, if they atone for their sins.

This film is actually quite well done, with the characters each struggling with their own demons, wondering whether their secrets are worth dying for. Henriksen is excellent as always, and relative unknowns Christopher Shyer (Joel) and David Livingstone (John) stand out from the rest of the cast by giving fantastic performances.

The Invitation is not a horror film by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a very intriguing morality play with solid acting from an ensemble cast of anonymous unknowns, with the exception of Henriksen. Well worth a watch. 7/10.

The cover suggests a horror or thriller, but instead, WOW, it was an awesome, quite deep, philosophical and sweet movie. Roland wanted to share his 'gift' with his friends and boy did he! Hats off to the quiet intensity of Lance playing Roland, who just wanted to impart a very rare and profound gift to those he loved.

Some of the lines he spoke in the movie, along with the beautiful scenery and music that accompanied it...will leave you feeling strangely serene and peaceful by the end of it.

Give it a chance. The story is a bit weak, not really explaining and resolving everything, but all in all, it's a must-see for lovers of deeper, profound type movies.

Also recommended: What Dreams May Come, The 5 People You Meet in Heaven, What the Bleep Do We Know, Waking Life.

Shipper

I really liked this movie. It had a great story line and though some elements of the story seem unlikely and weird they are true. If you liked this movie then i also recommend My little eye. This movie isn't a crazy thriller about a guy that lost his mind and tries to kill his friends it is a story of secrets and lies that everyone has and keeps. Even though some things in the movie are not completely explained it still is a modern day tale of morals and a real release of the mind. After I first watched it it really made me think. It stayed in my mind until I got the movie. Then I watched it again with my brother and it really made me look at him and what he may have done. After you see this movie you will look at the people around you in a whole new light.

When reading Lance Henriksen's biography "Not bad for a human" (Highly recommended btw), I was sure to make some discoveries here and there. Amongst the more obscure titles was "The invitation", though he talks about it in high praise. He does in fact note that the American DVD Cover leads you on a wrong track, giving the vibe of a cheap horror flick. Well, it isn't. It's a film with less of a narrative structure, but analyzing its characters piece by piece. As the story progresses, a lot of background stories are thrown in. Not to explain you everything in detail, but enough for you to puzzle together the pieces about everyone's motivation and intentions. Produced by a noticeable small budget, the locations are limited and the cinematography is spare, yet creative. But that's not the focus anyway.

What drive me to it, was the reference to the Millennium series. And while the plot and style of the film differs to a great extend, there are certain scenes which give you that unnerving and surreal atmosphere. It's one of the rare experiences where you cannot predict what's coming next.

I doubt a lot of people will discover this film and I doubt a lot of people will get into it. It's no life-changing experience whatsoever but if you are willing to expose yourself to it's rough premise, you'll get one of Lance's finer performances and a film that will surprise you and make you reflect. It echoed with me still days after I watched it.

I really liked this movie. It was not the best movie I have ever seen, but it did move me more than any movie has in a long time. The acting was for the most part very good, especially on the part of Lance Henrickson. When is he ever bad?

I have read some negative comments,but it seems obvious the author of those comments weren't really paying attention to, nor did they watch all of, this movie. They would have found the answers they were looking for if they had.

It's the kind of movie that makes you think. It makes you wonder if the secrets you hold inside are preventing you from enjoying life the way you should. It also makes you wonder if the people in your life who seem so closed off emotionally are only afraid of revealing their own secrets.

This film had a great premise, and it just goes to show you that an idea IS NOT EVERYTHING.

I don't know if the script was good and they killed it, but from what I watched, NOTHING MADE ANY SENSE.

Instead of setting it up in a believable way, we never find out who the people are or how they connect. Then instead of starting off in a normal way and then saying, oh by the way, you know that little story I told you, well I did the same to you, they just some how guess that they have been poisned. Joke about it for 10 minutes and barely react when they find out it is true.

If your friend told you they just poisoned you, first thing you do, is KICK THE SH%% T OUT OF THEM. Second, you ask, WHY. And third, TRY TO FIND THE CURE. I don't think anyone did any of these things in the movie.

This movie made me sick it was so bad.

(2001) The Invitation THRILLER

Shoe-string, low budget straight to rental film co-produced, co-written and directed by Pat Bermel starring Lance Henrickson as he plays Roland Levy, inviting a group of old friends (more like six people) to a secluded island for the intention is so he can poisoning them in exchange for information (revealing of some dark secrets) for the antidote!. Satisfying ending, and exceptional acting by cast because the budget is sometimes appear to be quite evident, like from a hand held camcorder for instance. Except that I didn't care too much about some of it's revelations.

I don't write reviews much, but felt the need to with this one. I loved everything about this movie. The acting and cinematography were well above average. I also think it had a great message. Just don't go into this thinking of it as a typical horror movie. This doesn't have the monsters and jump scares. The "horror" is much more on a psychological and spiritual level.

Hello, I would like to know the end of the movie music title. It is played by Michael Richard Plowman and it is harp. Thank yoy