COLLECTOR'S CRYPT - INVITATION ONLY (UNEARTHED FILMS BLU RAY)
Originality is a hard thing to come by in any genre, and horror is not spared from this in any regard. While some critics may bemoan the lack of originality in horror, that doesn’t mean that imitation is such a bad thing. Much like food, just because someone cooks something one way doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the same thing cooked differently. Horror has plenty of sub-genres where originality or lack thereof is more apparent. Slashers, zombie films, found footage, and more recently the arthouse/a24 style of psychological horror. All of these sub-genres have a wealth of films that all may look, sound, and follow similar story beats to others, but that doesn’t make them bad. Take THE OUTWATERS for example. A clear homage to THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, but with its own unique signature. Same for the popularity of THE LAST OF US. Sure, they aren’t zombies they are “infected”, but we don’t show up for them all the time, it’s the characters and the story that drives our interest even though the plot is something done time and time again. This takes us to Taiwan for UNEARTHED FILM's newest release on BLU RAY, INVITATION ONLY from Director ANTHONY KO. This 2009 film bills itself as the first “Taiwanese Slasher”, and we check out whether to RSVP “Yes” or “No” to add this to your collection!
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Wade Chen, who works for a rich and powerful CEO, Mr. Yang, accidentally sees his boss having sex with supermodel Dana. His boss rewards him by sending him to an exclusive party with company money. Wade's evening at the party includes receiving a new car, dancing, gambling, and frolicking with the boss's mistress Dana. However, leaving the party is a problem, and a masked slasher systematically hunts down and slaughters the guests.
HOW IS IT?
UNEARTHED FILMS are notorious for their more extreme nature, and if 2022’s THE SADNESS showed us anything it’s that the Taiwanese are not messing around when it comes to extreme violence. To that end, INVITATION ONLY won’t disappoint. In the long and varied tradition of previous releases, INVITATION ONLY offers up a gruesome neo-slasher that is as many parts HOSTEL as it is HALLOWEEN, but more of the former than the latter. While it sports impressive practical effects and some slick production design, it is ultimately nothing most viewers haven’t seen before. Adding in a half-baked social commentary that is hard to decipher, enjoyment will vary, but those who fancy themselves gorehounds and loyalty-label followers are sure to enjoy this bloody romp.
Let’s start with what works with INVITATION ONLY. Even though it is clearly riffing on a road-tested formula, there is a late-night slickness to INVITATION ONLY that gives it a kind of softcore sense of class. That’s apparent from the very start we are tantalized by women salaciously dancing with one another with the male gaze aimed directly at arousing the male crotch. This late-night feel is pulpy and entertaining, even when the story is downright absurd, and the stylish production carries a lot of the weight as things ramp up towards the middle. The kills come relatively often throughout the film, so much so it becomes a bit formulaic, but that helps to keep the pacing with some scenes in particular really vying to make you squirm. It’s overly mean and spiteful, with little to no explanation aside from “hate”, so if that kind of mean-spiritedness isn’t your bag this isn’t the film to convince you otherwise. The practical effects really are the star here, and the acting is as good as you could expect for those who have the displeasure of dying and/or getting tortured in the film. That alone may be worth the price of admission for some who prefer more stomach-churning slashers that aren’t CGI’ed to death.
In spite of the impressive practical effects, INVITATION ONLY doesn’t really do a whole lot new or even different enough than similar films to stand out. The premise is absurd for the jump, and there is a point where Wade is seemingly winning every.single.game of roulette he is playing. While this is certainly possible with the kind of money he’s throwing around, it just comes off as artificial and senseless in the end. Moving the setup aside, the motivations at the heart of the killings are kind of hard to read. It sends a mixed signal about class, and the reasons why one of the characters has such a disdain for those beneath them are outrageously broad to the point of being silly. Maybe that’s the point, but it detracts from the film's attempt at genuine brutality. There are some fun examples of excess, like the exotic car chase scene which looks great, but it also feels out of place. It’s conflicting, which is why I can’t outright say that INVITATION ONLY isn’t worth your time, it just depends on your threshold for absurdity and excess that is as vapid as the people it’s claiming to critique. And it’s still a lot of fun throughout.
HOW DOES IT LOOK?
UNEARTHED FILMS present INVITATION ONLY in 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio in full 1080p. Given the relative recency of the film’s release within the past 15 years, there isn’t much cleanup required for something like this. The production value shines through in the neon-lit and smoky club scenes just as much as the dark crimson reds and charcoal grey do in the more tortuous scenes. Images from INVITATION ONLY are used throughout this review and also below:
HOW DOES IT SOUND?
The film is mostly in Mandarin so UNEARTHED FILMS has provided an English subtitle track to go alongside a Spanish Language audio track. The Mandarin audio track is offered in 5.1 DTS-HD surround sound alongside a 2.0 PCM Stereo track. I listened to the 5.1 for this review and it actually gave all my speakers a nice workout! It’s not often that we get full 5.1 releases and sometimes they are mostly just window-dressing. Here, the music in the club scenes is quite immersive and the curdling screams are just as piercing in the back as they are in the front channels.
ANYTHING SPECIAL?
Not much in the way of special features on this release, however, there is a jam-packed 6-minute behind-the-scenes featurette that is surprisingly thorough despite its short runtime. It feels almost promotional, but you get a smattering of cast and crew soundbites and interviews talking about production, script, and story, as well as marketing. The full list of additional features is listed below:
BONUS MATERIALS
Making of
Trailers
LAST RITES
INVITATION ONLY may be the first Taiwanese Slasher, but those familiar with the genre may not find much new going on here. Nevertheless, it’s a worthwhile gorefest that has a slick and sleazy late-night feel that should attract fans of the more sultry and violent side of exploitation cinema.
THE GORY DETAILS
Thank you to the fine fiends at MVD ENTERTAINMENT for providing a review copy of INVITATION ONLY for the crypt. INVITATION ONLY is available NOW via MVD DIRECT!
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