Sightlines · reception

How The Invitation was received

2016 · Karyn Kusama · The Invitation on Sightlines

The arc

It premiered at SXSW in 2015 and got strong reviews but barely registered in theaters. It found its audience on streaming, and it's now treated as a modern slow-burn horror staple and the film that brought Karyn Kusama back after the Æon Flux and Jennifer's Body years.

What’s debated

Fans argue over whether the long, simmering middle stretch is masterful tension or a test of patience, and over whether Will is a reliable lens or just a man drowning in grief.

Its footprint

It's a fixture of 'dinner party from hell' lists. It also comes up whenever someone wants to describe that skin-crawling feeling that the hosts are being just a little too nice.

Where it stands

A word-of-mouth cult favorite, the slow-burn pick that horror fans press on their friends, and a strong case for Kusama as one of the genre's best directors.

Did you know? The script is by Phil Hay, Kusama's husband, and his longtime writing partner Matt Manfredi. The two had been trying to get it made for years before it was produced.