Upcoming film 'The Invitation' is horror told from a female perspective — director
The month of August sure has a lot of films to keep us awake at night.
Aside from the prequel of 2009's Orphan as well as acclaimed filmmaker Jordan Peele's Nope, The Invitation is another horror film that is soon to hit theaters this August.
The Invitation is focusing its narrative on horror told from a female perspective. It follows a struggling New York-based artist named Evie who, after the death of her mother, takes a DNA test to find out if she has other living relatives. To her surprise, she discovers that she had a long-lost cousin she never knew she had.
Invited by her newfound family to a lavish marriage ceremony in the English countryside, she is then enticed by the sexy aristocrat host. However, as the dark intentions of Evie's extended family are revealed and Evie uncovers the twisted secrets, what was supposed to be a glamorous wedding turns into a night of terror.
The Invitation is helmed by Australian filmmaker Jessica Thompson, who is known for directing the 2017 drama film The Light of the Moon. Moving forward from drama, Thompson said that she always wanted to do a horror film because the genre was close to her heart.
"I grew up on horror, on thrillers. They are sacred to me. I always wanted to make a horror movie told from a female perspective," Thompson said.
She shared that one of the more challenging scenes of the film to do was during the rehearsal dinner.
"It starts off as a beautiful, sumptuous ball, and then halfway through, the penny drops. In that sense, it was like making two scenes in one: the beauty is covering a nightmare boiling under the surface. All of the decadent food is actually rotting and melting and dripping, the incredible chandelier is actually made of antlers and skulls," Thompson explained.
She added, "Among the characters, there’s so much to capture: Evie’s emotion, as she’s realizing the true horror of what’s happening to her, so many looks from the guests, so many nuanced beats. It was a three-day shoot to get it all – so that was the hardest scene but also the most rewarding one, because I think it’s one of the best scenes in the film."
The Invitation stars Nathalie Emmanuel, Thomas Doherty, Stephanie Corneliussen, Alana Boden, Courtney Taylor, Hugh Skinner, and Sean Pertwee.
It is set to premiere in cinemas across the Philippines on Aug. 24.
Watch the trailer here: