Invitation Only

Director - Kevin Ko (Incantation, Doomsday Reverse)

Starring - Ray Chang (When Geek Meets Serial Killer, Tomb Mystery), Julianne Chu (The Ghost Tales, 100 Days), and Maria Ozawa (Geisha of Death, Erotibot)

Release Date -2009

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "A party to die for"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I respect the hell out Stephen Biro and Unearthed Films but I’ve never been a hardcore fan. Biro and company has released some seriously important indie and extreme horror films over the years and his focus on Cat III releases in recent years really impressed me. However, there is several Unearthed Film releases that just didn’t work for me. By now, most of you know that I’m not a fan extreme horror that trades story for gore and shock value. I love gore but it needs to fit the story so when a movie consists of someone tied to a chair and tortured with nothing else going on I often find myself uninterested. Luckily, not all of Unearthed releases are like this. Recently, they released Invitation Only. This 2009 Taiwanese horror film is one I had never heard about until Unearthed announced it’s release. I reached out to MVD, who was handling the physical release, and they were kind enough to send a copy my way. Like always, I want to thank Unearthed Films and MVD for supporting Horror Society and myself. 

      The film follows Wade who is the driver for a wealthy man who is president of a huge corporation. After he finds him sleeping with a model, he is offered an invitation to a party for the upper class in hopes of keeping him from telling others. He accepts the invitation and attends the exclusive party where he is given $20 million from his employer to have some spending money. However, he finds himself with a handful of other first time invites when things go south. They soon learn they are not who they say they are, and the party is a front for the wealthy to torture and kill people. 

      I went into Invitation Only completely blind aside from the preconceived notions I had in my head based on the title alone. I’m glad I didn’t dig too deep into this one because I absolutely loved being blindsided by the story, the gore, and the acting. This is easily one of my favorite Unearthed Films’ releases and it has revitalized my love for the company. The acting in this one is very well done. I liked the wide array of characters and how natural the cast was in front of the camera. The female cast carry their own and are extremely gorgeous. Their experience in front of the camera also shows that they are more than just eye candy. They help carry the film and deliver some seriously underrated final girl performances. The male lead and his employer is the heart of the film and their chemistry together is what makes this film as enjoyable as it is. Their personalities are opposites and they bring a wide range of emotions to the cat and mouse chase during the last leg of the film. This is some fantastic casting. The story for this one is not that original, but I really did like the approach to it. We’ve seen dozens of films over the years following people invited to parties or other events only to discover that it is some sort of sick and twisted game put on annually by the locals, elite, corporations, and so on. Ones that instantly come to mind are the films Murder Party and Surviving the Game. I can name many more but the point stands that this is not a story we have seen before but Invitation Only makes it their own by putting their own spin on it. It works and you find yourself wanting more. It has great tension, locations, and the deaths set it apart from many other films with similar stories. Finally, the kills in this one are fucking relentless. The film does not shy away from the blood and the practical effects we are given are damn near perfect. I’m sure if you paused the scene you could find something wrong with them but from just watching the film, twice in my case, they are fucking phenomenal. The deaths are nothing we haven’t seen before but the amount of hate and brutality in the scene makes them stand out. Overall, Invitation Only is a fucking must see for genre fans. I’m sure the hardcore Unearthed fans have seen more extreme horror that packs a harder punch but for those of us that enjoy stories and blood will truly appreciate this one. Check it out.