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It's been fifteen years since that fateful day on the ball field. A tighter group of friends, you could never hope to find, but they were one short that day, and it was time to find a replacement. As luck would have it, the only available player was that creepy, fat kid that everyone always picked on...but the teasing wasn't just mean spirited; this kid was a little weird! Following people around and always hovering just outside of any social circle. But a player is a player when you want to play some baseball, and after all, they had no idea what would happen! A long fly ball carried up and over the outfield fence, right behind fatty's chunk of field. I suppose it was hustle, but it just looked hilarious to see him lumbering to the chain link and then attempting to get his girth up and over. But man, once he cleared that obstacle his focus was all about that ball. He chased it right out of the field and across that road without even a second thought...too bad he didn't see the truck coming...of course, the kids were a little too busy laughing at the fat kid to warn him of the danger... That was then...and this is now. The group has grown apart a little more than any one of them ever thought possible. Some are in relationships, some have lost almost all touch, some are professionals now, and some are simply getting by. But there is one thing that they all have in common; they have just received an invitation to a secluded, lakeside inn. Part reunion, part "big announcement", the invitations are fairly unremarkable except for the extremely unusual and unsettling manner in which they were delivered... But weird or not, no one is going to keep so many best friends from seeing each other, and soon they are all on their way. Upon arriving, there is a whole lot of catching up going on; plenty of girl-talk, plenty of beer drinking and plenty of creepy, old caretaker action. But when a crazy old lady, fresh from her nearby abode, comes calling with messages of doom and gloom, things get sour in a hurry. She has the whole speech down...you all have to leave before it's too late, people check in but don't check out, and some stuff about "them" being here. Scary stuff, but the friends ain't buying it. Too bad...they should have listened! Friend's to the end, but for some of them the end is NOW. As one by one people start to go missing, the secluded lodge becomes a house of delusional terror. People are in two places at the same time, objects are moving by themselves, and nightmares are terrorizing their sleep. Is this all some elaborate hoax, or is there some more sinister power at work here, and if so, for what reasons? First, let me tell you that this is not some elaborately produced masterpiece - cause it's not! This is definitely a digital camcorder film, with a lot of very green acting talent (just about every single actor here is a first timer) and film-fan gore moments. But, the real pleasure here is that you forget about all of that while watching and cease to care that you are not being "treated" to some plush Hollywood offering. Thank God. I can't tell you how pleasurable it is to see some low budget, independent horror that doesn't have anything to do with fricking vampires (it is too bad that those bastards are immortal, cause they need to DIE already) or maniacal stalkers with a trademark mask and choice of unusual weapon. I can't take anymore killer clowns or bloodsucking undead...I just can't. But, a good old fashioned ghost story really hits the spot. With a good sense of scare and an ability to set up tense situations, director Jeff Burton has proven with this film that his career as a genre director is assured. Another with a future that is looking very bright is actress Johanna Lixey, who turns in a 10 performance of material that warrants a 6 at best. Her character has the most written into it, and she manages to juggle all of the subtle nuances with finesse and quite frankly makes a few of the others look a little stupid in the process. This film was assembled and acted nearly entirely by MSU students/graduates, including the MSU film professor Bill Vincent (Evil Dead and Army Of Darkness shemp extraordinaire), which means that they are putting something in the water out there. But whatever it is, Lixey got herself a few extra glasses of it! If it is for the gore that you are still reading, than you won't be too disappointed. There are some great scenes, but each and every one of them is immediately recognizable from some other genre greats. Whether it is a decapitation with an ax or a lawnmower running over the head of a buried victim, these are not NEW deaths. However, the effects are fairly bold for a ghost story, and while they may not have the technical mastery of Tom Savini, these are surely the makings of a future effects wizard. Even the score here is a little beyond what I would expect from a movie of this budget. Usually you get some synth and bass masterwork that is only one chk-a-bum-bow from being a porno soundtrack, but for The Invitation some very deliberate thought was put into the creepiness of the music. While the technical level of the work is sophomoric at best, the end result is startlingly effective. The eerie synth lines add quite a bit to the fact that the visuals are very video in appearance; a sort of way to take the audience's mind off that fact. So, in just about every way, The Invitation surpassed what I would have expected, and I found it to be a very pleasing experience indeed. There are those of you who simply cannot watch low-budget pictures and demand the gloss of Hollywood and the names and talent that large salaries can bring, but for the rest of you who are willing to give a chance to smaller films and have an open mind, The Invitation could be a great way to pass an evening or two. Given this film and the similarly overachieving Vengeance Of The Dead, I would have to say that the ghost story may well be the future for independent filmmakers... Whatever gets rid of the damn vampire films... - aaron -
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