{Blu-ray Review} The Invitation From Second Sight Films

Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation rocked my world when I caught it on Netflix just over a year ago. A treatise on grief while also an examination of the connection between MLM’s and cults was almost a perfect horror movie for me. Couple that with a twist ending and I was convinced of its brilliance and have spent the last year singing its praises. Enter Second Sight Film’s who has been producing some special Blu-ray’s which bring a ton of special features to all kinds of genre movies and I needed to check out their new release of The Invitation.  So much so I went out and bought a region free Blu-ray player. Bring on the foreign imports.

The Invitation is a slow burn of a film.  It also is an important film to rewatch as once the ending has been spoiled you can watch it with a vigor and attention to detail that makes the experience fundamentally different. That is what made the movie such a perfect release for Second Sight Films’. Now fans of the movie can reconnect with the film and dive deeper into the decisions that everyone made in the film. 

The first detail of note with this Blu-ray release is the shear quantity of extra features. The commentary track alone is worth the buy. Writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi add insight into almost every character and spend a pretty good amount of time discussing the accident that happens before the movie ever starts. Its these insights that make commentary tracks so valuable. The triggering incident was one of the hooks that made me personally invested in the film and it only reinforces how much I liked it. Director Karyn Kusama’s has a brilliant eye for capturing damaged people. Destroyer, while hardly a perfect movie uses Nicole Kidman’s range brilliantly to that effect. In many way The Invitation feels like it shares themes with Destroyer and as Kusama discusses her directorial choices its pretty clear how the two movies differed but mostly how the themes of both share creative space.

Karyn Kusama is quickly emerging as a directorial powerhouse and the never before released interview with her doesn’t exactly dig deep for answers but offers up some interesting insights into what she is doing. It is important to note that she has also directed a handful of episodes of the underated Amazon show Man in the High Castle. There are a number of other interviews which have been compiled specifically for this release including with producers and writers.  Coupled with the commentary track they help make the tapestry of the movie even more rich. The entire Blu is a most have for fans of the movie, fans of Kusama, or fans of smarter genre programming. 

The Blu-ray is out now and if The Invitation is any indication of what is to follow we should be eager to see what Second Sight produces next. There next movie set for release will be upgrade which gets the same treatment. I am eager to check it out. The details of The Invitation and full press release are below.

From acclaimed director Karyn Kusama (Girl Fight, Jennifer’s Body, Destroyer) comes taut psychological thriller The Invitation, which premiered to great acclaim at London Film Festival and now gets a Blu-ray release from Second Sight on 4 November 2019. 

Reluctantly accepting a dinner party invitation from his ex-wife Eden (Tammy Blanchard – Into the Woods) at the house they once shared, Will (Logan Marshall-Green – Spider-Man: Homecoming, Prometheus) and his new partner Kira (Emayatzy Corinealdi – Roots, Ballers) gather with old friends to toast new beginnings. 

But Will and his ex-wife share a tragic past, and as paranoia mounts and tensions build, he begins to wonder what is real and what is imagined. As the claustrophobic evening grows increasingly sinister, Will starts to realise the lives of everyone he loves might be in danger…will they make it through the night? 

The gathering is also attended by John Carroll Lynch (Fargo, American Horror Story), Michelle Krusiec (Hawaii 5-0), Lindsay Burge (Her Smell, Frances Ha) and Mike Doyle (Jersey Boys, Green Lantern), while long-time collaborators of Kusama’s, Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi (The Boys, Clash of the Titans) pen the electric script. 

Get your RSVPs in now for The Invitation, but be warned: it’ll be a night to remember until the day you die… 

SPECIAL FEATURES 

• Commentary with director Karyn Kusama and Writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi 

• Making of The Invitation 

• Going Back Home – a new interview with director Karyn Kusama 

• There Is Nothing to Be Afraid Of – a new interview with producer Nick Spicer 

• Tonight’s the Night – a new interview with writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi 

• Playing Sadie – a new interview with actor Lindsay Burge 

• English subtitles for the hard of hearing 

Title: The Invitation Blu-ray Release Date: 4 November 2019 Cat.No.: 2NDBR4102 Cert: 15 Running Time: 100 mins 

Check out Second Sight Films’ new website for new release info and for consumers to buy direct at: www.secondsightfilms.co.uk