286: The Invitation (2015)

SPEAKER_01 0:04

I am out of that fucking house, and if you don't let me out the front door, I'm hopping over the back fence, I'm scaling the Hollywood Hills all the way down back to the valley. I'll fight some fucking rattlesnakes and coyotes on the way down. Go fuck yourself, no way.

SPEAKER_04 0:21

Greetings and salutations, and welcome to Hackerslash. If you're joining us again, welcome back. Tonight, I feel loved. If this is your first time listening, welcome to the party. We are a horror movie review podcast dedicated to telling you whether a movie is a hack.

SPEAKER_01 0:36

A total joke? A waste of time?

SPEAKER_04 0:38

Or a slash.

SPEAKER_01 0:39

Totally killer. Unintended.

SPEAKER_04 0:41

We believe horror is for everyone, and as such, we're rating these movies for the perspective we've gained from our varying walks of life and the flavors of fear we fancy most. My name is Chris, I'm your friendly neighborhood slasher enthusiast. This week I'm joined by the Superfly Space Guy Mac.

SPEAKER_02 0:55

A lot of people think we're crazy, but I doubt they're as happy as we are.

SPEAKER_04 0:58

The classic horror connoisseur Sean. So you're shitting out your pain. And the paranormal paramour, Binx. This thing is so thick. The people have spoken and our patrons have decided which movie we're covering this week. Before we get down to business, though, we have some follow-up.

SPEAKER_02 1:15

Let's follow up on a season. We're talking about the spooky preseason and the spooky season. So we're winding down the spooky preseason, heading into our official spooky season and our new blood drive. So we've got some stuff to expect from that new blood drive. Double stuffed Oreos, just getting double, double stuffed lineup, though. So nine weeks of early films with new episodes and 24 episodes in October.

SPEAKER_01 1:41

That is insane.

SPEAKER_04 1:42

Yes. Okay, so 24 episodes total, like between September and October. But man, it is outrageous to me because I did the math as I was like putting in these notes, Mac. That's six months worth of episodes. I whoa. Wow, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:58

Did you have to quit your job to do the editing?

SPEAKER_04 2:00

Thankfully, I'm still gainfully employed for that.

SPEAKER_01 2:03

Hey, that's a lot of great content for people to be listening to.

SPEAKER_04 2:07

And thank you all for sticking with it. This was a big time and the biggest spooky season we've ever done, and it's both of your first full spooky season. A little round of applause to y'all. Snaps to you.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

I'm excited. It's a good season, some good conversations too.

SPEAKER_02 2:21

Hit your tits and puck crap because there's more coming your way. All right, so we've got community events. Two Halloween franchise trivia nights, of course, hosted by our resident historian, Nathan, with grand prizes. So of course, check out the Discord's events tab to keep tabs on that.

SPEAKER_04 2:38

Listen, if I could have a burner account, put on a mustache, wear a fedora, and pretend to be someone else, I would participate in this fucking Halloween trivia and dominate because these prizes that Nathan has picked out, I am envious of. I'm low-key wondering why I don't personally own them.

SPEAKER_00 2:55

No, I'm so pumped. His trivies are always so fun, too. So it's gonna be real good.

SPEAKER_04 3:01

To pregame, I've been doing more than my usual annual watch of the franchise, and I've been watching it with Nathan as he's picking up the trivia questions. Man, we got through Halloween resurrection the other day. Nice. And my heart is just so full.

SPEAKER_01 3:15

Wow. Sure. Oh, that sounds like it's gonna be a lot of fun for sure.

SPEAKER_04 3:18

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 3:18

The fun doesn't stop there though. If you're a patron, you know about our B sides, but guess what? If you're not a patron, you get right now coming up, you're getting our free sides. So you get to enjoy our little post-episode bonus. So we've got some stuff in there like pregame chats, some bloopers, uh tangents that we go on that normally you would only get with our premium tier, and of course, sometimes a little bit of after dark material as well.

SPEAKER_03 3:42

Ain't that the truth?

SPEAKER_02 3:43

That's right. Now, happy birthday, not to you, to us, though. So, new members signing up for our premium tier between the first of September and October 31st, and sticking around, they're gonna get a special little poster.

SPEAKER_04 3:56

Yeah, it's always such fun art. Yeah, it's gonna be good. And we're also gonna have a special little version for those who are attending the next event that Mac's gonna discuss.

SPEAKER_02 4:05

Okay, because this is the real stuff here. This is our first ever live meetup. It is my first time live meeting Sean and Binks.

SPEAKER_01 4:12

Oh, yeah. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 4:13

So that's gonna be pretty cool. Like sparkles will happen in the air. It's gonna be amazing, but it's gonna be Friday the 13th of October.

SPEAKER_04 4:20

I've already ordered the sparklers. It's gonna be great.

SPEAKER_00 4:23

It's gonna be amazing. I'm gonna be so obnoxious. Can't wait. Mac's gonna be like, oh God, get away from me.

SPEAKER_02 4:30

We do have a plan though, because basically when I meet you, I'm gonna we're gonna do a little group hug and we're gonna play Wind Beneath my wings. Just be prepared. Okay. So Friday the 13th, Friday 13th of October, Orlando, Florida, live recording, mixer, Halloween horror nights, and our beautiful faces. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 4:46

What a time.

SPEAKER_04 4:47

I'm so excited. It's starting to feel more and more real, like it's been real this whole time.

SPEAKER_01 4:51

It's getting close.

SPEAKER_04 4:52

Yeah, we have a channel now in our Discord server where everyone's kind of congregating and discussing the plants and like making little groups for Halloween horror nights and stuff. It is to die for. I'm just so stoked. And can I have a little sentimental moment with you, real quick? Absolutely, of course. So I'm thinking about in 2017, right, when we started the show, before we had any like real idea of like what it could be, if it was gonna last, and I wrote down our ultimate goal is to foster an environment in which conversations about horror movies serve as a catalyst for enriching connections between people. And now it's actually happening. And it was wild because as the 2023 meetup channel was popping off, I was like reflecting back on my notes and I was like, damn, man, we really did this. That's so cool.

SPEAKER_02 5:33

That's awesome. It is really cool. Well, if that has you as about as amped up as like a cocaine bear, check our show notes. Check the link down our show notes, learn a little bit more about our spooky season. We'd also like to say welcome, thank you, hope to see you soon to our new patron, Dylan. Thank you for joining the Hackerslash family. And take your coat off, put it in the closet, sit down, have a biscotti, have some coffee.

SPEAKER_01 5:54

Ooh, biscotti and coffee. That sounds nice. Welcome, Dylan. Enjoy that coffee.

SPEAKER_04 5:58

Yeah, absolutely, Dylan.

SPEAKER_02 6:00

And that's our follow-up.

SPEAKER_04 6:01

This week we're diving into a film that brings the nightmare of anxiety to its central focus. And the film follows an unassuming dinner party meant to bridge the gap between old acquaintances and new friends. The setting is surprisingly ordinary, but the assortment of guests results in a dynamic that uncovers past traumas, unhealed wounds, and simmering undercurrents of tension. This week, after winning 54% of the overall patron vote, we're talking about The Invitation from 2015.

SPEAKER_00 6:29

This movie was nominated by our patron Alyssa, who says The Invitation is a film from the same director as Jennifer's Body, and it is just as incredible, but in a different way. I love that slow burn and tense atmosphere that is interwoven with themes of trauma and loss. Also, I'm a sucker for something that we can't say because it's spoilers. So this one is 100% a slash that I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on.

SPEAKER_04 6:52

Well, Alyssa, I know you're in the live chat right now, and I can't wait for you to hear these thoughts on it, so let's get started. Who's seen this one before?

SPEAKER_01 6:58

Oh man, I can tell you I saw this when it first came out. It's a long time ago now, but only remembered bits and pieces of this film. And now that we have two different films, it gets a little confusing. I remember even texting you, Chris. I'm like, am I watching the right film? Is this the right one?

SPEAKER_04 7:15

You sure did. And can I tell you that maybe this is your Virgo qualities? I love that you asked. I asked, I love that you wanted to confirm.

SPEAKER_00 7:22

Always prepared. I've seen this movie, but also kind of mm, maybe around the time that it came out. So it's been a long, long time, and I faintly remember some things from this movie, but not entirely. I know that I couldn't have confused it though, because the other invitation was more recent and I saw it in theaters by myself, and the vibes are very different. Entirely two different movies. But nonetheless, an easy mix-up with the name.

SPEAKER_02 7:47

It could have been an easy mix-up, and I looked at the year, I was like, okay, I'm pretty confident that I'm gonna watch that movie. So I didn't watch both. I took a gamble there and just watched the one, but I had literally not even heard of this movie until we chose to cover it and didn't look up anything about it either.

SPEAKER_04 8:02

Ooh, fascinating. I know that I watched this before. I distinctly remember it, and I distinctly remember not feeling great about it when I first watched it. But then I remembered later that there was the possibility it was because I watched it with an ex who absolutely sucked the joy out of watching movies together. So I went into this really hoping to see a better side of it. Granted, I think it's one of those where you can't watch it the same way twice. And I think that it's not that it there's so much of a big surprise that happens, so much as it's you get a very specific kind of release watching this movie. And so when you know that's happening, what is it like when you go at it again? You know what I mean? So that was a question mark for me. But I went in with a lot of optimism that I'd be able to enjoy it more this time around.

SPEAKER_01 8:49

I mean, I think that's cool. I if you remember the movie, I didn't remember much of the movie, much like you, Bink. So so I almost went into this one with a fresh palette, right? Like I didn't have any real expectations other than I I did read the synopsis and all of that. I was really expecting this one to really be very cerebral, right? Psychological horror for sure, the kind of horror that just lives in your mind and simmers for a while. That's what I was really expecting out of this one, but no real expectations, good or bad, remembering previously, because now that I've watched it, you're right. You wouldn't be able to watch this one the same way twice.

SPEAKER_00 9:26

For me, it's it was definitely a fresh take. The thing is that the only part that I remembered of this movie was the ending. So I guess there was kind of that sad aspect of it, but I didn't remember exactly how we got there. So I was expecting to just see this movie as if it was a new watch. It's just that I was spoiled the ending to some extent in terms of what it looked like cinematically, not necessarily like what the plot was or anything. So I just figured, you know, it's been some time. I've watched so many movies, I've had to like review so many at this point, and you just get the critical thinking skills going a lot more. So I was like, all right, maybe this will be like a new watch, new perspectives. What am I gonna grab from this movie so that it actually like sticks to me versus my first watch in which I didn't remember much? So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:12

I had I had no idea what to expect. I was like the feeling I got from the name alone was giving me like the perfect host with David Hyde Pierce, maybe just based on the title of the film. But I had no idea what was gonna happen story-wise or who was gonna be in it, and I think that really set me up well. Oh, yeah, I can imagine.

SPEAKER_04 10:30

I'm glad that you had some optimism going into it, at least that you went into this with the potential of giving it like a very fair shot. Man, watching this again, it was such a different experience. But I think it's because I allowed myself to feel more things, right? There's context that we get about who these characters are in the very beginning. And I didn't realize, I think, how much I appreciated that context the first time around. I think it sets it up. You just take it for what it is, but it's actually really well curated and crafted in that moment. And I found that a lot of the things that I felt were secondhand cringe, like a special level of embarrassment that you would never really want to experience, IRL, and I still manage to feel that from a fucking movie. So I think this movie, this time around, despite knowing exactly what happens, I think I felt more this time than I did last time.

SPEAKER_02 11:25

Yeah, I definitely think social discomfort and suspense are the name of the game here. And I think there's just like this slow build that leaves you so ready for a payoff at the end of the film because it is a lot of cringe from 90 minutes, and you're just amped up waiting for it to get to the thing that you hope is gonna happen.

SPEAKER_01 11:45

Yeah, I felt a lot of strange and unusual vibes from this film. I feel like you could cut through the tension in this film with a knife. The way some of these scenes, it was almost anxiety-inducing in a way. It just never let me feel truly settled or comfortable throughout its entire runtime. Though those were the feelings I was getting. I was just like nerve-wracked the entire time.

SPEAKER_00 12:06

Can I be real? I felt as I was watching this movie, the first thing that came to my mind is like orgy vibes, truthfully. Orgy vibes? Orgy vibes, like everyone's about to get down. Yeah, a good majority of like the first 15 minutes, and that was the unsettling and uncomfortable bit of it. Like I said, it was a fresh watch. And I feel like the majority of the time, yes, I agree that it was there is tension for sure, and it's uncomfortable, but it wasn't an uncomfortable feeling that I enjoy from horror. There is a certain subsect of people that I would show this movie to, and I don't want to say what that is because it would be a spoiler, but a certain group of people that I would show this movie to. I think that took over the movie entirely. Like I couldn't get it out of my head, and so it kind of just ruined it a bit. So much so that I couldn't really sink into other themes that are trying to be explored in this movie, like grief, sadness, all these other things, right? It's pretty deep stuff. It's just, I don't know, it felt like a big disappointment for me, actually, that I couldn't get into that and going into another disappointment. I couldn't really sink my teeth into it. And a big part of that is because of the characters almost. It came off like I just didn't understand how they like really connected or knew each other or cared. Their timelines seemed a little strange. Like just overall, something just wasn't making sense to me. And I couldn't find myself being in in their shoes with me being a person that has friends for years. And like I've had friends that I've known for more than half of my life, and I feel like that should have helped me get into the mood more. It did not. Yeah, it was just disappointing.

SPEAKER_04 13:50

I think it's really interesting that you can relate it as someone who has those lifelong experiences with friendships. I found going into this, I almost look like a very different approach. And obviously, our main character knows these people, right? I think the way that you experience this movie, you don't experience it from the way that I think I took it because I almost treated it as if I was a different character who has no connection and is along for the ride, and you're being introduced to these people. And that is something where I literally wrote in my notes. I hate the introduction of people without the context of who they are to you. Don't just say, what up? This is Sean. Oh hey, it's Binx. What's up, Mac? What the fuck? Who are you? How long have you been in each other's lives? What is your profession? Like, give me a give me something to work with because I just hate this like blank slate wall of what do I say next? So I think maybe it's just like my own introvertedness and my own social anxiety where I was already on edge, even knowing what happens. It's not like I'm seeing this thing for the first time, but man, it just it really did something to strike a very fight or flight feeling in me. And I think what was really interesting about this movie and what surprised me on a second watch, Barbarian really wanted you to listen to your instincts. Ultimately, that's like a lot of what the original intention going into that movie was from the creator of that film. This movie was I think a better illustration of trusting your instincts or the need to trust your instincts.

SPEAKER_01 15:30

Oh, for sure.

SPEAKER_04 15:31

That was a surprise to me.

SPEAKER_01 15:32

You both were kind of talking about what you didn't like about the feeling of these characters, and I don't know if it's uh relatable as the word, or you just didn't buy into them as like knowing each other. That's where I think if you compare it to obviously not the same movie, but Gatlop, right? I think Gatlop did a much better job introducing a group of friends that didn't or hadn't been around each other in a good number of time, but you kind of bought into them as a group of friends, and I think that was a better way of making you buy into the whole scenario or the characters. But let me tell you, I was not prepared for the long, strange trip that is this movie. I wasn't really surprised. I wouldn't say I was really surprised by anything specific throughout the runtime of the movie, because I was mainly surprised by how unrealistic this entire scenario is. But really, man, I just don't know. It like hit me like a brick. I don't know what happened, but I was not prepared for this film.

SPEAKER_02 16:31

Okay, I I want to go back to what's something that Bing said because talking about the characters, that's the thing that pleasantly surprised me. I think that we were able to really feel some good depth from our characters thanks to the acting alone. And we didn't need unnecessary exposition or hours of flashbacks. We got some here and there little bits, and to me, that was sufficient. Now, in terms of like how these people are friends, these are not the types of friends that we would have, right? These are like either really wealthy friends that are probably don't really like each other that much, but this is all they've got. But they're more like acquaintances, like they all know each other, they've been there throughout the years, and they can take stabs at each other and jest, but when they like would need to really rely on somebody, these are not the people they would truly rely on.

SPEAKER_04 17:15

Yeah, it was giving only one group, only one pair of people in this group have been shaped by trauma, and it shows based on the way they all interact with each other. Like these are for sure, Mac, you said it, these are not friends that I would have. I'm sorry, if I said something in confidence, I'm like, okay, don't fucking say this shit, and then all of a sudden some dude goes to the host and says, This person thinks they're a little lobby. Fuck you, bro. You're dead to me. Never talking to you again, ever. Yeah, no integrity.

SPEAKER_02 17:42

Yeah, and I think the the movie is really a lot about social interactions, right? And so when it comes to fear, we'll talk about the bad stuff later, of course, in the second half here, but I think the real fear comes down to a lot of the a lot of the human interactions while you're watching this, right? Because the entire thing makes you feel awkward and anxious. And so every time somebody doesn't listen to their gut, they'll show that they have good intuition, right? But they don't listen to it. That's where that anxiety increases, and that's where the suspense increases because you're like, you could have done the smart thing. You thought about doing it, nobody else around you did, and yet you still didn't do it. And that just gets like your blood boiling while you're watching this.

SPEAKER_01 18:19

Yeah, yeah, blood boiling. It's frustrating more than scary. This film is a lot of things, but frightening is not one of them.

SPEAKER_04 18:26

I would agree with that. It makes you feel things, but I wasn't scared for a second. Even the tension that I felt was more social tension versus oh my gosh, what's gonna happen next? Who's gonna go? Who will be left standing? None of that. Didn't really give a shit who was standing at the end of it, but I did cringe a lot in terms of the social interactions.

SPEAKER_00 18:46

Yeah, it was that was probably the the most painful part. And if anything, I would say the only thing that's frightening about this is that maybe like in the future, if you were to get an invite from your ex, that might scare you a little bit or you might second guess it. But that's the extent of that, I would say.

SPEAKER_01 19:03

That's a given no matter what scenario.

SPEAKER_00 19:06

But honestly, it will make you second guess certain relationships or interactions with people for sure that you have once shared so much with, obviously, like an ex. But to your point earlier, Mac, I think in terms of originality and like the story as a whole, though. So in between watches, so between the first time I've seen this movie and now, I have since then seen this movie called Speak No Evil. It's a Danish film, and this movie reminds me a bit about that film. Not to spoil it, but the only thing I'll say is what you were saying, Mac earlier, like social interactions and like dismissing your gut feeling, but in this case, like dismissing your gut for the sake of politeness, which I think is so interesting again because of the characters and the fact that they just the way that they are, and kind of not really being super close, but just enough. But aside from that, also it's got the regular tropes of grief and exploring that. It's got dinner party gone wrong, it's got all kinds of typical things that we've seen before. But I just wanted to bring up that again. I didn't want to spoil too much for speak no evil. I rarely recommend it, but I kind of definitely saw a correlation for those two.

SPEAKER_04 20:18

Okay, now I my curiosity is piqued. I think we see a lot of movies where there's some kind of tension or anxiety that exists between the characters, maybe there's levels of paranoia. And I won't say that this is the first to do that, but I will say this is the first I've seen in a long time that makes me feel as much as this one does. And let me tell you, this director also directed Jennifer's body, and she knows what the hell she's doing. Like she knows how to make a statement. And I think that in and of itself really sets itself apart, but what else really sets itself apart is this ending. I absolutely love the direction that this goes in. There is this moment where you are caught up in the story and then it finds a way to exceed your expectations. That is a really cool moment.

SPEAKER_01 21:07

I didn't care for the ending to this film really at all. It was giving the purge mixed with us, but if Charles Manson or better yet, Jim Jones wrote and directed it, I don't know. The ending for me was very predictable, and there was, I don't know, there just wasn't a lot there that really stood out to me that would make it like really great. I mean, there was a lot of slow burn buildup to this movie, and then a lot of things that happened in the third act, and then the ending, and I don't know. I don't know. For me, it just didn't land.

SPEAKER_04 21:35

I need to probably pull back hackerslash classic term, which is I really loved the end end, the actual end, not the pre end, not the preamble to the end, not the third act, not the climax, and then all the dominoes are falling into their place. But when we finally get a moment to pause and think, fuck. Yeah, that is the moment I'm referring to. That could go to end end.

SPEAKER_02 21:58

I get you. I I will agree that. The ending is somewhat predictable because I think our main character is showing you the way the entire film. And then the film itself is trying to make you either doubt him or root for him and with him. But even though it is slightly predictable, I think it's the ending that you yearn for for over 90 minutes because we have so much time spent building and just like grinding through how awkward everything is. And I think this was the ending that I hoped for the entire time.

SPEAKER_00 22:28

Yeah, I just feel like it's chaos, but a chaos that you kind of saw coming in some ways. And so I'd have to agree. I mean, with everyone, it's just it's an okay ending. It's nothing that's spectacular except for the last bit. And that is why, of course, out of the entire frickin' movie, the last bit is what stuck to me. I'll always remember this movie with that ending. And I think that's almost also why I was like, if we're reviewing the invitation, I'm pretty sure it's this one instead of the other one because of this particular ending.

SPEAKER_04 23:05

Alright, well, I'm hearing some mixed opinions here. I feel like I love this ending maybe a lot more than most of you do, but we'll see how all of this shakes out in our ratings. Now, before we get there, Sean, how would you describe the gore score?

SPEAKER_01 23:18

Well, let me tell you, the forecast for tonight's gore score is looking partly gory with some light bloodshed. You get the kills. There just isn't a lot here in terms of actual gore, so it's getting a low gore score.

SPEAKER_00 23:30

And what about the animal report? We've got another road casualty right at the start of the film. Luckily you don't see too much of it, but you hear it, and that's substantial enough to say that it's not necessarily a rock solid, safe film.

SPEAKER_04 23:44

Well, let's go ahead and get into our ratings then. The invitation from 2015? Was it a hack or slash?

SPEAKER_02 23:50

Okay, so I think the film here is really about great acting and masterful suspense. It's a character-driven flick. It makes you pay attention to subtleties like fleeting glances, momentary flashbacks, and characters staring off into the distance seemingly at nothing. It's a slow burn and deliberately, painfully, incredibly awkward, but it's effective. It isn't campy, it's not gore-infused, it's not a lighthearted pick-me-up, but it is a tot it is a totally killer grind on your nerves, and thus a slash.

SPEAKER_01 24:22

Wow. Here's the thing, I I don't think this is a bad movie, but did the good outweigh the bad in this one? Or did its many flaws overshadow the good qualities that this movie had? Like, first, let's start with the pacing. The first half of this movie is a slow burn. And when I say slow burn, it is a slow burn. The way the movie utilized the flashbacks or memories to give it some mystique just didn't sit right with me. It felt like they were trying too hard to be deep, psychological, and complex. But to me, when you take those distractions away, the film is very simple and not really complex at all. It's constant use of like strange audio paired with even stranger behavior from some of these characters felt forced and almost like they thought they were being clever on what was happening. But if you couldn't see what was happening, I really don't know what to tell you. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this type of movie, but this one is a hack for me, and it's not necessarily because it's a terrible film, but because it's just predictable, slow, and strange.

SPEAKER_00 25:25

Well shit. It had been many years since I've seen this movie, and it was pretty fresh to me for the most part. But my issue is that even though it was mostly fresh, I still anticipated just about the whole fucking movie, to be honest. And look, I know listeners are gonna be like, oh, but you've seen it and that's why. And I guys, I I promise you that this movie is predictable, regardless of it being a rewatch, like it just is. And I'm sure when I first saw this movie, I felt the same way because barely any of it stayed with me except for the final scene, which is great. And I've said that, right? Overall, it's an okay movie, and I agree with you, Sean. It's what outweighs what it's got a good message to talk about, though. I think it is lost in some pretty miserable characters, an obvious plot, but I'm gonna shock everybody because I feel like I just ran this movie to the ground. I am actually going to give this movie a soft slash though, because it wasn't entirely a waste of time, and I do enjoy what they're trying to say with the plot just enough to cross over the line. But I want to go back to, I do see why I didn't remember any of this movie. And I'm sure this will be the case years from now.

SPEAKER_04 26:35

Again, listen, if you had asked me three weeks ago, six months ago, a year ago, was this movie a hacker or slash based on memory alone? It would have been a hack. But watching this again, and maybe it's just because I'm in a different moment in my life, maybe I'm at a point where I can appreciate the pace of this movie a little bit more. I find myself completely compelled by the story and its attempts and its intentions and what we get from some of the characters. Now, do I like the characters? Absolutely not. There's like maybe one, two, three that I liked. The vast majority of them I found uncompelling, I found obnoxious, I found thinking, oh, I would never want to be in a room with you, but that's how I know it was good. Because it made me feel immersed in what my response would be socially to this kind of environment. And that is a really solid performance. And I think when I consider this movie and I'm thinking about how the ending strikes me, or I'm thinking about how the grief narrative strikes me with being able to make me feel something, but not make me feel so much that it distracts me from the rest of the movie, I'm left with this realization that what this movie actually does is it turns the tables on gaslighting, on paranoia, on social anxiety, and how many times do we see women in these scenarios, and how many times does it work out the way that it does in this movie? Which is an interesting point. This movie is 100% a slash because fuck, it's satisfying. Now, with that, the invitation from 2015 has earned three slashes in one hack. Now, you can find this movie streaming online, so if you're listening to this currently, you can check the link in our show notes to find where you can see it right now. Then join us in the second half so we can unpack that ending together. See you in a bit.

SPEAKER_02 28:35

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SPEAKER_04 30:12

Welcome back, folks. You're now entering the spoiler zone for the invitation, which has so far earned three slashes and one hack. Now we certainly have a lot to unpack here, but before we get into the specifics of our ratings, Sean, let's go through those kills.

SPEAKER_01 30:25

Man, we've got a total of eight kills in this one. It really felt like everyone had their hand in this kill count too. It was really a good collective effort, if you will. So let's just dive right into it. What were your favorite kills?

SPEAKER_02 30:38

I just want to say peace out, Prue it. Peace out, Prue it.

SPEAKER_00 30:42

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 30:43

So I love a lot about that kill, but I do love that it wasn't Will that did it. And that I thought was part of the best part, right? Because that is almost too predictable. Like you mentioned predictability earlier, Sean, and like that would be the thing that you would expect to happen. The main character kills the main baddie, and in this case, he struggled. Yeah. Because he's frickin' big. So it makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 31:05

That's true.

SPEAKER_04 31:06

My favorite kill is actually of a similar vein and a similar feeling, Mac, and it is David's kill because Tommy's the one to take him out, taking him out backwards on the stairs.

SPEAKER_05 31:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 31:17

I actually really like that element of surprise. And I absolutely just was so satisfied knowing that David was no longer on this earth.

SPEAKER_00 31:25

Well, that's an understatement. I think now that you both bring that up, I just realized like the main characters essentially don't actually kill any of the main baddies per se. Because my favorite kill is actually Eden, and she she's yourself in the gut, which I thought was symbolic, obviously, because she was a mom and it was the gut, right? So maybe that wasn't even the intention. I I really tried, no, it might have been a reach, but like I thought that was pretty deep, but also practical because let's be real. Listen to your gut. Oh wow, what I didn't even realize that part. I'm being silly. I instantly thought because again, she couldn't let go of the death of her son, that literally your gut in your stomach, obviously, like the womb, right?

SPEAKER_01 32:12

Yeah, for sure. I think, man, Sadie's death probably sucked. Getting stabbed in the neck with the fireplace poker and just like sitting there bleeding out. I mean, I'm not saying it wasn't justified because she was crazy, but gotta suck to get stabbed with a fireplace poker right in the neck.

SPEAKER_02 32:28

Terrible. I'm surprised that she needed any sort of weapon to attack everyone when she apparently could just use her words. She said her voice was enough to get the job done, so that is true.

SPEAKER_01 32:40

She did say that. And she did not live up to those expectations. Can we go off the record here and say that we probably should have had a kill count of nine because we all know that Pruitt killed Claire, right? That's like a come on.

SPEAKER_04 32:52

I want to hope that Claire got to survive, if not for any other reason than the fact that Claire's often don't make it in films.

SPEAKER_01 33:00

Yeah, well, it's not looking too good based on the circumstances and the track record and everything that was going down in this house at this dinner party.

SPEAKER_00 33:08

Yeah, she got wrecked.

SPEAKER_02 33:09

I like to imagine that Pruitt walks out there and just says the most weird, uncomfortable thing to her, like whispers it to her, and she just drives away grimacing.

SPEAKER_00 33:17

Yeah. Definitely creepy.

SPEAKER_02 33:19

I am surprised though, in David's death, I really thought he was gonna say thank you and smile right as he went.

SPEAKER_00 33:25

Smug bastard. I would have enjoyed that because it would have been, again, these crazy ass people. Another off-the-record kill would be the one that you watch in the video.

SPEAKER_01 33:35

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:35

Who goes to a dinner party and thinks this is a cute video for us to watch? Cultists.

SPEAKER_01 33:40

Oh man. Yeah. Woof. Uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_04 33:43

I do have a pick for worst kill in the movie.

SPEAKER_01 33:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 33:46

And by worst kill, it actually is not even about the kill itself. It's about the aftermath of the kill. You ready for this shit?

SPEAKER_05 33:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 33:52

Talk to me. Mia can't put that kangaroo out of its misery. She leaves the kangaroo to suffer. That's not Will. Will is gonna put this coyote down. However, here's what bothers me about this. Will not only bludgeons this coyote. And poor thing, we hear the whimpering.

SPEAKER_05 34:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 34:08

We see that he drags it off the road. This motherfucker gets back in the car and he touches his face and he wipes his mouth. Yeah. He wipes his beard. He doesn't fucking wash his hands. And so well into the movie. Well into the movie. At no point does this motherfucker sanitize. That is filthy and disgusting. No.

SPEAKER_02 34:32

This is true.

SPEAKER_04 34:33

Hate it.

SPEAKER_02 34:34

It is kind of like an Urukai moment where they wipe the thing on their face. It's like a battle thing.

SPEAKER_01 34:38

Man.

SPEAKER_00 34:39

Battle score moment. Yeah. Strike number one for sure.

SPEAKER_01 34:42

That was terrible. Not the coyote dying first. That's just a horrible thing. And I don't know. The way he hammered that thing out of its misery, I didn't know whether to feel relieved or disturbed in that moment because it's like at one end, I'm like, man, okay, he's putting it out of his misery. So that's cool, but wow, the way you just went ahead and did that with a hammer was disturbing.

SPEAKER_04 35:03

Yeah, imagine taking a tire iron from your car and just like bludgeting something to death. I couldn't do it. My intention would want to be there. I don't know that I could. However, I think why I don't hate that moment is because it's apparent that he's not enjoying it. That he's like, shit, man. Like it did something for him.

SPEAKER_01 35:21

I know, but could you do that?

SPEAKER_04 35:22

No, I would for sure call animal services.

SPEAKER_01 35:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 35:25

Because if that coyote's living, then I'm gonna give him a chance to live. Yeah. Poor boy Certain, though.

SPEAKER_02 35:29

They're in LA though, so they'll probably never show up. No, that's true.

SPEAKER_00 35:33

Well, considering the circumstances of the ending, definitely not.

SPEAKER_02 35:36

A womp womp.

SPEAKER_00 35:37

I feel like it's not that he didn't enjoy it. I feel like he felt nothing, actually, when he did it. That's the feelings that I got from that whole initial moment.

SPEAKER_01 35:46

Well, that's even more disturbing.

SPEAKER_00 35:47

Yeah, that he was like so numb, so desensitized to it. He just full-on mashed that head. He got in and he just seemed like he was stressed and wiped his face.

SPEAKER_04 35:57

Yeah, I didn't get any numbness from it. I got someone who's been through some shit and has probably had to do this before. He tells Kira to get back in the car. He's like keeping her from having to see it. He does it. And then even his reaction, like he kind of looks at it for a while. And when he gets back in the car, and it's disgusting that he's doing that, but he's like wiping his face and he's trying to like recenter. I don't know. I couldn't do it.

SPEAKER_01 36:18

I mean, didn't his kid just get obliged with a bat?

SPEAKER_04 36:22

Yeah, years ago though.

SPEAKER_01 36:24

Yeah, I'm just saying. I think it would be harder to do something like that, but not years ago.

SPEAKER_00 36:29

Don't this is my problem. When you say years ago, it makes it seem like it was a long time ago. It was two years ago. Just two years ago. Everybody's acting all kinds of ways for just being two years ago. They're acting like they haven't seen each other in I don't even know, like an absolute ages or something. Guys, I mean it's already been almost a year since we joined the or at least Sean and I joined the podcast. Time flies, bro. Two years? Get out of here. What do you mean? Yeah. Very bizarre. Fair point.

SPEAKER_04 36:58

Yeah, but that's what I'm saying. It's not like it was like just yesterday and he's like paralyzed by this fear. You know what I mean? For sure. So if anything, the fact that you even bring up that his kid was bludgeoned only sells his reaction to this scenario even more for me.

SPEAKER_02 37:11

I think some things are left kind of ambiguous throughout the film on purpose with him, where you're trying to determine whether or not he's gone off the deep end. And I think it's done very deliberately as kind of a red herring. And I think this one wasn't supposed to be that way, but it works that way as well. Like you can take it, like Chris and I took it where you can tell that this dude is like grizzled, right? He's haggard and he's really struggling. And in that moment, when I saw I thought the same thing, right? That he doesn't want to have to do this. He needed a sigh. The sigh would have really sold it. And thankfully we didn't get a really loud sigh because that would be probably too cheesy. But but the other way you could take it is something's off with this dude. Yeah. And throughout the film, we get a little bit of that, right? Where it's like, wait, maybe he's the one who's off. So whether or not it was on purpose, it works that way really well.

SPEAKER_01 37:57

Yeah. Well, the movie does play off of that. I don't know if it does it super well, but it does definitely play off of showcasing what he's you're like with him primarily the whole time, right? So you you are getting you're getting steered in this direction of okay, this is what he's seeing, and then you can go with that, and then obviously a lot of times he gets proven wrong. So I think it does gear towards that. I don't know if it's executed very well by any means, but I do think you're right about the red herring and what it tries to do.

SPEAKER_02 38:27

Yeah, and and this brings me honestly to one of my favorite parts of the film, which was visually, they focused, I think, on faces really well because there's a way to do it where it's like a really bad selfie, right? Where it's like all up close, I can see their pores, and I don't know why I'm that close to somebody. But we had so many shots of him making subtle glances around or staring at things that were done so well. There were shots of David's face where he does a subtle glance over to Eden for just a quick second, right? And then glances back over that tells the viewer exactly what Will is seeing and thinking just from the shot of that person's face. And I love the way that they were able to hone in, focus in on characters, and it wasn't over the top, it wasn't like, look at this person reacting, let's be extra, right? It was just like really subtle. If you're gonna make a character-driven story, you better have a movie that knows how to light and shoot people's faces and show their emotions, and somehow they were able to do that, I think, masterfully.

SPEAKER_01 39:29

I like that you bring that up because I do think that one of the really great qualities that this film has is some of that cinematography work. It's definitely something to be admired in this film. I really enjoyed the work they did specifically at the dinner table, where the camera is going from will starting to freak out a little bit. There's flashbacks that are cutting in and out, and then you get different glimpses of things that are happening around the table, the almost hyena-like laughter from Gina and the chewing, and then the wine pouring into the glass. It was all visually very stunning, and that work, that cinematography work, was some of the best that the film had for sure.

SPEAKER_00 40:09

Yeah, because it's supposed to make you feel that uncomfortableness, that unease that we've all talked about, especially you guys in the beginning. So I think it was necessary. Definitely did the trick for me, especially that dinner scene. I was like, I cannot do this. Quite literally, maybe.

SPEAKER_02 40:25

When they got to that chewing, it was very overt. It was like predation is happening. When they showed that, it was there, there is something bad in this room right now when we see that meat like grinding in between their teeth.

SPEAKER_04 40:37

And it's so wild because the way that is shot and the way that it's stitched together, it is so over stimulating.

SPEAKER_05 40:45

Right.

SPEAKER_04 40:46

And it's so simple. This is a place where he's among friends, except for a couple fucking weirdos that just came in off the street, right? He's among people he knows, and he's also in this place as like a fortress of grief and pain for him. So you have so many conflicting things happening, but specifically the way they pace those shots. I felt so stressed on his behalf. And it's very rare that I think a movie can elicit that from me in a good way.

SPEAKER_00 41:15

You said in a illicit in a good way, and now I just want to talk about my favorite part, is the only part I remember from this movie, and it is the red lights at the very end. That is the brightest red light I've probably ever seen. So much so that through the test of time, I will always remember that scene of just darkness, the city of LA, and sparks of red lights. And you don't really see much, you just see the red lights and the sounds of the helicopters. And I'm so glad that they didn't even address that. But as a viewer, you're understanding oh, they're not the only ones. This is like a thing.

SPEAKER_04 41:53

There are 14 other houses, 14 other houses lit up with those lanterns. From what you can even see. Yeah. Who knows? I love that because in this movie we have such an interesting angle and a juxtaposition of group and groupthink and being amongst friends and being in a crowd with staggering isolation. And then you think about the landscape of the city. This is Los Angeles. They keep talking about how many people there are, right? This is the city. Oh, these people were weird, but that's just people from LA. That it is what it is. You have to expect these things, you can't be too serious about it. So to have even the isolation of Will versus his friends, Will versus his ex-wife, all of this is like an internal conflict, but then even the isolation of that house, and then to realize that the impact is so much more global, that it's so much wider, that is fucking wild. Bro, how do all these houses end up with this cult at the same time? You're just buying out property? That seems a little sus. It's the rich.

SPEAKER_01 42:59

But some of this is the part that is just not realistic for me. Like I just didn't buy into it, right? Like, I can see that the cult is happening within this dinner party, but then you try to make the cult like, I don't know, worldwide, LA wide, Hollywood Hills wide. I don't know. But as cool as maybe the visual part of it was, and maybe the message, I don't know. It just didn't feel realistic, and so I didn't buy into it. And so when we go through the entire film, it just was kind of eh, for me.

SPEAKER_00 43:32

I don't know. I I thought the opposite. Because to me, and it could be the stereotype part, right? Because it when they are in the living room talking, they mention they know people that went to the same resort that they did. So obviously they do that to kind of foreshadow the ending. I agree that what are the chances that all so many of them live in the same hill? But the way I saw it is, well, that house is nice as fuck. And like maybe obviously, you know. This resort is for like upper class people that are obviously gonna live maybe in the same town.

SPEAKER_04 44:06

You can afford to be in this cult. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:08

Right. And so it's just like maybe in that area, of course, feeding into a class system, they're all like more likely to go to that resort and therefore become cult members.

SPEAKER_04 44:19

Maybe do we think that perhaps one of these people reached out to the other after not having spoken for a few years, oh my gosh, hey, I'd love to catch up. And then all of a sudden they're present doing a little presentation on why they have to join the invitation.

SPEAKER_00 44:34

You mean a fucking MLM, Chris? Yeah. It's an MLM. Yeah. Let's call it for what it is. Absolutely. Raise your hand if you've been invited to someone's house and all of a sudden they're showing a presentation. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 44:47

Yeah, some pyramid scheme, bullshit.

SPEAKER_00 44:49

Yeah, that's exactly what that was. Spreading like wildfire.

SPEAKER_01 44:52

Nope, because I would decline.

SPEAKER_00 44:53

Except someone helped them with the sales technique because just showing somebody, someone dying, it's not really gonna convince me, bro.

SPEAKER_03 44:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 45:00

How do I get rid of pain?

SPEAKER_04 45:01

But here's the interesting thing. You just need a little bit more charisma. Because if you're a little less fucking weird about it, Eden was spitting facts when she said those emotions are useless. You know what I mean? She didn't not have a point. They speak in half-truths and they really just take it to an extreme that's just way out of pocket. I could see how someone more charismatic than David and Eden and Pruitt and Sadie could probably convince a few people.

SPEAKER_02 45:24

I think these people were a little bit too smart to fall for something like this. And even though they're going through trauma and dealing with grief and all the other stuff, right? I think they can lead them on with the most charismatic pitch. And then they're like, and then we kill ourselves. And then most people, 99.9% of people, go, Yeah, I'm out. I'm out on that one.

SPEAKER_04 45:41

This actually takes me to my favorite scene. And this is when they're playing, I want, and they're talking about the things they want. And Dave is talking about honesty. And Claire says, it doesn't feel very honest. It feels like you're trying to sell us something. And granted, there's the note of, Oh, aren't you up for 10 years? So she works in some kind of education. So clearly, she is a very rational, well-thinking individual, right? Like she's thinking critically about this whole thing while she's there to have a good time and reconnect. She's not going to be easily swayed by bullshit. And I love seeing that dynamic come into play here. We have on one hand Miguel and Tommy, who are just fucking vibing and going with the flow. We have Gina who's literally down to do Coke.

SPEAKER_01 46:24

Yeah, trying to get that Coke.

SPEAKER_04 46:25

You have Will who's suspicious of everybody, Kira who's just trying to adapt in this weird fucking room with all these weird fucking people. And then you have Claire saying, You're trying to sell me something, no thanks.

SPEAKER_05 46:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 46:36

I have boundaries, I'm not gonna cross them for you.

SPEAKER_00 46:38

I'm so glad somebody was like that, though, aside from Will, because you're gonna tell me that all of you fuckers are like the least suspicious.

SPEAKER_01 46:47

That's just yeah, strange. It is super strange.

SPEAKER_00 46:51

Which again goes to my whole thing about for the sake of politeness, they haven't seen each other in two years, and so they're all oh, down to do whatever, like ha ha hee hee, acting all cool when Eden, my girl, she's acting strange as fuck from the start. All right. If I was supposedly like best friends with someone and I hadn't seen them for two years, and I know how they left and they came back that way, cold.

SPEAKER_01 47:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 47:16

Instantly. Oh, yeah. Cult.

SPEAKER_01 47:18

Yeah. Literally, if it wasn't the video of watching somebody fucking die, and it had to have been Pruitt talking about killing his fucking wife. There's no way in hell you can talk about politeness all day long. There's no way in hell I'm gonna be polite in that scenario. I am out of that fucking house. And if you don't let me out the front door, I'm hopping over the back fence, I'm scaling the Hollywood Hills all the way down back to the valley. I'll fight some fucking rattlesnakes and coyotes on the way down. Go fuck yourself. No way. No way.

SPEAKER_00 47:50

And it's that Claire, my girl, why did you reverse and run over his friggin' feet? No way that after that kind of speech, I would let that man get to my window and try to tell me some shit. I'm out of here. That man is going to kill you too.

SPEAKER_02 48:03

That's insane. Yeah. Yeah, that was really the turning point of the okay kind of moment for the film, you know? It was like everything before this was weird. Everything after this, you know, is going to get worse immediately when we get to that story. And it wasn't because of the story, it wasn't because that this is something that happened to him and he felt remorse and he had been reformed while he was in prison or whatever it was, right? He was just like, I feel no guilt, I forgive myself, and you should too. And it was like, nah, dude, nah, not that easy.

SPEAKER_00 48:32

I will say, my favorite scene is actually it's such a brief moment, but I thought it was really sweet and sad. A moment of sadness that I actually did buy into was Will and Eden when they're like in the tub and like just it seems so happy. It seemed like they're so in love and like being silly. I thought it was really nice to see a very normal human interaction between the two of them, really see what their relationship was like to the extent that you would go to her house for this dinner party. You know what I'm saying? Like, I needed to see what it was between the two of them that made you so inclined to show up to your ex-wife's dinner party only two years after your child was brutally hit by a bat.

SPEAKER_04 49:20

Question here. Would any of you have accepted that invitation from your ex?

SPEAKER_01 49:25

No. No.

SPEAKER_04 49:26

Is there an ex that you have where you would go to their house for dinner? Even let's say it's not, it hasn't just been two years. Let's say you're not in the same exact situation, right?

SPEAKER_02 49:36

Okay, so yes, but if any of the other conditions that were present in this movie were present, it would be an immediate no. So one, his ex ran away with this dude, and now you're supposed to be going to a dinner party with the two of them, tap out. Fuck that. Two, you've been gone for two years and now you suddenly show back up. Nope, tap out. So pretty much any combination of anything that happened in this movie would make me say no, thank you. But if none of it was present, if it was just like a real life accent, they were like, hey, I'm having a dinner party, you want to come by? But oh my god, thank you so much. I'm busy that night. I don't take up invitations for parties. I don't do that. So so it's a no.

SPEAKER_00 50:12

I wholeheartedly agree. It's the conditions, honestly. It really is. Because it's that, yeah, they just run runs off with somebody else that you don't even really know. And they met in this retreat, this ominous retreat, or whatever the hell it was, in the middle of I don't even know exactly where, and you're coming back all like rejuvenated and like everything's just fine. It's a lot of things that again would scream Colts. And unfortunately, as much as I have shared and love my ex, like I just would not, and especially if I had a child with them, you know what I'm saying? Like, I would not just be rolling up to their house. Just no. But I will say, quick moment though, because a shout off to Kira, because that she really is another one, like she's a loyal bitch, because she also was like, fine, we're writing out to your ex-wife's place. I guess we're doing this stamp thing. And I'm gonna be polite, yeah, and I'm gonna try to socialize and be friendly, even though these people are crazy.

SPEAKER_04 51:11

10 out of 10 girlfriend. Wish she hadn't been in that situation at all. Feel like she really needed to get the fuck out much sooner. And I do appreciate that she kept insisting, no, we're going. We're going. I wish she had insisted a little bit sooner. Yeah. You know what I mean? Just for her own sake, because these people are fucking weird.

SPEAKER_01 51:29

Yeah, that would that's just a weird, tough scenario to be thrown into without knowing anybody. That just oof, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 51:37

Yeah, let's talk about another weird scenario here. My favorite scenes in the movie. Don't drink the wine. When we get to that scene and we get those angles from the camera, and he's looking around, and the wine looks off. Yeah. Right? And they've been focusing on that wine all night. Yeah. It feels bad that he wasn't, he didn't slap the wine glass out of everyone's hand. He missed one, and that kind of feels bad a little bit. But that scene is intense because in that moment, you can either believe just for a split second, maybe he's still wrong, but 99% of you is gonna think, nope, he was right, and now it's going down, and everything that happens right after that proves that he was right for the whole movie, right? And it is like such a great culminating point. But oh god, could you be could you like imagine being the other person sitting at the table, glasses in your hands, getting smashed out, and you're like, oh, that was just about to happen to me.

SPEAKER_04 52:32

I'd probably be like, all right.

SPEAKER_01 52:34

All right, I'd just be like, all right.

SPEAKER_04 52:36

Yeah. Someone's telling me not to drink some shit. I'm like, cool, all right.

SPEAKER_01 52:41

Sweet.

SPEAKER_04 52:41

I mean, there's even the difference in the way it served, right? That wine didn't come straight from the bottle. You know what I mean? Like they have these nice little touches.

SPEAKER_01 52:47

Yeah, they're drinking bottles all night long.

SPEAKER_04 52:50

No, they ran out. Gotta gotta get it fresh from my decanter, freshly squeezed in the Hollywood Hills.

SPEAKER_01 52:56

No way. They're really out here. Drink the wine. Drink the wine. Soon you'll feel tired. Sleep. Sleep forever. No way, dude. No. Sorry, buddy.

SPEAKER_04 53:05

Absolutely fucking not. Although I did hate that Gina was the first to go.

SPEAKER_01 53:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 53:11

Because as fucking wild as that girl was, I did like her. I did like her.

SPEAKER_01 53:15

Yeah, this is why you always cheers and then drop your cup to the table first and then come back up. You get that extra second. Listen, somebody dies, you're good. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 53:27

I think it's okay to bring your own bruise keys to a party.

SPEAKER_01 53:30

Yeah. Hey, there you go. BYOB.

SPEAKER_02 53:33

You got nothing to worry about. And if you're going to a party where people would judge you for doing so, they need to reassess their own lives. I don't need million-dollar wine. Yeah. I don't know. That's just crazy.

SPEAKER_04 53:45

What are you going to do? Put arsenic in my water? Seems a little hard to hide. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 53:49

A little pill. They're capable of anything. And quite frankly, to get through such an awkward situation, I mean, you would I would definitely need some kind of libation for sure. I just would bring it myself. I'm going to bring my own brewski as Max says, and I'm just going to go in there.

SPEAKER_04 54:03

I think you underestimate my wool pair to just do whatever the fuck I want. I'm not staying there if I'm not comfortable. I mean, yeah. I'm just gonna go.

SPEAKER_02 54:11

There would have been so many, so many times what I would have left in that party, and it all would have happened within the first five minutes of getting there.

SPEAKER_01 54:18

Yeah. I mean, yeah, you just have to get there before Pruitt, because Pruitt was the last one there, right? So he parked behind everyone, no one can get out. He's conveniently gotta move his car to let you out, kind of situation.

SPEAKER_04 54:30

Uber. Getting the fuck out.

SPEAKER_01 54:32

Uber. That's right. Uber. Unless they got Uber locked down. Who knows? This cult might run deep.

SPEAKER_03 54:38

Yeah, one guy parked outside.

SPEAKER_01 54:39

He's got a little red light on the top of his car.

SPEAKER_03 54:41

I got water bottles in the bag. Help yourself. Oh, the Oxcord?

SPEAKER_01 54:46

Oh man. Wait, that's a whole other movie. Yeah. That is a whole nother movie. That's the sequel.

SPEAKER_03 54:50

It's Cold Spray.

SPEAKER_01 54:51

Man, you guys all talked about a lot of really great scenes, and I'm thinking, wow, I haven't even picked a favorite scene yet. But I did have obviously the watching of the death cult propaganda video and all the gameplay and all that. But I think to your favorite scene, Mac, right? I think even leading up to that, and we're talking about like the red herring kind of possibilities. Man, what a good scene when Will gets that voicemail finding out that Choi was there before everyone, and he's thinking, I fucking got you all now. I got you. I'm not letting this one go. And then boom, the door, Choi walks in, and he's just like, fuck. And I'm sitting there, like, no way did that just happen. That got me as far as a red herring moment. I'm like, I still knew something was off, obviously, but still, I was just like so upset for Will in that moment. Man, that's such a letdown. But then it goes into that wine scene, right? Holy shit.

SPEAKER_00 55:44

Yeah, I agree. I since I forgot that part, I was like, oh shit, it got me. They finally got me. I was like, damn, now he's got the info, he's got the intel, he's gonna get them. And then next thing you know, he arrived, and you're like, what a gaslight. It's insane.

SPEAKER_04 55:59

Yep. I think we can all acknowledge that that David was wish brand will. Oh this woman has a I thought that was the point.

unknown 56:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 56:07

Wasn't that the idea? Was it just like he walks in and he sees him, and we're supposed to be like, Oh, I get it. Yeah. She moved on to him.

SPEAKER_00 56:15

But hey, David, of course, me and my pop culture references, but not really Haunting of Hill House. I was like, Oh, that's my man. He was a weird asshole in that show and definitely an asshole in this movie.

SPEAKER_04 56:29

So you're saying he's typecast. Oh no. Yeah. Tragic for him.

SPEAKER_01 56:35

Terrible.

SPEAKER_04 56:36

There's something else about the pain that Eden has. I mean, obviously, moving on to someone like David, it's just so sad to see she was already very vulnerable in the wake of her son's death, and then she was just further preyed upon. Will was trying to, I think, save her from herself and her own grief and her own despair. And while their marriage may not have been salvageable, it's sad to see how she continued to be manipulated and taken in a moment of weakness, and that really sucks. I think the parallel that has for me feels a lot like something that's linked to what I think is the worst part of the movie, and it's gonna sound very minor in comparison. Towards the beginning of the movie, we get this choppy slow-mo footage of the sky, and I fucking hate it. I really hate it. It's after they start to drive away, and the only reason even Semi gets a pass is because it reminds me of the strangers. And the strangers reminds me of the Manson family and Eden being manipulated and being preyed upon, and you think about some of the origins of some of these young kids, not even necessarily the ones who went to trial for all the murders, but the people who ended up in the ranks of Manson see how they were manipulated. You know what I mean? Oh yeah. And things just go horribly wrong.

SPEAKER_05 57:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 57:59

Because someone with nefarious intentions manipulated them into that. And that's fucking terrible.

SPEAKER_01 58:05

It is terrible.

SPEAKER_00 58:06

It's sad because of course she's ultimately looking for some type of escape from feeling grief. So, like, I get it, but God, I honestly, my worst part is just that everybody else, like, she's got great depth to her, sure. Everybody else sucks. Everybody else is shallow to me. At least that's the way I saw it. Like, I they were like, okay. I just felt like everybody was just okay. And then the whole plot is just so predictable because the characters are so shallow that ultimately to me, it's like you just already know from the jump that this is just a group of people that are here to be polite. And I just can't let go of the fact that you watch this video and you still all of you are still in this house after watching this video. Like you don't know what's about to happen. Like you don't know that you all are going to die.

SPEAKER_01 58:58

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 58:59

Why like why would you watch a movie or like a video of that's supposed to be like what helped them in this thing? And it's them literally telling you, she died. Like she's let go, she doesn't have any feelings. Okay, well, let's go have a glass of wine now.

unknown 59:14

What the fuck?

SPEAKER_04 59:16

Wow, that's so crazy. Wow, I couldn't have seen this coming. What do you mean you're poisoning me?

SPEAKER_01 59:22

Let's just finish this night.

SPEAKER_00 59:24

And it's just now, yeah. I'm well, and it's finished this night, so I can finish this movie because it's like the whole movie. I'm just waiting for them to obviously die. So I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 59:33

I feel like they all deserve to die because of that.

SPEAKER_04 59:36

I agree.

SPEAKER_02 59:37

They were too dumb to live.

SPEAKER_04 59:39

My favorite saying, if someone is dumb enough to do something, be smart enough to let them.

SPEAKER_02 59:44

Right. Yeah, I don't know. The worst part to me is also a character and it's Sadie. And it really is from a story perspective. The scene where she's propositioning Will, what did it add to the movie? Not much, right? The glance down the hallway to see her only wearing a shirt, what did it add to the movie?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:02

Nothing.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:02

Nothing. The only thing you could take away from this is that potentially she's there for to I don't know, to be their unicorn or something, right? Which in reality adds nothing to the movie. So the unfortunate thing is that like her character didn't add that much. If anything.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:17

If I can't buy you with our agenda, I'll buy you with my body. What the fuck? Sadie, calmness, sit down.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:25

Yeah, I guess that maybe that's her deal, right? I guess some cults have that kind of a thing going on. It just didn't work. She was just like patting.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:31

Look, I gotta pick a best part. Really, the best part for me is the cinematography and just the way they use the camera in some of those scenes to really build up some of those unsettling scenes. It was just really well done. So I think as predictable as the movie may be, as unlikable as some of these characters may be, whatever the your your gripes are with the film, the cinematography at least was really well done. And I thought it did build some really great moments. It did some really great work that did make me feel some kind of way. So I did enjoy that.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:06

Well, I love knowing you felt some kind of way. And I let me say this. I was mentioning earlier how Will is someone who shows us that the tables have been turned because we so often get women in horror movies who know that something's not right and everyone's telling them to shut up. And how do we feel in the response to that? And I loved seeing the tables turned here. I thought it made for a very satisfying story. Now, I know that it's not everyone's cup of tea. I'm excited to see how it continues to age for all of you. I know obviously our patrons loved it, and I think the community in our Discord is lighting it up as well. I do think I can re-watch this movie, but probably not again for a while. This is one that I'm really glad. I had a good, obviously not 10 years, it hasn't been out for 10 years yet, but I feel like I had a good five-ish, six-ish years.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:57

Yeah, I think it's too intense of a watch to really think about watching again. Maybe in the future it happens, but like right now, it's a lot. And so the idea of seeing this again, I'm good on that.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:07

For the sake of this movie, being a soft slash for me, I think it's in its best interest that I don't watch it again. Because I already, as it is, am on a fine line with this movie. So I just think like I've done my time, that's it. There's a reason that I didn't remember much of it. I'm sure I will remember a lot more of this movie now, and we're just gonna leave it at that, I think. I think I'm good.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:32

I really don't have any justified reason to watch this one again. If I want an unsettling, complex psychological horror film, I'll just watch Get Out or Us, or maybe even Midsumar, but not this one again, honestly. I can see though, how this could be a really good, like baby horror intro to horror. Like someone that's not really into horror can watch this movie. And I mean, it's just one of those that's not too over the top. It has a message behind it, and maybe somebody out there, well, there's a lot of people out there that like it. It's just not me.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:05

Well, I know none of you are leaping at the opportunity to really give this one another shot, but let's see what Mac can give us in fact or fiction to tie this over to our next watch.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:13

Number one, Ben's wife was originally going to be at the party, but she was removed to give him more depth.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:19

LOL. But you know what? I'm gonna say fact.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:23

Hmm. I don't know. I don't know. Maybe you know what? No, I'm gonna go fiction.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:29

This one is a fact. Nice. But at least she got to survive. Number two, Claire bounced out early like any sane person would, and although we don't see her fully escape, the deleted scene that would have been in a different world, showing her fate, revealed that Pruitt gabbed at her until she sped off.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:47

Oh, good for her if that happened. I don't know. I didn't look if there's any deleted scenes. In my world, she's dead, so fiction.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:54

Yeah, I'm gonna say she's dead because again, it's the politeness factor. She wanted to leave, but she still didn't have enough to be like a full-on, mean person to shut him down, especially with him being so big. So, yeah, I'm gonna say fiction.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:08

This one is a fiction. So Karen Kusama revealed that Claire did not survive. She was fatally injured and bled out near the bushes in front of the house.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:16

Oh, come on.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:17

I'm glad the scene was cut, because I think it helped a lot in adding to the suspense because you spent the entire movie wondering what happened.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:24

Can we just add her to the kill count now?

SPEAKER_02 1:04:27

Unofficially official, because it's in the director's commentary.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:29

Damn.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:30

Number three, Kusama specifically did not want the characters to sing their birthday song during the cake scene to make things feel more odd and off-putting.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:38

I almost feel like singing happy birthday would have been more odd and off-putting, like so joyous and weird. Like everyone's so happy and like we're just so excited to be here together, like all besties. With Will just in the background, like, bitch, the f what am I doing here? So I'm gonna say fiction.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:56

I just think anytime you have a group of people and you have to sing happy birthday, it's already odd and off-putting. So I'm gonna go fact because I do think that you tend it's someone's birthday, there's a cake, there's candles, the lights are off, you're expecting to hear happy birthday, and when that doesn't happen, that's a little off, I guess. So, fact.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:17

I will agree with you there, but this is a fiction. The song still had its invalid copyright at the time, but months later it was ruled invalid. If only law had been ahead of its time, maybe we would have gotten to see them sing it.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:31

Dang.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:31

Number four, Akira taking Pruitt out wasn't originally the plan. It was supposed to somehow be Will in that moment.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:38

I don't know, but I think that it was to what we talked about, it was just a better option for Kira to take him out, and I think that seems like an intentional direction with the film, so I'm gonna go fiction.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:51

I'm just gonna say fact to just be the opposite. I really don't know. I really don't know. I agree with you, Sean, but I feel just in case I'm gonna go the opposite direction.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:58

I mean, I'm wrong a lot, so

SPEAKER_02 1:06:01

Okay, so you guys had, I think, the right things in mind here, but this one's a fact because it was supposed to be Will. Marshall Green was like, okay, what the F? How am I supposed to realistically take down a dude that big, right? So they're doing physical rehearsals, they realize, you know what? The way this works is Kira makes more sense taking him out while they're wrestling.

unknown 1:06:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:21

And that's what they went with. Well, good thing they correct course corrected that one, you know?

SPEAKER_02 1:06:25

Yeah, that would have been entertaining to see him like pick him up and body slam him, though. Dad strength.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:29

Yeah, man, like a Hulk Hogan Andre the Giant moment.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:32

Oh my god. Could you imagine?

SPEAKER_01 1:06:34

That's been fact or fiction.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:36

Well, there you have it, folks. The invitation from 2015, as selected by our patrons, has earned three slashes. One of them being soft and one hack. While we certainly had a robust discussion here, the conversation doesn't end here by any means.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:50

We want to know what you think. Would you go to your ex's dinner party? Let us know. You can join in on the conversation by hanging out with us for free in our Discord. Click the link in our show notes to sign up.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:59

And if you would bring your own Bruce Ki to the party and have enjoyed listening to this episode, consider becoming one of our patrons. Visit patreon.com slash hacker slash to enjoy more of the show with early access, extended episodes, bonus content, and live shows.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:12

We'll see you next time, folks. And remember, forgiveness doesn't have to wait.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:15

Is this some kind of recruitment video?