Review: Invitation Only

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet

Invitation Only (aka Jue ming pai dui; 絕命派對)

Directed by Kevin Ko
Three Dots Entertainment Company; Unearthed Films; MVD Visual
95 minutes, 2009 / 2023
www.unearthedfilms.com
www.MVDVisual.com

Tell me if this sound familiar: a group of working class people get an opportunity to mingle with the rich, only to find they are there for nefarious and painful reasons.

In Taipei, Taiwan, limo driver Wade Chen (Ray Chang), after catching his obnoxious client/boss, CEO Yang (Jerry Chih-Wei Huang) in an indiscretion with a model, Dana (adult star Maria Ozawa) for whom he is infatuated, gets an invitation from Yang to an exclusive gathering of rich people “networking.” The other four invitees are Trumpish Legislator Lin (Joseph Ma), pianist Richard Kao (Ying-Hsuan Kao), Holly Ho (Vivi Ho), and cute banker Hitomi Liang (Julianne Chu).

Ray Chang

The party is run by an American with a soul patch (never a good indication in films like this), Warren (Kristian Brody) – did I mention that there are three languages in the film: Mandarin, English, and Min Nan – who comes across as a motivational speaker when he repeatedly says, “May your dreams become a reality.” But, of course, it is easy to guess he is not talking about careers, but vicious desires to hurt another human. We also learn why these five were chosen.

Wade makes a connection during the party with Hitomi, but while at a gambling session, Wade connects with his model infatuation. Personally, though Hitomi does not seem to mind it, I would have stuck with Hitomi, because that seems a bit more realistic than a magazine and billboard model. But at least it gives the film at least one shot at some nudity.

Julianne Chu

Once the party gets going, someone with a white mask and nice sharp knives (these would startle Crocodile Dundee) begin to make mince meat out of the quintet and others systematically at first, but then the means of death start to ramp up. It really is not hard to figure out who is behind the mask; pick one from Column A and one from Column B.,

Along with the increasing ultraviolence, there are also the tension filled moments between, which are almost as unnerving. Of course, this spearheads very effective jump scares. This leads to as much slasher film as body horror, as some are done away with quickly via sharp objects, while others…

Maria Ozawa

The setting is very industrial, like a warehouse, so there are lots of wide pull-down doors as in storage unit corridors, and rooms with tons of objects stowed away in haphazard ways as, say, a messy garage. These both give the feeling of emptiness, and claustrophobia, depending on where the action is taking place at any particular time.

The one aspect that all these stories is that the rich class torture average people in a social sense of privilege. That is why politicians have no desire to really help their constituents, because they feel they are above them. You think Trump cares about his voters beyond their voting numbers? His tax cuts for the rich answer that. And this is the mentality of nearly all these films, from “The Most Dangerous Game” types where people are hunted down like animals, or self-righteous reasons for torturing and killing for the likes of perceived vanity, or wanting to get ahead.

You can see this in films like the Hostel franchise or La Petite Mort (2009), as people pay money to enjoy seeing (or participating) in the torture of innocents. There is even a porn version of this concept where it is sex rather than mutilation, in Café Flesh (1982).

Extras are a bunch of trailers from Unearthed Films, including an English and a Spanish version of this film, a photo gallery, and especially a “Behind the Scenes” featurette (6 min). This is a mixture of interviews with the four leads separately, some “making of” shots and clips, and filled with humor and good natured happiness about making the film. The Blu-ray release is available in either Mandarin or dubbed into Spanish, with English subtitles (I chose the original Mandarin).

Will our protagonists escape? Will the antagonists get their way? Thing is about films like this, it could go either way. Whichever, this is quite the gorehound highway to an adrenaline rush. The gore is proficient and numerous. A perfect way to relax on a Saturday night.

IMDB listing HERE