The real twist of The Invitation 2015 ending is far more unnerving and complicated than expected. The Invitation presents as an isolated event in which a group of friends is lured by a grieving mother and her new partner so that they can be ritualistically murdered. As the night progresses and the house guests are whittled down in a series of attacks, the tension revolves around the survivors' attempts to escape the house in which they have become trapped. All they need to do is find a way out, and then they will be safe.
As written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, most of the tension in The Invitation (which has no relation to the 2022 movie The Invitation) comes in two waves: first, the initial misunderstanding, then the guests' desperation to avoid their fate. It's a complex and layered movie, and the ending of The Invitation sees all its interwoven elements come to a head in a chilling finale that still has audiences talking about it years after its 2015 release. Here's why The Invitation ending is so effective.
What Was The Invitation's Party Actually For?
The Friends Are Reconnecting After A Divorce
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The first half of The Invitation focuses on guests Tommy (Mike Doyle), Miguel (Jordi Vilasuso), Ben (Jay Larson), Claire (Marieh Delfino), and Gina (Michelle Krusiec) as they join divorcé Will (Logan Marshall-Green) and his new girlfriend Kira (Emayatzy Corinealdi). They mistakenly believe they have been invited to an awkward dinner party. The circumstances are unusual and a little macabre in this movie. They're all looking to reconnect with Eden (Tammy Blanchard) in the wake of her divorce from Will following the death of their son Ty, as well as her attempted suicide.
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In the two years that have passed since they have all seen each other in person, Eden has found a new partner, David (Michiel Huisman), and made a pair of strange friends, Sadie (Lindsay Burdge) and Pruitt (American Horror Story's John Carroll Lynch) — all of whom contribute to the sense of unease the pervades the first half of the film. There's an undeniable feeling that something is not quite right with the evening's festivities, which plays out in The Invitation ending.
How The Invitation Switches Pace In The Final Act
This Was Not An Isolated Event
The slow-burning dread during the first acts explodes into violence in The Invitation ending when it is revealed that the group Eden, David, and Pruitt belong to — The Invitation — is a cult that believes the way to create peace is through death. The remainder of the film is a desperate struggle for survival between hosts and guests that leaves all but Will, Kira, Tommy, and a fatally injured Eden alive.
They are confronted with dozens of other red lanterns as far as the eye can see
After making their way outside, seemingly to safety, the group discovers that the red lantern David (Michiel Huisman) lit earlier in the evening is a signpost confirming a murder party is happening inside. As the survivors survey the Los Angeles hills, they are confronted with dozens of other red lanterns as far as the eye can see, indicating that their party was but one such incident.
Why The Invitation's Ending Works
The Last Twist Ruins The Catharsis
Part of the reason The Invitation's ending works so well is that by the time the extent of the chaos is revealed, the audience assumes that the danger has already passed. The film's first two acts are rife with suspicion, mistrust, and misdirection. Director Karyn Kusama ratchets up the tension by literally stranding her audience inside the house along with the characters, maintaining an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia and inability to escape for nearly the entire film.
Characters and audience alike have survived the attempted murder plot and come out the other side.
Once the narrative has reached the moment when the remaining characters stumble outside, there is an undeniable catharsis: characters and audience alike have survived the attempted murder plot and come out the other side. This sense of relief, however, is immediately undercut by the slow reveal of red lanterns lighting up the darkness, hinting nefariously at the vast conspiracy that was initially thought to be a small, contained, isolated incident.
The Invitation's Final Shot Shows There's No Escape
The Entire City Is Under Seige
The journey of The Invitation is one of the heightened emotional mood swings. The brief, fleeting image of a sea of red lights in the darkness is immensely disturbing and incredibly powerful. There's no need for further explanation or dénouement. The creative team eschews the temptation to reveal the extent of the damage or the aftermath in favor of ending the film with yet another note of uncertainty.
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This goes from the discomfort of the initial reunion of Will and Eden (played out notably well by Emmy winner Tammy Blanchard), to the suffocating grief that settles over dinner, to the claustrophobic battle for survival, all the way through to the final reveal of the cult's widespread impact. With this final shot, there's no reassurance for the characters or the viewers. By sheer virtue of its mature restraint and the sucker punch of dread that it packs throughout, The Invitation ending is a huge contributor to its success.
How The Ending Paid Off The First Half's Dread
The Sense Of Dread Was Deserved Thanks To The Twist Ending
Despite being released just shy of a decade ago, The Invitation can be added to the roster of great recent horror flicks — and that's because of its ending. The movie's first half is filled with an overwhelming sense of dread and claustrophobia, coupled with an awkward and painful reunion. This immediately sets the tone for the events that are about to unfold. The slow-burn horror finally culminates with the escapees leaving the terrible situation.
The Invitation takes people on a see-saw of carnage and tension.
The Invitation's ending effectively pays off the dread felt in the film's first half, cementing in viewers' minds that they didn't endure the highly tense opening act for naught. The initial interactions between the characters are creepy enough to carry The Invitation's violence-free start, which ultimately pays off in the visceral finale when the victims of the cult find out what's happening all over town. The Invitation takes people on a see-saw of carnage and tension, culminating in a terrific ending that cements its place as a modern horror gem.
How Director Karyn Kusama Crafted The Deep Themes Of The Invitation
Kusama Sees Hope In The Bleak Ending
In 2016, Director Karyn Kusama spoke to Film Inquiry about The Invitation ending, specifically that final shot and the realization that this wasn't an isolated incident. According to The Invitation's director, there was only one place to make this movie - Los Angeles.
" A real sense of people coming to Los Angeles to reinvent their lives, to reinvent their identities, and I think that allows for a lot of fringe elements in a way that contributes to a lot of different belief systems ."
This allowed the movie to create people who would commit these acts. While the ending seemed horrifying, Kusama said there was a sense of satisfaction with the conclusion. Will struggles with his inner pain and grief throughout the movie. In the end, he refuses to cave into his friends and chooses to go on living, refusing to give up his life in grief.
" That to me isn’t a happy ending, but an ending I’d rather have than a more feel-good ending in any way. So it was always about that, the extremities of what he had to go through to reaffirm his interest in being alive ."
The Real Meaning Of The Invitation Ending
The Movie Is About Will Coming Into His Own
The Invitation remains one of the best 2015 horror movies, thanks in large part to the ending. However, the big moment at the end wasn't the twist of seeing all the red lanterns. As Kisama said, it was about Will's journey. The red lanterns were just a kicker that showed the horror was infecting more people than the small group this movie follows. However, this movie is about Will and his journey from being a beaten man to someone who wants to live and who grows in the film's running time.
While the movie ends with a sense of dread, this is not a nihilistic film. The movie ends on a positive note. While not really a happy ending, since there was death and devastation surrounding him, it ends with Will making it out alive with the people he loves and living to fight another day. It doesn't matter if he picks up weapons and goes after The Invitation. All that matters is that he survived and came out stronger. The very end of The Invitation hinted at more to come, but now Will is mentally equipped to handle the battle.
The Invitation is a Horror film starring Logan Marshall-Green and Tammy Blanchard. The premise follows a man that visits his ex-wife with his new girlfriend for a dinner party, and unveils the plot of a sinister cult.
Director Karyn Kusama
Release Date March 13, 2015
Cast Logan Marshall-Green , Emayatzy Corinealdi , Michael Huisman , Tammy Blanchard , Aiden Lovekamp , Michelle Krusiec , Lindsay Burdge , John Carroll Lynch
Runtime 100 minutes
English (US) ·