Exit - Ausgang ins Nichts

Better than the typical made-for-TV movie, INVITATION TO HELL is blessed with excellent casting (Urich, Lucci, Cassidy, McCarthy, pre-Murphy Brown Joe Regalbuto, Soleil Moon-Frye) and a high concept update to the familiar Faustian plot. Urich is likable as always and Lucci is particularly fetching and devilishly over the top in the mother of all femme fatale roles. Definitely a product of the 80s from Lucci's occasionally too big hair to the synth-heavy soundtrack to the pre-internet boxy computers. Kind of a hybrid version of STEPFORD WIVES and THEY LIVE, the movie commits early to its apocalyptic Miltonesque vision and horror fans will likely not have many complaints until the soppy, maudlin denouement. 7/10

In the opening scene, a chauffeur is distracted by two women in bikinis and runs over Susan Lucci's character Jessica. She pops back up and fries him.

A family with a young boy and girl move to a new neighborhood. The father has developed a sensor of some kind which his new employer wants for a Venusian spacesuit. The suit can already withstand blasts of flame, as well as shoot lasers and flames. His old fraternity buddy recommended him for the job.

The fraternity buddy gets initiated with his family into a local "club," called Steaming Springs, run by Jessica. They, and practically all the other characters want the new family to join too, but the father is very resistant. He grows more resistant the more insistent and strange the others become. People who belong exhibit sometimes strange behavior, like a boy at a sleepover who is found watching violent stuff on TV late at night, and who becomes hostile when it is shut off.

Not surprisingly, the spa contains a gate to hell, the door code of which starts off with 666.

It's a somewhat entertaining movie with lots of familiar character actors in it. Despite being directed by Wes Craven, there wasn't anything about it that really bore his hand, to my eye.

Wes Craven's INVITATION TO HELL opens with a bang, when Jessica Jones (Susan Lucci!) seems to defy death, only to send a careless chauffeur to his early reward!

Enter Matt and Pat Winslow (Robert Urich and Joanna Cassidy), who, along with their two kids, move into their new home. The Winslows soon learn of an exclusive club called Steaming Springs, a spa that everyone seems to want to join.

Oh no!

This club is run by the aforementioned Ms. Jones! We learn almost immediately that something bizarre and unsavory is going on there. What have the Winslows gotten themselves into?

ITH is a made-for-TV horror movie concerning satanic shenanigans in suburbia. Urich and Cassidy are really good at being bewildered and overwrought, but this movie belongs to Ms. Lucci! Drawing from her years of soap opera experience, she plays her role like an even-more devilish Erica Kane! Of course, once Ms. Cassidy's character is "transformed", she certainly gives Lucci a run for her money! Made entirely of cheeeze, this film proves that Craven's SUMMER OF FEAR was no fluke! Is it scary? No, but it is extremely entertaining!

EXTRA POINTS FOR: #1- Matt under attack by his demonized family! #2- The way Matt's experimental space suit just happens to come in so handy! #3- The infernal-yet-sappy, freak out finale!

P.S.- Watch for Michael Berryman (THE HILLS HAVE EYES) in a tiny -microscopic- cameo role!...

When the scientist and family man Matt Winslow (Robert Urich) finally accepts the invitation to work the Micro-Digitech Corporation in a space suit project, he moves with his beloved wife Patricia (Joanna Cassidy) and their son Robbie (Barret Oliver) and daughter Chrissy (Soleil Moon Frye) to a huge modern house in the corporation compound. They meet their friend Tom Peterson (Joe Regalbuto) and his family completely adapted to the new lifestyle, and Tom invites the Winslow family to join the Steaming Springs Country Club. Tom tries to seduce Matt telling him that every member of the club has a meteoric professional ascension in Micro-Digitech, but Matt is not tempted with the offer. Later he is introduced to the director of the club, Jessica Jones (Susan Lucci) that befriends Patricia and convinces her to join the club with her children. Matt feels the changing in the behavior of his family and decides to investigate the club, finding an evil secret about Jessica and the members.

In the 80's, when I saw "Invitation to Hell", I liked this movie that partially recalls "The Stepford Wives", with people changing the behavior in a suburban compound. I have just seen it today, and I found a great metaphoric message against the big corporations, when people literally sell their souls to the devil to climb positions and earn higher salaries. I am not sure whether the author intended to give this interpretation to the story, but I believe it fits perfectly. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Convite Para o Inferno" ("Invitation to Hell")

Note: On 25 May 2024, I saw this film again.

Everything is idyllic in Suburbia when the little family moves in, as the father have got a new job in a computer company there. But no paradise would be complete without its snake. Strange things happens as the family joins the local country club without the husband, as it certainly holds secrets. The father is not a joiner, but pressure is on him to join, as everyone who is anything in the neighborhood and at work are members. Robert Urich's good guy part is a bit tepid, but Joanna Cassidy as good natured housewife turning nasty sizzles. Suspenseful and well-made chiller with a bitchy Susan Lucci as club chairperson. Look out for cult favorite Michael Berryman in a bit part as a valet. The movie captures the sense of paranoia and the special effects final is worth waiting for. I have seen this movie quite a few times.