Invitation to Hell

Extremely indie. Extremely low-budget. Weak acting, weak direction, extremely forthright storytelling; "sets" that are obviously the home or homes of those involved, or their friends; bare-faced cinematography, highly variable sound design. In every capacity the contributions here are so humble that this absolutely comes across as amateur horror of the early 80s, except perhaps with production values that are slightly better than "shot on video." Even if I'm mistaken, my point still stands. Yet such words do not specifically, significantly speak to the overall quality. I've watched some amateur horror that was unexpectedly well done, and very fun; some examples are substantially better than what some major studio fare represents. Few skills, few resources, and little experience do not inherently discount the possibility of a movie being deserving and enjoyable; more can sometimes be achieved with earnest effort, hard work, and imagination than with the most recognizable stars and millions of dollars. To whatever extent 1982's 'Invitation to hell' does not meet a loose definition of "amateur horror," you could have fooled me - but even with its shortcomings, I think it's fairly decent!

This is definitely rough; the limitations under which the project operated are very clear, in every regard. The picture is low-grade even by the standards of its most closely related kin, and that comes across in the meager writing not least. Be that as it may, I do see the sincerity in what those involved were making, and the creativity, and the energy poured into it. The attempted acting only gets us so far, but the cast do try so commendably, and some actors and some moments come off better than others. Modest as the writing is, with ample room for improvement in its details, Carl Humphrey penned a compelling story of firm foundations, with appreciable broad strokes of scene writing to begin to flesh it out. The filming location is pretty swell. Michael J. Murphy's direction may be fledgling, but the least that can be said is that he ably put together a cohesive feature. Of all things, I'm actually most impressed with Terence Mills' original music - an array of ambient themes that lend uneasy atmosphere to the proceedings - and with the stunts, effects, and special makeup, all of which look surprisingly good given the otherwise nature of the production.

Strictly speaking issues abound in these (approximately) forty-five minutes, and if nothing else is true, a tad more development of the screenplay would have helped the narrative to gel. Even so, I really do like the story as we see it, sharing much in common with titles of more renown. From beginning to end there are terrific ideas on hand, and it's unfortunate only that the participants lacked greater means to bring them to fruition. It bears repeating, though, that the honest work and enthusiasm that everyone carried with them into 'Invitation to hell' compensates for the skill, experience, and financing they could not, and when these admirable qualities are combined with what really is done well, the result is more entertaining and satisfying than it probably has any right to be. I can fully understand how films operating on this level don't appeal to all comers; there was a time when I would have said much the same. The difference is readily discernible, however, between a title that was made with care and one that was not, and when you get down to it that can sometimes make a world of difference. And just so: I, for one, love what the cast and crew put together here, and I see what they were doing even if they were unable to shape the whole into its ideal. At such a tiny length, and in so crude a form, 'Invitation to hell' is nevertheless fun and suitably well done, and I think it's worth checking out!

Laura invites her college friend Jacky out to her country estate for a costume party.What Jacky does not know is that she is a pawn in a demonic game.That evening she is drugged and taken out to what appears to be a black magic altar.The next morning she awakens with claw-like scratches on her legs and,when she tries to escape,finds she is trapped in this location.But why are her friends keeping her here and who do they truly serve?Pretty boring and drawn-out horror flick which lasts only 50 minutes or so.There are some wonderfully odd and surreal moments plus some nasty gore on display.The acting is very bad,but if you are into micro-budget horror cinema give this one a swirl.5 satanic farms out of 10.

Wonky little British trinket wherein a girl is lured to a farmhouse in the pastoral outlands to become an unwitting participant in a Satanic ritual. There are several people staying in the house, and a few end up dying gory deaths or becoming possessed by a demon. The film is badly shot, and the sound quality is occasionally muffled, but this has a surreal edge to it that got to me a bit(and put forward some moments of pretty strong gore). Also strange is the film's subtle gay-rotic undercurrent(one lengthy scene of two guys wrestling almost looks as though it might segue into a man-on-man porn scene).

I would hastily recommend this one to people who enjoy quirky, low-budget horror obscurities. 5/10

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Invitation To Hell; before launching into my critique, here's a breakdown of my ratings:

Story - 0.75 Direction - 0.50 Pace - 0.50 Acting - 0.75 Enjoyment - 1.00

TOTAL - 3.50 out of 10

One of the foremost drawbacks of the eighties for movie watchers was the video camera. Video players were an outstanding and life-changing invention - for once, instead of going to the movies, you could go to friends or stay home and watch a film. But any numpty with a camera could shoot a motion picture and find somebody to fund distribution. And that is what appears to have happened with Invitation To Hell.

The synopsis of the story is rather substantial. Sadly the writer wasn't skilled enough to build the outline into a fully-fledged tale of horror. There needed to be more details and believable characters. For example, a scene where the two old friends meet and one invites the other to a party would have anchored the evil twist in the invite's tail better than having the woman just turn up. More background on the evil inhabiting the farm would also pull the audience in more. There's not enough meat on the story's bones to make it fulfilling.

Lamentably, the writer also directed the picture, and his skills are as weak as the scripting. Blissfully, however, he does keep all the scenes well lit. There is even one impressive special effects sequence. The demon knifes one of the farmworkers to a bedroom wall, crucifix style, then pulls the heart from their chest. It's not the best FX, but for this low a budget, it's bloody magnificent. Regretfully, the rest of the camera work is well below par. There are scenes where people talk, but their mouths are closed tight. But worst of all is the meandering pace. The film only lasts three-quarters of an hour, but it feels much, much, much longer.

Ah, now we get to the acting, and it's as bad as the writing and direction. A good cast could have made this drivel watchable. The cast is so wooden in their delivery, that I could have gone outside and watched the trees in the garden and gotten a better performance.

So with a sad heart, I suggest you all miss this picture and do something more interesting with your lives: Like training a snail to race. Invitation To Hell can't even be called a B-Movie, it is that horrendous - there aren't even any unintentionally funny moments. I took the bullet on this one so you don't have to.

Please feel free to visit my Absolute Horror lists to see where I ranked Invitation To Hell - and to find a more enjoyable viewing experience.

Take Care & Stay Well.

Maybe I'm just mad I spent five dollars on this instead of one dollar, but this film really displeased me. It's semi-known for it's gore and perhaps 'banned' status. I could not make out many of the details because the tape quality (Videoline Productions) was extremely poor, but the gore I saw was not exceptional. There were lots of guests over when I was watching this video and I was kind of embarrassed to be caught viewing some of the film's more boring moments. When there is no action on screen, the combination of bad acting, bad dialogue, and an uncompelling story make this movie a waste of time.