Invitation to Hell

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.

This is a no budget British horror film. Allegedly made for £50, whether that is true or not it sure looks like it.

A young woman goes to a fancy dress party and finds she is to be sacrificed as part of a satanic cult.

The film is influenced by classics like The Exorcist and has some slasher elements like a knife through the throat (best gore effect in the film).

The budget shows and the film looks like it may have been shot on VHS or Hi-8 as it doesn't have the clarity of 16 or 35mm. The film first appeared on VHS tape with the director's other film The Last Night. I was convinced this was a video nasty, but it's a pre-cert that was never re-released in the UK. It does have a DVD release in USA. This film is not recommended but it is a rare curiosity of British horror.

Michael J. Murphy or MJM went onto write and direct a series of straight to video cheapies in various genres: slasher, sex, fantasy. He died in 2015.

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.

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!

This odd short tells the story of a young virgin who is invited to spend time with her friends at a remote farmhouse in the English countryside. It soon becomes clear that someone - or something! - has demonic plans for her. Add into the mix a desperate race against time before a dark force is resurrected, a possessed handyman, and a heavy homoerotic subtext, and you have a very weird movie indeed. Thanks to the miniscule (and very obviously amateur) cast, and lingering shots of the countryside, the film possesses an eerie, empty quality that is reminiscent of such 70's British classics as The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue, Vampyres and Frightmare. However, there's also a dose of giallo-type gore, and a bizarre ending that could belong in an Argento movie. Invitation to Hell is an obscure film that was released in the early 80's on video. It's long-since been deleted (I picked up my second- or third-hand copy from eBay), but if you're an afficionado of British horror, or in search of something a bit different, this is worth seeking out.