Mike Flanagan Calls This Cult Horror Film “Deeply Unsettling”

Mike Flanagan
OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL, director Mike Flanagan, on set, 2016. ph: Justin M. Lubin/© Universal Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection

Master of modern horror Mike Flanagan has been on a winning streak for the past decade and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. Given that his output is so consistently enjoyable, it’s no surprise that his recommendations also tend to be spot-on.

On that note, we are back with another suggestion from the prolific director. This time, Flanagan is championing a chilling effort from powerhouse director Karyn Kusama. I’m speaking of the slow-burn horror-thriller, The Invitation.

In the film, “While attending a dinner party at his former house, a man (Logan Marshall-Green) starts to believe that his ex-wife (Tammy Blanchard) and her new husband (Michiel Huisman) have sinister plans for the guests.

Flanagan had the following to say about the film, via a chat with Rotten Tomatoes,

“Karyn Kusama’s quiet, deeply unsettling urban nightmare tells the story of a simple dinner party that begins to feel — wrong. To what extent it is wrong, how deep that abyss opens, is one of the most stunning and impactful elements of this terrific movie. The last harrowing moments are something to behold, but it’s the final moment of the film — as quiet and simple as any I’ve seen — that carries with it an implication of true horror. The shot itself is innocuous; it’s what it means that will haunt you.”

I think the director sums The Invitation up perfectly. The film got under my skin and left me feeling empty after my inaugural viewing. Plus, it’s great to see another horror master give Karyn Kusama her flowers. She’s the mind behind the cult classic Jennifer’s Body and has even taken the director’s chair for several episodes of the hit series Yellowjackets.

If you’re keen to check the picture out, you can find it streaming via Tubi, Peacock, and Pluto, as of the publication of this post.

Stay tuned to the site for more recommendations from Mike Flanagan and other pillars in the genre space as we discover them. And be sure to follow us on Twitter to keep up with all of our updates.

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