In the mid-2000s, one of the main selling points in mainstream horror was the so-called Torture Porn scene. Emphasizing extreme violence, brutality, and relentless torture and suffering from its victims at the expense of traditional suspense and chills, the scene had a massive amount of mainstream appeal thanks to films like “Saw,” “Hostel,” “Wolf Creek,” and “The Collector” among others bringing about massive financial gain and audience acceptance which brought about numerous attempts throughout the world. After the Japanese effort “Grotesque” started the Asian countries jumping on the trend, Taiwanese director Kevin Ko tackled the genre with his debut feature “Invitation Only” which is now available on physical media from Unearthed Films.
Attending a lavish party, driver Wade (Ray Chang) is informed by his boss President Yang (Jerry Chih) that his presence there is intended to be on his behalf and that every arrangement will be provided for. While there, he soon befriends a group of newcomers including Hitomi (Julianne Chu), Richard (Ying Hsuan-kao), Lin (Joseph Ma), and Holly (Vivi Ho) who are also attending the seemingly annual party for the first time. The more they stay at the festivities, though, the more obvious it seems that what was supposed to be a means of networking with an elite society instead is a cover for the hosts to spend the evening torturing and murdering them for past indiscretions and must find a way to stop it from continuing.
“Invitation Only” is solid enough despite some issues. One of the better features here is a fine and workable premise from writers Sung In and Carolyn Lin that sets everything in motion. Operating under the guise of a networking party for the super-elite but featuring a much darker underbelly that provides the impetus for the action to follow, everything comes together quite nicely. With the original party plans serving to get Wade and the group to the particular event unaware of the true intent behind the festivities, the darkness of the eventual reveal as a setup intending to torture and kill them in brutally horrific means is rather shocking. When added alongside the secondary storyline about each of the guests being sent there purposefully by an associate of the club to punish them for indiscretions that were committed against them so that everyone is lying to a degree, the main setup of the film comes off well enough.
That serves “Invitation Only” perfectly to launch into its main impetus with the stand-out practical gore effects from make-up effects artists Huang Ming-Chu and Fei Wen-Pin. As befits a film in this particular style, the work here is brutal and graphic with impactful outcomes designed to spill as much carnage as possible. This causes plenty of extreme discomfort in the variety of kills featured here. Containing slit throats, snapped limbs, close-quarter gunshot wounds, and mutilations with hand-tools is just a taste of the stuff on display throughout the film as the party takes a dark turn and the true purpose of their presence is discovered. This provides a great base for the encounters throughout where the brutality inflicted by the elite society trying to kill them and the counterpoints by the victims trying to fight back leave this with some highly effective moments.
“Invitation Only” does have some pretty big issues. The biggest factor is something outside of the film's control but the overall concept which makes it feel like any other movie in its particular genre. Featuring so many of the same elements commonly associated with the style, including the usual favoring of brutal violence at the expense of character-building, a pessimistic tone without any kind of comedic levity to break the tone, and much more, this one loses a lot of its identity by being another entry in this ‘Torture Porn' style without much else to really differentiate it from many other films. That also brings about some pacing issues when Wade confronts the leader of the torturers explaining everything which just reinforces these aspects so it's quite dull at points. This is especially true for those who aren't bothered by the gore and want more substance in their films, something “Invitation Only” definitely lacks.
Incredibly effective in this style but doing very little else to separate it from the pack, “Invitation Only” manages to be a generally watchable affair but has few other factors that make it worthwhile. Those who appreciate the style or approach featured here as well as general Asian horror fanatics will be the most likely target.
