In Various Voices, Harold Pinter wrote that speech is a “stratagem of constant nakedness.” Other plays and films have also employed this method with one location and a few characters like ‘bottle movies’ or one-act plays. A comedy-horror movie, Who Invited Them could be considered as another dialogue-driven psychological drama to join this amazing family tree, however, it is not particularly scary and fails to amuse.
This new Shudder film might be classified as an ‘awkward play’, in the same vein as Todd Solondz or Harmony Korine’s work but not that great compared to the former as well as the latter. Consequently, only about ten minutes of the movie are devoted to horror while the rest consists of playful chamber drama that slowly intensifies its uneasy atmosphere for a whole hour after some gatecrashers appear at a housewarming party willing to make friends with hosts but never leave.
Adam and Margo just purchased an expensive house nobody expected them to afford. “We deserve this, we earned this,” Adam tells his wife. “Do we?” she asks pointing out that class struggle is what really underlies domestic discomforts like these. This lavish ultra-modern house in the Hollywood Hills had been sold very cheaply by its previous owner Adam on condition that there would be no mention of two dead bodies he found in it seventeen years ago. However, he has not told her all these details yet because he has other secrets which are unspoken.
The problems in this marriage are obvious. The sad fact is that Adam wants desperately everyone’s approval since he is always trying too hard to fit in with others while remaining oblivious about how uncool it looks like when you try… It seems though Margo harbors some apparent grudges against her husband; she apparently regrets leaving her musical career behind so as to start a family with him. That evening they host an open house where she hides in the kitchen, while Adam mingles with people all around him, cracking half-jokes and tooting his own horn.
After the guests have gone, two individuals emerge unsteadily from the bathroom where they were snorting coke. Adam and Margo don’t recognize them at first and try to get rid of them until later when they realize that these are their new neighbors up in the Hills who represent a wealthy successful model of life that Adam aspires for. The confidence they exude is reminiscent of a CEO or politician and it takes an unexpected turn after some cocaine and whiskey are produced thus making the party longer than Adam and Margo had planned.
The two uninvited guests are Tom and Sasha, handsome snobs who casually drop phrases about private doctors or big business deals like this. At the same time, Who Invited Them is little more than a series of scenes stitched together by dialogue as these four individuals interact with each other in different combinations.
Adam and Tom have a few Old Fashioneds (or more), talk about sex with strangers, the haunted house they were staying in, and work. After snorting cocaine and discussing Margo’s past with her, Sasha calls her ex-boyfriend on the telephone and gets in touch with a former bandmate of hers. It is obvious that when Adam and Margo meet again it will be uncomfortable because Tom and Sasha are quietly manipulating them. Adam, Margo, Sasha are terrible people while Tom is even worse than them all. However, Who Invited Them feels very gleeful about watching them destroy each other. They reveal secrets to each other; there are also several confrontations between them; finally, they let Tom and Sasha laugh behind their backs as well as control everything.
In spite of the spaciousness of the building, writer/director Duncan Burmingham (who has written for comedy-drama series Maron or directed short horror movie Exterminator) manages to create an atmosphere of entrapment throughout his film production. Four bodies frequently crowd the frame or squeeze through narrow hallways or garages giving this silent indication that all is not right here. This means that even if little is happening in this movie visually (thanks also to cinematographer Bruce Thierry Cheung), its aesthetic is absolutely appropriate for its discomfort.
Basically, only performances can determine whether Who Invited Them will end up being successful or disastrous since it mostly revolves around power struggles among four main characters. Perry Mattfield who was also amazing on In The Dark CW series plays Sasha quite convincingly because she’s a person who doesn’t usually speak loud but can communicate in tones that simply intimidate everyone else which makes Tom say “she can smell weakness”. Timothy Granaderos from 13 Reasons Why plays Tom so arrogantly one would think he was naturally born like this conceited beast too convinced of himself to live his life otherwise. Sometimes Who Invited Them becomes an aggravating experience just because these two actors are so excellent at playing the most hateful characters that one can imagine and this particular world does not need such people to succeed or win anything really.
Margo, played by Melissa Tang (The Kominsky Method), is by far the most engaging character in this movie; she is a lady who acts calm when taking drugs or drinking until her anger and resentment accumulated over years break loose. She doesn’t become any nicer here, though some argue that she reveals her true self that’s been kept secret for so long. This could be what Who Invited Them is all about: the beautiful but vapid upper class elite who roam around with their noses in the air leading lives of quiet desperation while hiding behind a facade of fine art.
Ryan Hansen portrays Adam, an underappreciated actor who was phenomenal as the dumb frat boy in Party Down (fortunately returning). Hansen has a pretty face and God love him, it may be his curse in Hollywood. They would say Owen Wilson couldn’t get cast in anything because he was too good-looking until he broke his nose and George Clooney had the same problem until he turned 41.
Hansen does a good job here, straddling Adam’s total lameness as well as insecurities that turn into real fears of being attacked and learning how to fight back. While there have been many TV shows he excels at (like Veronica Mars or 2 Broke Girls), hopefully someday soon more leading male roles will come Ryan’s way even if he has to go through rhinoplasty.
It’s a film that ultimately thinks it’s smarter than it actually is. It wants to destroy the nuclear family, it wants to criticize social hierarchies and hypocrisy, but in reality; “it” does not know how; instead, “it” just enjoys smiling with discomfort. Moreover, its supposedly shocking twist is extremely obvious right from the start.
Of course, Who Invited Them doesn’t need a Shyamalan-style twist just to be a good film or anything else like that; however, audiences here are treated with one of those films where people perform such unrealistic scripted actions like making choices or forgetting things for the sole purpose of advancing the plot.
On the other hand, though there are some infuriating moments in this regard, you can only really despise well-acted characters so contempt for these individuals by the viewer may also arguably be deemed as complimentary. The film has ten minutes of actual horror which is pretty decent despite being very evident even through efficient direction and nervous editing. Burmingham is a skillful director and these actors are amazing; nonetheless, its screenplay leads to more of a hushed bash than an intense event. Finally, Who Invited Them constitutes many meaningful speeches spoken and delivered very well but barely hiding its own nudity.
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