You are cordially invited to a nightmare generations in the making.
The first trailer for Sony's Dracula-inspired horror movie The Invitation, which was formerly titled The Bride, was debuted in theaters over the weekend during screenings of Blumhouse's The Black Phone, and it's now made its way online. Watch it below!
Directed by Jessica M. Thompson, The Invitation premieres exclusively in theaters on August 26th, 2022.
In the film, "After the death of her mother and having no other known relatives, Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel) takes a DNA test…and discovers a long-lost cousin she never knew she had. Invited by her newfound family to a lavish wedding in the English countryside, she’s at first seduced by the sexy aristocrat host but is soon thrust into a nightmare of survival as she uncovers twisted secrets in her family’s history and the unsettling intentions behind their sinful generosity."
While the trailer doesn't officially reveal or even mention Dracula, the name "Harker" is mentioned near the end of the trailer. As you likely know, Jonathan Harker is the main protagonists of Bram Stoker's classic horror tale, which is very much an allusion to The Invitation being a new tale surrounding the world's most infamous bloodsucker, just with a fresh twist to it.
"Many customs that we take as ‘vampire rules’ are not from folklore so I decided to actually go back to the roots for some of the rules, which may surprise some audiences. I honored the lore and the history of the genre but gave it a fresh twist," Thompson told IGN in an interview. "Don’t worry, as contemporary as the story is, there are still plenty of Easter Eggs in there for the hardcore fans. I’m curious to see if anyone will find them all…"
Thomas Doherty (Gossip Girl), Stephanie Corneliussen, Alana Boden, Courtney Taylor, Hugh Skinner, and Sean Pertwee also star in the film.
Blair Butler wrote the screenplay for The Invitation. Emile Gladstone is producer for the film, which is executive produced by Thompson and Michael P. Flannigan.
