Who Invited Them (2022) User Reviews

Poor character decisions and lazy writing

[zack_gideon · 5/10 · 1 September 2022]

It's an ok movie to kill time with. Besides that the film lacks any real depth, which probably wasn't the point but still it's short and I didn't really want to watch anymore so that's a plus.

The premise is cool enough, but there are too many poor character decisions, nearing the end especially and too many tie-ups around characters being in the right place at the right time, that bridge the plot (aka lazy writing).

The acting was good and held it together during some shaky dialogue scenes. 5/10. I did like the overall effort but in the end it just wasn't enough for me to recommend to someone else.

Pineapple anyone?

[Howling_at_the_Moon_Reviews · 5/10 · 22 September 2022]

A very nonoffensive, middle of the road indi thriller. Not great, not terrible... just kind of there.

The story was a bit lazy with a lackluster ending and a foreseeable twist. The main four actors worked well as an ensable and all had positives and negatives as far as their delivery and performance went, but I have to say as a whole the acting landed at a solid mediocre for me. The dad, while not terrible, was the worst for me with some stilted delivery and over all not super convincing. The sister was the best, i quite liked her performance all around.

While it wasn't the most original thing I've ever seen and it was pretty predictable, it wasn't not entertaining. They had the foundation for a decent concept and the dynamic between the characters was there. I give it a 4.5 rounding up to a 5 and as far as a recommendation goes, I'm indifferent.

There's something about it.

[What-a-Punk · 6/10 · 4 September 2022]

The movie is not bad. I did enjoy it.

It's surely not a horror though, don't know why put that tag. It's straight up a thriller.

There's nothing flashy about it, it's all set in the same place and you see where it is going from miles away. I guess it's not claiming or pretending to be any kind of great or genius stuff. It's simple and it's probably something around something you already seen before. I sure did. Still there's something about it that kept me watching.

I guess, I liked the actors and the characters, and the ending is well played, abrupt, but makes sense. And yes, one other thing, I believe it was light. You know, like there are many high tension, pressure thrillers, dark, gory, violent. This one it not like that. It's like a dark comedy, although comedy is lacking, but in a sensible way, because comedy tends to make movies unserious and ridiculous. This one remained sensible.

It's like one of those movies that you watch during your lazy Sunday. It's not for Friday eventings.

An honest review.

[clk264-649-716463 · 6/10 · 1 September 2022]

So, there is a young family that moves into a house and they throw a party as a housewarming, and, invite all their friends after everyone leaves, there is a couple that's left behind; what to do?

We've seen this scenario about a million times. At first year intrigued by this couple, Sasha and Tom. They're very mysterious, gorgeous, and they don't lay on any thick behavior. You like them, but, you kind of wanna know what their story is. Adam and Margo (the young family), are likable, and realistic people. Once you watch the movie, you'll be able to say "oh yeah, Adam is just like..." A name at least two or three of your friends. Same goes with Margo.

What the movie is lacking is that it is trying to break through of a cliché but winds up going in the exact place that you expect it to.

It seems to be a little bit mysterious behavior with Sasha and Tom, but, not enough to generate your interest.

The ending is rather bland, and it went in the exact direction that I was expecting it to. There isn't anything wrong with "Who Invited Them" but there isn't anything right.

Check it out if you like slow burn house party thrillers.

Not as bad as I thought.

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 6/10 · 15 January 2023]

It's not a bad film from relatively newb filmmaker Duncan Birmingham, who wrote and directed this drama. I'm not sure why it's listed as a comedy and horror, because there were only a few chuckles, nothing horrific, and only about 10 minutes of any actual thrills or suspense. The rest of the time is mostly dialogue-based scenes that really don't add much to the film. Birmingham's directing was decent, but the screenplay needed more action to fill in all the social awkwardness of the scenes with mostly irrelevant dialogue. Plus the the final act needed more of a punch, instead of just a push on the shoulder.

Lazy fluff

[neverwintercitizen · 4/10 · 18 September 2022]

Who Invited Them sets itself up nicely. An attractive couple shows up uninvited to a party and lingers around long after the other guests have left. The hosts seem to be taken in by them. You place your bets with your friend or spouse quickly. A home invasion thriller or a twisted cat-and -mouse story? One of you wins the bet. Both of you ask "Is that it?".

The film relies entirely on borderline menacing banter and little action of consequence until it is too late. And when the action come, it is underwhelming and unintentionally funny.

The film's final act while understandable in terms of the characters' intent is ultimately pointless and showcases lazy writing.

This could have been exciting, witty and terrifying. Instead, it is just a fluff piece.

Mind games and their power.

[brandonlewissmu · 7/10 · 1 September 2022]

The good: All 4 actors nailed their role. This is especially true for the "uninvited guests". They really fed off of each other.

Humor. This wasn't a scary movie. The director kept it clever and embraced the ridiculousness.

The bad: You could see the ending from a mile away.

I kept thinking things would ramp up into a wild finale. That never came.

It was beyond implausible and, at times,, you'll find yourself rolling your eyes.

Overall, I do recommend it, though. The acting alone makes some of the silly moments less silly and actually quite amusing. If you're looking for scares, however, this is not the plsce.

Doesn't have enough comedy, thrills, or horror! [+44%]

[arungeorge13 · 4/10 · 2 September 2022]

Who Invited Them has the same premise as most home invasion thrillers, but where it sets itself apart is in their antagonists' backstory. It takes way too long for the film to get to its foregone conclusion, and by then, any steam for thrills have already vanished. All the characters in the film are grey to the point of not caring for their eventual survival. The characterization of the leads is just bizarre. One moment they're acting right and the very next moment, they're making a series of naïve, pointless decisions. It becomes obvious very early on that the antagonists are gas-lighting them, but these rich protagonists act way over their heads, fueled by alcohol and coke.

There is hardly any humor (even of the dark kind) or horror except for a couple of killing scenes. The performances are pretty good across the board (except for one truly idiotic character who is shown to be driving around the neighborhood all night instead of using Google Maps), and that's probably what keeps the film afloat even when the screenplay has little to offer. Shudder backs some good horror ventures sometimes, but this definitely ain't on that list.

A Little Predictable

[Neon_Gold · 6/10 · 2 June 2023]

There is definitely a fun idea here and the cast, especially the two antagonists, really had my attention. The absolute glee that came from them as they caused chaos was just so interesting to watch.

The story is incredibly predictable. I do wish they could have worked out something that was a tiny bit more subtle rather than a very basic plot device that gave the ending away.

Speaking of the ending, I found it to be lacking. There wasn't really any resolution and it kinda caved in on its self. It seemed messy. Maybe that was the point and it was meant to be like a farce. I just wish it was a little tighter at the end.

Scary possibilities

[avindugunasinghe · 5/10 · 28 January 2023]

It's strangely creepy how much we seem not to notice or inquire. Who Invited Them present us the modern man who has blurring personal boundaries and a compromised individuality. It's so common these days that what this plot offers seem to be a scary possibility. Strong performances by Ryan and Melissa to portray a couple still settling in a new set-up. Great dialogues and indeed a satisfying story that would have been a little better if there was a third party who would have attended to the friend who visited back for the toy. Tension was not present nore was sound effects. But when all things considered Who Invited Them is a interesting plot that deserves your time.

Pretty good little psychological thriller/horror

[JoanBetteGene · 8/10 · 3 October 2022]

I'm not sure why this film has so many negative reviews and such a low rating on imdb. All of the actors did a good job with their characters. The plot twist towards the end was surprising and something that I never saw coming. The only skirmish that I have is in act three of the film the two protagonists make a decision that puts them back in harms way when they could have just left well enough alone. I don't want to give any spoilers so I'll just say the word "earring" (if you watched the movie you'll know what scene I'm referring to). Overall though, I really did enjoy this film. Definitely worth 8 out of 10 stars in my opinion.

VIEWS ON FILM review of Who Invited Them

[burlesonjesse5 · 6/10 · 10 October 2022]

"Can we hit the reset button?" Uh no. Just get out of my residence and never come back again. Wait, why aren't you leaving? And what's with the smirk?

Anyway, a couple introduce their new home by having a party with some of their friends. Another couple crashes said party uninvited and unknown in their identity. Vexing. That's the rub of 2022's sometimes tantalizing but overly taunting, Who Invited Them.

"Them" is a psychological tease of a film that occasionally revels in the conch of snobbery. It could be classified as horror but it's too new-fashioned for that. For 85 percent of the movie's 81-minute running time you're involved because rookie director Duncan Birmingham turns those screws. The way his camera moves and the way he sets up scenes in smoke-screen fashion, Duncan is an enlivened expert in the Hitchcockian. You kind of know where Who Invited Them is headed but at the same time, you kind of don't. That's the fun part.

"Them" stars Ryan Hansen, Melissa Tang, Timothy Granaderos, and Perry Mattfeld. They credibly play the two couples (or maybe couples) who through drink and drug, have a psychosomatic tug of war with each other. Through all the various subterfuges and gruesome flashbacks, Who Invited Them maintains its status as a talky flick that throws shades of creeping you out. Its setting of the Hollywood Hills shows us that these hills are "Hollyweird".

What keeps Who Invited Them from greatness however, is how things wrap up. It eventually becomes part routine, home invasion slasher and part confusing ending (talk about a cinematic oxymoron). You'd think that after Birmingham's effectively off-kilter direction he'd settle in and deliver a more tighter final act. "Them" leaves you on the edge of interpretation and not in a good way. As a viewer I wouldn't have "invited" that.

Funny Games meets Knock-knock, but please watch those movies instead

[steveinillinois2006 · 3/10 · 2 September 2022]

I just finished this steaming mess and had to check out the IMDB ratings just for kicks. While there aren't any 7+ reviews, I'm still surprised they aren't worse. They should be!

The thinnest of plots, vapid one-dimensional characters, and although I couldn't predict the precise ending, anyone could see generally where it was going, ESPECIALLY if you've seen either of the two movies mentioned in my intro.

The dialogue and pretentiousness of the characters made me want to scream, "just kill each other already!"

Seriously, Funny Games (the original European version) and even Knock-Knock are sooooo much better in every respect. Please do yourself a favor and look for those movies instead. This movie and these characters are just brutal to watch.

Better than I thought it would be

[bangel3322 · 6/10 · 3 September 2022]

Not a bad film considering it's a Shudder film. They've yet to release a film that is really good. Their films just sit at average and this one is probably the best I've watched. Yet still not quite good enough.

It's far too obvious who the mystery couple, Tommans Sasha are, so there was no shock factor there. Tom and Sasha were pretty good in their roles. Unfortunately the wife Margo really irritated me. One of the most annoying characters I've ever seen in a film. Rude, ungrateful, abrupt...I was praying for her demise. At the end of the movie when Adam is basically trying to tell her Tom and Sasha have been back in their home, she's not even listening to him. She's not happy with the house, then she's happy with the house....awful person. Film could have been a bit slicker, it just failed to create much of an atmosphere.

6/10. Watchable

[athanasiosze · 6/10 · 10 October 2022]

This is a dark comedy. It is not scary though neither funny. A better description is dark (offbeat) comedy. Still it's intense and kinda entertaining. It didn't bore me. Actors were very good, ending is satisfying, script didn't have plot holes. Nothing is unexplained here, there is no ambiguity.

I can not recommend it though because it is not a MUST WATCH movie. It is not very interesting/original/creative. But i cannot also not recommend it. If you have a lot of time to spent, maybe you will not regret watching it. It is not a bad movie. Not very good either. It's watchable and somewhat interesting. Ending is good. I predicted a lot of things watching it but not the whole ending entirely. There are some minor surprises about characters motives. I think that every character here is being portrayed well, nice work by the writers. Although, some characters' mood changes seem unnatural and forced.

Bad guests

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 30 August 2022]

Adam and Margo (Ryan Hansen and Melissa Tang) have just moved into a new place and have made it through the real estate stress, the moving and even the housewarming party. But then they look around and discover that one couple, Tom (Perry Mattfeld) and Sasha (Timothy Granaderos), haven't gone home. They say they're wealthy, they seem fun, but after a few drinks, it seems like they might also be incredibly dangerous.

Directed and written by Duncan Birmingham, who started his career writing for the Weekly World News and has also helped create, write and produce Marc Maron's TV show, this is literally about the guests that would not leave dealing with the couple that would not talk to each other about important things, like the fact that they got this new house so cheaply because a murder happened there.

Meanwhile, Margo's friend Teeny (Tipper Newton) is babysitting their son Dylan for the night. He can't sleep without his stuffed animal, so she's on her way to the house. And she has a gun in the trunk.

The girls and boys bond, meanwhile, but why do Tom and Sasha keep steering every conversation to sex? Or murder? It gets uncomfortable and everyone feels trapped within the house as the tension tightens more and more and then even more. Something bad is going to happen. And you won't be able to stop watching.

Nothing too unique but still very enjoyable!

[becky-92346 · 7/10 · 22 October 2022]

Who Invited Them (2022) follows a couple as they host a housewarming party which is attended by a mysterious man and woman that they've never met. The concept for this film was fairly simple and I feel it has been done before but I actually enjoyed it a lot! It wasn't perfect and had some issues but it was gripping and had some great twists and turns.

The cinematography for this movie was actually surprisingly impressive! It wasn't too over-the-too but was super effective. There were a lot of strong colour palettes making every shot pleasing to the eye.

The score wasn't really anything special and wasn't used often. I wish it was a bit more unique to further add to the atmosphere. The sound mixing itself was pretty good though and the sound design was effective!

At first I found the two leads quite annoying, but as the film went on I grew to really like them! The characters of Tom and Sasha specifically were very interesting and the actors played them in a charismatic yet eerie style; I loved seeing the the cracks that showed through in their characters! Some of my favourite parts in this film were when the characters were sat just talking. However, some of the dialogue was way too cringeworthy and it occasionally let the film down.

The film builds up the story well and is consistently engaging. It was mainly a slow-burn but I feel it was done right and not only kept my attention but made sure I was fully immersed all throughout. It was a little predictable but this wasn't a huge issue. The climax felt a bit rushed but I enjoyed it regardless and loved the somewhat ambiguous ending.

Are you the guests or the owners?!

[cjonesas · 5/10 · 1 September 2022]

A bland film with good acting, bland storyline, bland plots, inconceivable story arcs, lame vibe and flow included and combined with a gorilla ending upside down.

It is not my cup of tea, has some merits in its acting, but the snail flow and maquette ending just ruin it.

Everything is wasted in this movie, even the cash flow. Not surprisingly, almost nobody cares watching and reviewing it.

• Screenplay/story: 4
• Development: 7
• Realism: 5
• Entertainment: 5
• Acting: 6.5
• Filming/cinematography: 6
• VFX: 6.5
• Music/score: 6.5
• Depth: 4
• Logic: 3
• Flow: 5
• Comedy/horror: 4
• Ending: 3.

A Bit Ludicrous, But Fun Enough

[ryanpersaud-59415 · 6/10 · 21 December 2023]

Reading some of the reviews, it appears that a lot of people dislike the character behaviour in this film, apparently annoyed by the protagonists' lack of awareness and the supposed predictability of the plot. I get that, and I don't necessarily disagree, but I still had fun with Who Invited Them.

I think the film needed to do a bit more leg work to establish the dynamics between our main couple, Adam (Ryan Hansen) and Margo (Melissa Tang) a bit better, although I could basically understand what their motivations were. I guess in our hyper-individualistic society, people don't feel the need to want to have friends or seem cool anymore? It didn't seem so foreign to me that these two would overlook some pretty obvious red flags for the purposes of flowering a friendship with a sexy new couple, Tom (Timoth Granaderos) and Sasha (Perry Mattfield).

If this movie was structured a bit differently, and took its time instead of being set in one location, I feel like it would work a bit better. Given how the movie plays out, it makes sense why they chose NOT to do this (and I suspect, budgetary reasons as well), but the film definitely would've benefitted. The contrived subplot with Adam and Margo's friend driving around for the entire movie was really silly and a definite drag on the narrative.

Despite all of this though, I think the four main characters and their actors work well together; they have chemistry and the film is captivating in the sense that you really don't know what direction its going in or what these two want. I figured out the "twist" pretty early, but it didn't stop me from enjoying what I was seeing.

I also liked the bold ending; it was refreshing and unpredictable. Instead of knowing EXACTLY how this movie would go the last 10 minutes or so, I was pleasantly surprised that they threw us for a loop. I'd say check it out.

Not bad

[thrax-23316 · 5/10 · 10 September 2022]

This is a light psychological thriller about a couple who crash a party and spend the evening.manipulating their hosts to some nefarious end. What carries the film is largely the acting -- as anybody with half a brain or a modicum of social experience would spot the gaslighting and manipulation from a mile away. There are simply a TON of "coincidences" in the dialogue that would make anybody suspicious. Some of the coincidences had me thinking that the party guests scouted out or researched their hosts ahead of time, but this doesn't quite gel up with the explanation given towards the end of the film. Chalk the inconsistencies up to lazy writing, I suppose.

The "B" portion of the plot involving the other pair of friends was pretty well useless, and I'm not even sure what narrative purpose it was supposed to serve other than to simply break up the "A" part of the plot. I'd argue that it was the weakest part of the film.

Other random thoughts: I think Timothy Granaderos has got a pretty strong Elijah Wood vibe going in this film -- kind of a weird off-kilter feeling, something that comes across as an intensity just barely cloaked in a veneer of casualness. Like a wolf in sheep's clothing kind of thing. I dunno, maybe I'm wrong, but it worked for me.

Overall, I'd say this is a pass for hardcore horror fans, but if you like lighter fare, you might be the target audience. A little thin on content but not bad in execution.

I enjoyed it

[mmmartie · 8/10 · 7 November 2022]

I've watched (or tried to watch) a lot of bad movies lately, so I had no real expectations for this one. It surprised me and I actually quite enjoyed it. It was pretty predictable, but it kept my attention all the way through. I liked the main characters and thought the acting was good.

I didn't quite get the character of Teeny and why the kid was staying with her (I might have missed something while multi-tasking early on). I didn't feel she added much to the movie.

The ending left me wanting more, in a good way. I would recommend it and I will probably watch it again at some point with a family member.

The script :/

[gatlinmark · 3/10 · 10 September 2022]

The movie has lazy writing and bad/cliche cinamtography. The "twist" of the movie (if you can call it that) is blatantly obvious 20 minutes in. The scenarios are incredibly unrealistic and the acting is atrocious from all but one or two actors. These movies are produced and edited faster than cost effective housing. I'm starting to believe the film industry just doesn't care about quality entertainment anymore. They didn't even bother to Ty up any loose ends with other characters who seemed to be important to the plot.

The movie has lazy writing and bad/cliche cinamtography. The "twist" of the movie (if you can call it that) is blatantly obvious 20 minutes in. The scenarios are incredibly unrealistic and the acting is atrocious from all but one or two actors. These movies are produced and edited faster than cost effective housing. I'm starting to believe the film industry just doesn't care about quality entertainment anymore. They didn't even bother to Ty up any loose ends with other characters who seemed to be important to the plot.

What was the entire purpose of this movie?

[xxmisssvxx · 4/10 · 9 September 2022]

I seriously don't understand what the purpose of this film was, or why it was even made? I mean, yes, it's a mind game type of film but it was poorly executed and fell so flat that it made no sense whatsoever.

Even while understanding the plot of the film, it was bad writing all around, especially the ending. It was as if the writer got writer's block and decided to leave it at that which translated to the film's ending. This film could've had better potential but missed the mark.

I rated this a solid 4/10 and I feel it's worth that as is. It was underwhelming and had no real substance, no direction, and poor execution.

many viewers misunderstood that movie.

[xxxxxdarkmoon · 5/10 · 30 September 2022]

The more you expect a perfect world and life, the easier you will be disappointed. The family father, who is the party host, is a disaster in that regard. He doesn't even notice the annoyed people who have been invited. The sugar-coated imagination of his perfect life with all his "friends" who want to leave the embarrassing party as soon as possible seems to be indestructible. This is fun to watch. And it gets even better if some party scammers who haven't been invited come into play. They keep staying after the party is over. This is like a suspense comedy (if there is such a genre) with 10 violent minutes, even with some blood. Therefore this is not really a scary movie. And I almost forgot: there is a meaningless side story about a helpless, and confused babysitter woman who is driving through the night for hours, desperately trying to find the way back to the "good couple". Because the kid forgot the hamster at home where the party was. The babysitter woman wants to pick up the hamster - no joke. This is poor content to fill time and costs the movie 2 stars.

All in all not great, not bad but almost bad. It deserves a good 5-star rating.

Signposted from miles out

[iamtherobotman · 3/10 · 21 July 2023]

Ok, this film started well enough. An odd couple no one seems to know attends the housewarming and our mild mannered hosts are far more than mild mannered, they're actually pretty dense.

It's all very obvious where this film was heading from very early on and that then just spoils the viewing. Had there been some twist then fair enough, but nope, this set off down a path and freewheeled the whole journey. It's honestly just another example of the lazy writing we seem to be getting accustomed to from a rapidly failing film industry totally bereft of any original ideas and how to convey what paltry pickings they do come up with.