2 stars for this somewhat uninspiring psychological horror.
The Invoking is written and directed by Jeremy Berg (Trauma) and is yet another pretender to the “teenagers lost in the woods” crown.
This film tells us the story of Sam (Trin Miller – The Mockingbird, The Dead Men), a young girl, raised by foster parents, who suddenly finds herself the inheritor of a house up at Sader Ridge, once owned by her Aunt, a member of her real family.
With her three best friends in tow, she packs up her 4 by 4 and without telling anyone where they are going, off they pop to Sader Ridge. With her is Roman (Josh Truax – 21 And Over), a nerdy type who is obsessed with recording sounds to try and make music with. Also along for the ride are Caitlin (Andi Norris – Just When U Thought) a crazy and over exuberant young student and Mark (Brandon Anthony), who has just split up with his girlfriend and is determined to spoil the trip for everyone else.
When they arrive they are greeted by Eric (D’Angelo Midili – Divination, Punch), a shady character who turns out to be a childhood friend of Sam’s, working as a caretaker looking after the property until she decides what to do with it.
Eric is very reluctant to let them see certain parts of the property and as Sam finds out that she was raised there but remembers nothing, it soon becomes apparent that things are not what they seem to be.
Sam begins to have terrible visions involving her friends in situations she cannot recall, and the four of them must find a way to survive.
Although the scenery is very nice and the filming style suits the genre well, the script and the acting (with the exception of Trin Miller) are terrible. Everything feels incredibly forced and stilted and this means that there is just no flow to the story, because you can’t care about characters who don’t feel like people. It also fizzles out completely unexpectedly, without ever really explaining where they were going with it properly, leaving you wondering why you bothered in the first place. If you start something, you should finish it.
If you fancy a psychological thriller, there are plenty better out there to choose from.
“This is the way it’s got to be baby girl. Only the Lord can save you now”
The Invoking is available to buy now on DVD
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