Cortechba Overrated

Brightlyme i know i wasted 90 mins of my life.

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

Scott LeBrun This low, low budget clunker begins with a Salem Witch Trials type of sequence wherein a young woman is accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake. Then we abruptly - and I do mean abruptly - cut to modern times where another young woman, Lise (the attractive Shelby Leverington) has insinuated herself into the lives of an affluent but insipid family. Eventually a few deaths occur; it seems as if somebody wants to get revenge for the death of that long ago witch.Nothing interesting ever happens in this dull and dumb film. It just plods along, with way too much filler. For whatever reason, Lise feels compelled to tell people stories about ancient tribes where women were the hunters-gatherers. Sequences such as those in an office building are simply inane and go on too long. The dialogue by director Ken Friedman is lame and badly delivered by a mostly nondescript cast. Use of music is particularly egregious. Gore and fight scenes are as inept as the balance of the film. Because of this, "Death by Invitation" isn't without its little amusements, but there's simply too few of them.Leverington went on to have a fairly good career as a character actress, appearing in things like "The Long Riders" and "Dutch". A good thing, considering how inauspicious this film debut was. Another performer here did reasonably well, and that's Norman Parker (who plays Jake), whose other credits include "Prince of the City" and "The Clairvoyant". Aaron Phillips is awful as grumpy patriarch Peter Vroot. Friedman, to his credit, would hone his craft and go on to write or co-write such movies as "White Line Fever", "Heart Like a Wheel", and "Johnny Handsome".With an underwhelming and unsatisfying ending, and a story too thin to sustain much viewer attention, this has to rate as very forgettable. Even people who crave discovering obscure efforts like this may find their patience tested.Four out of 10.

Ben-Martin-895-384878 I agree with the other reviews - so why am i writing. Because watching this actually made me angry. I've dabbled in low-budget filmmaking and its a real challenge. But there is no excuse for two things: 1. an absolute crap script. 2. Tedium in the locations you choose. Follow the rules set down by low-budget filmmakers from the past and don't do what Herschel Gordon Lewis did and shoot against ugly walls in boring living rooms. This film has one scene after another take place at a dinner table. Also, did anyone have any fun whatsoever in making this film? There is little joy in evidence. Hard for me to believe our writer/director went on to write White Line Fever. there is no talent whatsoever in evidence in this ludicrous, uninteresting, incomplete, incompetent script.

HEFILM This film does have the feel of an Andy Milligan movie from around this same time zone of 1968-1974. But it rises above that level in spots. It starts rather lamely with a protracted witch trial sequence but then effectively and abruptly cuts to modern day. The modern story plays off the troubles of the times, the family breaking apart with the hippie children and 50's era work ethics of the parents and their strick religious belief--which mirrors a bit the witch trial beliefs. The modern day version of the wronged witch uses these tensions to help her revenge. As in other films like this the same actors appear in the modern day story who are also in the "flashback" opening. Parts of the flashbacks continue through the whole film and eventually we see more of the flashback story than is presented at the start. Though some of this flashback stuff does just seem like padding in spots. There is also an underplayed and non-nudity sexual element to the film-- also part of the era. Would the film be more powerful if it had more nudity? Probably given how the story would lend itself to that. I say all this just to give some context to the film as those elements will all seem alien to people watching it now, by and large anyway.The acting is not great, but not inept either, which is pretty much true of the whole film in most regards. I saw this on TCM and the description says it's about an ax murderer which it isn't, though an ax figures into one scene. Though slowish the film has some memorable things, a double murder, a head floating in a bag full of blood, odd attempts at comedy in one office scene, and the story of the Brazilian tribe of female hunters. That's probably the most memorable scene in the film and is well acted by the generally good looking female lead Shelby Leverington, who went on to a full-on career in acting. The film has that poverty row NYC feel in spots in a good way. It also features that oddly thick blood from the era. Yes this is for fans of the fringes of filmmaking and indie horror, but what's wrong with that? The ending is good and unexpected. The music score is odd and usually dated and ineffective but it too has some good moments. The film has a very thin sound mix and sometimes uses only music in an effective way. If you like this kind of supernatural revenge story and the feel of films of this era give it a shot, it has a few shocks and value amid the clumsy or dullish bits.

utgard14 Laughably inept movie about a witch's hippie descendant named Lise (Shelby Leverington) who takes revenge on the descendants of those who burned her ancestor at the stake. I've seen this plot done before and better. Terribly directed, edited, acted, written...you name it, this movie sucks at it. Does have some merit as an unintentional comedy, however. My favorite scene is Lise's monologue where she tells this sad sack Roger about how women used to run things and then this one big guy took over and the men started running things so the women killed the big guy and ate him. When she was done with her long-winded story, she seductively says "Hand me the ashtray, Roger." It was supposed to be erotic or something, I guess, but it just made me burst out laughing. This is strictly amateur hour stuff, so avoid unless you're into that sort of thing.