Pratik Handore
Directed by Jessica M. Thompson and written by Blair Butler, ‘The Invitation’ is a horror drama movie set in the British countryside. It stars Nathalie Emmanuel (‘Game of Thrones‘) and Thomas Doherty (‘Gossip Girl‘) in the lead roles. The film follows Evelyn “Evie” Jackson, a waitress recovering from her mother’s death who discovers a surprising connection to the Alexanders, a family of British abstracts.
Evie visits the family in England and attends a cousin’s wedding, leading to her introduction to Walter De Ville, a British Lord from Whitby. However, Evie soon starts experiencing aberrations and realizes that her life is in danger. If you are wondering whether Evie falls prey to the Alexander family’s machinations or survives, here is everything you need to know about the ending of ‘The Invitation.’ SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Invitation Plot Synopsis
‘The Invitation’ follows Evelyn “Evie” Jackson, a struggling New York City artist working for a caterer to make ends meet. Evie is reeling from losing her mother, who died from cancer a few months ago. One night, while surfing online, Evie discovers a website that uses a person’s DNA to find their ancestry and estranged family members. Evie submits a DNA sample hoping to find a match and discover her relatives. Soon, she is contacted by a man named Oliver Alexander through the website. Oliver is revealed as Evie’s second cousin by the test.
Evie meets Oliver and discovers that she comes from a family of British aristocrats. Emmaline, Evie’s great-grandmother, had a secret child with a Black footman, leading to Evie’s connection to the Alexanders. Oliver invites Evie to the wedding of their cousin in the British countryside. While Evie refuses, Oliver offers to pay for the trip and convinces her of the opportunity to meet her relatives. As a result, Evie arrives in Whitby at the New Carfax Abbey Castle. She meets Walter De Ville, the polite Lord of the manor, and Mr. Field, his arrogant chief of staff.
During her stay at the manor, Evie begins to experience vivid dreams, including one about Emmaline, where she commits suicide. Meanwhile, the maids working at the castle are attacked by a mysterious shadow and disappear one by one. Evie is introduced to her uncles and cousins and learns that she is the only woman alive in the Alexander family. Later, Evie is introduced to Lucy and Viktoria, whose families are connected to the De Villes.
After a charming evening with Walter, Evie discovers that he is keeping tabs on her before her arrival at the castle. However, Walter explains that he was merely conducting a background search before letting Evie into his home. The duo reconcile and have sex. However, the following evening, Walter announces his marriage to Evie during dinner. Moreover, he reveals that the Alexanders come from a family line with special genetics, and their blood gives Walter, a vampire, his powers.
Along with Lucy and Viktoria’s families, the Alexanders have followed a tradition of giving one woman from their family as a bride to Walter. In exchange, they receive wealth, fame, and power. After Emmaline’s suicide, Walter was left without a third bride, and the Alexander family’s wealth started depleting along with the vampire’s powers. However, by marrying Evie, Walter and the Alexanders hope to reinstate their pact. As a result, Evie can succumb to Walter’s powers or manage to escape, leading us to the film’s enthralling final act.
The Invitation Ending: Does Evie Escape? Is Walter Dead?
In the film’s final act, Walter prepares to make Evie his third bride. However, when Evie resists, Viktoria knocks her out, and she is locked in a coffin. Mrs. Swift, Evie’s maid at the castle, helps her space. However, Mrs. Swift is killed by Mr. Field in the process. Mr. Field pursues Evie, but she flees to a nearby town. Evie finds refuge at an elderly couple’s home. However, she is knocked unconscious by the couple, who later calls Walter and hands over Evie. When she wakes up, Evie finds herself in Walter’s company. He sucks the blood from a maid’s leg and reveals that he is Count Dracula.
Later, Evie finds herself walking down the aisle with Walter. After the nuptials, Walter offers his blood to Evie to complete the ritual of eternal life and reinstate his pact with the Alexanders. Evie drinks Walter’s blood and receives some of his powers. She turns into a vampire and uses her newfound strength to impale Walter in the chest. Evie tries to flee and is forced to fight Mr. field. She kills the servant while Viktoria chases after Dracula’s bride. However, Lucy intervenes and fights Viktoria. She impales Viktoria and herself on a nearby statue leading to them turning to ash.
Meanwhile, Walter recovers from the wound and reverts to his aged form. With all his strength, he attacks Evie, leading to a fight between the two lovers. During the fight, Evie burns down the capel causing a massive fire. Walter starts overpowering Evie, but she remembers her mother and Emmaline’s words. Their words give Evie the strength to fight back, and she pushes Walter into the fire.
Ultimately, Evie prevails and escapes from Walter, killing him in the process. While she holds physical strength gained from Dracula’s blood, it is the strength given to her by her mother and ancestor that helps Evie defeat Walter. After the fight, Evie’s vampire powers disappear. According to Lucy, the powers will last only as long as Walter is alive. Evie losing her powers implies that Walter is dead. However, it is also possible that Walter is simply weekend, and the fight with Evie has severed his connection to the brides. Hence, we believe that Count Dracula is still alive and might target Evie in the future.
Does Evie Kill Oliver?
The film’s epilogue skips a couple of weeks after Evie escapes the New Carfax Abbey Castle. In the scene, we see Oliver Alexander talking to a mystery person over the phone about Evie. It is implied that he is trying to sell off Evie for money. Moreover, Oliver confirms that Evie no longer has her vampire powers. However, Oliver enters his office before we can hear the entire conversation. Meanwhile, Evie and her friend, Grace, track down Oliver and prepare to take him down. The tone of the conversation implies that Evie wants to kill Oliver.
Earlier in the movie, we see Oliver reaching out to Evie. He projects himself as a sweet and naive Britsh businessman who extends his family’s riches to Evie, whose existence he has just discovered. However, Oliver is behind Evie’s plights. It is Oliver who contacts Evie and arranges for her marriage to Walter. Therefore, Oliver is directly responsible for Evie discovering the world of vampires. Hence, she likely wants to exact revenge on the Alexanders.
Moreover, with the entire charade starting with Oliver’s machinations, it is understandable that Evie wants to kill Oliver for his mistakes. Likewise, Oliver appears to continue plotting against Evie, making it necessary for Evie to kill him so she can ensure her safety. Ultimately, Evie killing Oliver would bring her journey full circle and finally free her from the threads connecting her to the dangers that are likely to follow her in the future because of her bloodline.
Read More: Where Was The Invitation (2022) Filmed?
