Invitation to Hell Movie Review

Invitation to Hell is a 1984 horror TV movie directed by Wes Craven and starring Robert Urich, Joanna Cassidy and Susan Lucci.

Matt Winslow(Urich) and his wife Pat(Cassidy) move to a new town with their two kids, Chrissy(Soleil Moon Frye) and Robert. Matt has a new job at a corporation. His friend Tom(Joe Regalbuto) is working at the company and he is delighted to have Matt there too. He tells him about this great country club that he and his family have joined. It is called Steaming Springs and everyone in the company seems to be in it. Matt is working on a special suit which is indestructible. The family meet Jessica Jones(Lucci) who is in charge of the country club. She wants them to join.

Matt has a receptionist, Grace who gives him a file to read which suggests that everything is not what it seems at the company. The next day, she has been replaced. Tom gets a promotion and he asks Matt to consider joining the club. Matt doesn't want to. Pat wants to join the club which annoys Matt. Matt asks the boss about Grace and what happened to her. The boss tells him that if he really wants, Grace will be back in two weeks. Jessica and Pat become friends and Jessica tells her that she and the children can join without Matt if they like. They are initiated into the club. They go into a special spring which seems to make people different.

Matt notices that his family are all different. His wife is trying to get rid of their dog as it knows that there is something wrong with them.Matt discovers that she took the dog to be put down and he knows that Pat is not herself. Matt discovers that Grace has been killed in a car crash and he wonders what is going on. The country club seems to be at the centre of it all. His family turn on him and he runs to work and grabs his special suit. Tom catches him and pulls a gun on him. They fight and Matt shoots Tom.

Matt crashes a party at the club and he breaks into the spring wearing his suit. Jessica follows him. He sees her but he can't kill her. He can hear his daughter calling him inside the spring. He sees his family. Jessica tells him that he has to submit. Matt looks at Pat but she can't see him. Jessica warns him that he will destroy his family he he tries to touch her. Matt wants his family back. Jessica tries to tempt him but it doesn't work. Matt talks to his wife and they hug. They get their kids and Jessica is destroyed by this. The place starts to fall apart. The family wake up in their house. They go outside and find out that the club is on fire and is being destroyed. All is well.

This was an entertaining, if a little tame movie. I liked the cast and the movie was interesting. I have to say that there is not much in the way of scares here. You would expect more from Craven, but this is more of a family drama than horror. It reminds me of The Stepford Wives because it is a similar plot. Urich is good in the lead and Lucci is good as the temptress. All in all, this is a TV movie with little horror in it. It is more suspense and mystery than horror. It is worth a look, though. I will give it a 5/10.