Who Invited Them (2022)
September 1, 2022 1:21 PM - Subscribe
Adam and Margo’s housewarming party is a success. However, one mysterious couple linger long after all the other guests have left. The uninvited couple reveals themselves to be their wealthy neighbors, Tom and Sasha. But as a single nightcap leads to another, Adam and Margo start to suspect these new friends are actually duplicitous strangers.
Starring Ryan Hansen, Melissa Tang, Timothy Granaderos, and Perry Mattfeld.
Written and directed by Duncan Birmingham.
86% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Currently streaming in the US on Shudder, even if it's not yet in the JustWatch listing.
Starring Ryan Hansen, Melissa Tang, Timothy Granaderos, and Perry Mattfeld.
Written and directed by Duncan Birmingham.
86% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Currently streaming in the US on Shudder, even if it's not yet in the JustWatch listing.
This was FUN! Very uncomfortable, very squirmy, pretty funny.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:12 PM on September 1, 2022
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:12 PM on September 1, 2022
Spoilers? Okay, then. As a one time treat, I'm gonna recap nearly the entire movie.
Tom and Sasha, the strange couple, say they're the (rich) neighbors next door. They're funny. They're sexy. They offer coke. Everyone dances. Adam's favorite rare record skips. Tom blithely promises to replace it. Not possible, Adam says. It's impossible to find. Tom is a rich VC. I can do that he says. He can also help Adam start his own business. He can do anything. Adam can barely stop sucking up.
Adam and Margo's kid is at a sleepover but can't sleep. He needs his stuffed animal. Their friend Teeny hops into the car to go get it from Adam and Margo's place.
Back at the house, our young parents feel cool again, have a blast. But it gets weird. Each member of the strange couple pairs off with their counterpart and insinuates themselves as a confidant. Separately, Adam and Margo share secrets with these newcomers. Adam bought the house cheap because there was a joint domestic murder there that the family's twins saw but did not report for weeks. Margo misses being in a band... with her ex who Adam hates. Sasha mentions how much she loved that band, and enjoyed seeing them open for Beck. Margo can't believe she is a fan! Sasha takes her phone and calls the ex. The band is going to reunite to play a party for her. Meanwhile, Tom suggests swinging. It's weird.
Teeny can't find the damn house. The LA hills are a mess with no reception. But she does find a coyote her asshole husband hit earlier. She gets his rifle out of the trunk to out the thing out of its misery, but can't bring herself to do it.
Back at the house, Tom and Sasha recommend a "Norwegian therapy technique" in which Adam and Margo are to punch each other. It goes as well as you'd expect. They end up having it out, Tom "accidentally" spilling about the murder house, Sasha "inadvertently" mentioning how Margo and her ex are getting the band together again. Adam and Margo have a loud, ugly fight.
Teeny is still lost.
Privately, Adam and Margo make up. They're exhausted. They want to go to bed. Gently, politely, they ask the new neighbors to head home. They suggest trivia. Maybe ordering a pizza?
No, seriously. Leave.
No. We need to finish our drinks. You're the ones with issues.
Adam goes to open the door to show them the way out. There's a note from the actual nextdoor neighbors there, asking them to keep the noise down in the future.
Adam is panicking now. Please leave.
Tom and Sasha refuse.
Adam breaks a bottle over Tom's head.
Why would you do this? We're your neighbors.
No, you're not. We have a note from the real neighbors. Tom and Sasha say they only meant next door figuratively. They live over there, a couple doors down. Margo checks their story and it seems to match the house exactly.
Adam and Margo are embarrassed. Tom and Sasha go home, to the exact house they said they lived in. Adam and Margo watch them in to make sure they're okay. It seems everything is cool after all.
On a table in the living room is Sasha's earring. Adam, wanting a chance to show he's really an okay guy (after the bottle thing) goes to drop it off. When he gets there, Tom is odd. Then we hear screams: the people who really live there, begging for help. Tom slams Adam's arm in the door and breaks it, pulls him inside.
Tom and Asha explain that they are the kids who saw their parents kill each other. (Twins can be opposite sex fraternal, after all.) They had a hand in that. Their favorite game was something they call Bait the Bear. They would egg their parents into hurting each other--lipstick on the collar, cigarette ashes in the food. It was better than being beaten themselves.
Adam and Margo aren't a bad couple though, they say. Not like the shitheads who live in this house, who are, respectively a closeted corporate greaseball and his racist wife, neither of whom helped Tom and Asha as kids, despite knowing what they were going through. They kill them. But Adam and Margo? They're okay.
Inside the house across the way, Margo is putting stuff away. She finds a wall with heights of children marked. The names are Tom and Sasha.
She runs to help Adam.
Meanwhile, Tom points out that maybe they're not bad and he and his sis aren't gonna kill them but they aren't good either. When was the last time Adam brought flowers for no reason?
Teeny, finally on the right street, sees Margo trying to enter the other house. She tries to drive up, but nearly hits Tom and Sasha. Sasha slaps a bloody hand on her car. "Watch out!" Tom walks to the window and stabs her. "This is a nice neighborhood, bitch!"
Meanwhile, Adam has freed himself and run out the front, just as Margo has gotten inside and seem the dead bodies.
As Adam makes it into the street, Teeny, dazed but not dead, emerges and, confused, shoots him just as Margo, fleeing the dead bodies, runs outside.
The next thing we see, it's later. Adam is healing. A news report says Tom and Sasha are on the loose. Adam pulls up alongside a cop protecting his house and goes inside to tell Margo they can move.
She says no. It's.iver now. We earned this house.
They dance to Adam's favorite song.
He turns white.
The record isn't skipping.
It's been replaced.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:54 PM on September 1, 2022 [14 favorites]
Tom and Sasha, the strange couple, say they're the (rich) neighbors next door. They're funny. They're sexy. They offer coke. Everyone dances. Adam's favorite rare record skips. Tom blithely promises to replace it. Not possible, Adam says. It's impossible to find. Tom is a rich VC. I can do that he says. He can also help Adam start his own business. He can do anything. Adam can barely stop sucking up.
Adam and Margo's kid is at a sleepover but can't sleep. He needs his stuffed animal. Their friend Teeny hops into the car to go get it from Adam and Margo's place.
Back at the house, our young parents feel cool again, have a blast. But it gets weird. Each member of the strange couple pairs off with their counterpart and insinuates themselves as a confidant. Separately, Adam and Margo share secrets with these newcomers. Adam bought the house cheap because there was a joint domestic murder there that the family's twins saw but did not report for weeks. Margo misses being in a band... with her ex who Adam hates. Sasha mentions how much she loved that band, and enjoyed seeing them open for Beck. Margo can't believe she is a fan! Sasha takes her phone and calls the ex. The band is going to reunite to play a party for her. Meanwhile, Tom suggests swinging. It's weird.
Teeny can't find the damn house. The LA hills are a mess with no reception. But she does find a coyote her asshole husband hit earlier. She gets his rifle out of the trunk to out the thing out of its misery, but can't bring herself to do it.
Back at the house, Tom and Sasha recommend a "Norwegian therapy technique" in which Adam and Margo are to punch each other. It goes as well as you'd expect. They end up having it out, Tom "accidentally" spilling about the murder house, Sasha "inadvertently" mentioning how Margo and her ex are getting the band together again. Adam and Margo have a loud, ugly fight.
Teeny is still lost.
Privately, Adam and Margo make up. They're exhausted. They want to go to bed. Gently, politely, they ask the new neighbors to head home. They suggest trivia. Maybe ordering a pizza?
No, seriously. Leave.
No. We need to finish our drinks. You're the ones with issues.
Adam goes to open the door to show them the way out. There's a note from the actual nextdoor neighbors there, asking them to keep the noise down in the future.
Adam is panicking now. Please leave.
Tom and Sasha refuse.
Adam breaks a bottle over Tom's head.
Why would you do this? We're your neighbors.
No, you're not. We have a note from the real neighbors. Tom and Sasha say they only meant next door figuratively. They live over there, a couple doors down. Margo checks their story and it seems to match the house exactly.
Adam and Margo are embarrassed. Tom and Sasha go home, to the exact house they said they lived in. Adam and Margo watch them in to make sure they're okay. It seems everything is cool after all.
On a table in the living room is Sasha's earring. Adam, wanting a chance to show he's really an okay guy (after the bottle thing) goes to drop it off. When he gets there, Tom is odd. Then we hear screams: the people who really live there, begging for help. Tom slams Adam's arm in the door and breaks it, pulls him inside.
Tom and Asha explain that they are the kids who saw their parents kill each other. (Twins can be opposite sex fraternal, after all.) They had a hand in that. Their favorite game was something they call Bait the Bear. They would egg their parents into hurting each other--lipstick on the collar, cigarette ashes in the food. It was better than being beaten themselves.
Adam and Margo aren't a bad couple though, they say. Not like the shitheads who live in this house, who are, respectively a closeted corporate greaseball and his racist wife, neither of whom helped Tom and Asha as kids, despite knowing what they were going through. They kill them. But Adam and Margo? They're okay.
Inside the house across the way, Margo is putting stuff away. She finds a wall with heights of children marked. The names are Tom and Sasha.
She runs to help Adam.
Meanwhile, Tom points out that maybe they're not bad and he and his sis aren't gonna kill them but they aren't good either. When was the last time Adam brought flowers for no reason?
Teeny, finally on the right street, sees Margo trying to enter the other house. She tries to drive up, but nearly hits Tom and Sasha. Sasha slaps a bloody hand on her car. "Watch out!" Tom walks to the window and stabs her. "This is a nice neighborhood, bitch!"
Meanwhile, Adam has freed himself and run out the front, just as Margo has gotten inside and seem the dead bodies.
As Adam makes it into the street, Teeny, dazed but not dead, emerges and, confused, shoots him just as Margo, fleeing the dead bodies, runs outside.
The next thing we see, it's later. Adam is healing. A news report says Tom and Sasha are on the loose. Adam pulls up alongside a cop protecting his house and goes inside to tell Margo they can move.
She says no. It's.iver now. We earned this house.
They dance to Adam's favorite song.
He turns white.
The record isn't skipping.
It's been replaced.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:54 PM on September 1, 2022 [14 favorites]
Thank you, DOT! You did a great job with the summary and I kinda wish you'd do this for every movie you post. I have actually watched some of the movies you've posted about, but just reading spoiler-y movie summaries is something I enjoy too. A really good one (like this) can make me feel like I downloaded a whole movie into my brain in just a couple of minutes.
It sounds like an interesting film, although as soon as the twins were mentioned I was like, "Tom and Sasha are 100% the twins." I wonder if it's more obvious written out like this, or if people watching the film figure out the twist immediately too. Because seriously, you hear, "Two parents died in this house while their kids watched" and how are you not supposed to instantly connect that to these two weirdos who showed up for the party uninvited and won't leave?
posted by Ursula Hitler at 11:30 PM on September 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
It sounds like an interesting film, although as soon as the twins were mentioned I was like, "Tom and Sasha are 100% the twins." I wonder if it's more obvious written out like this, or if people watching the film figure out the twist immediately too. Because seriously, you hear, "Two parents died in this house while their kids watched" and how are you not supposed to instantly connect that to these two weirdos who showed up for the party uninvited and won't leave?
posted by Ursula Hitler at 11:30 PM on September 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
We were on alert for a twist and they did a bit where Adam, while telling the story, kept changing his mind on whether it was twin boys or twin girls. So we guessed, yeah. It was still fun.
Two details that don't really matter but I omitted were that Teeny saw Tom snooping early on and that right after Adam leaves to drop off the earring, Margo realizes that all of the info needed to pretend to be a fan of her band was available on a poster in their bathroom.
Oh, and Adam was bringing Margo flowers for no reason at the end.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:28 AM on September 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
Two details that don't really matter but I omitted were that Teeny saw Tom snooping early on and that right after Adam leaves to drop off the earring, Margo realizes that all of the info needed to pretend to be a fan of her band was available on a poster in their bathroom.
Oh, and Adam was bringing Margo flowers for no reason at the end.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:28 AM on September 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
I don't want to be a jerk, but I really appreciate the non spoiler reviews. DOT and I have similar tastes so if he gives it a good review, I know I'm likely to enjoy it and I also I can see a description without spoilers (and yes I know fanfare isn't spoiler free).
posted by miss-lapin at 12:28 PM on September 2, 2022
posted by miss-lapin at 12:28 PM on September 2, 2022
I'm the same way. But this one was a one-off. I was motivated to spill the beans.
And right back at you on the good taste, miss-lapin.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:31 PM on September 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
And right back at you on the good taste, miss-lapin.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:31 PM on September 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
Oh I understand. I just try to be spoiler free with movies like this because I know posting here is likely to get people to watch.
posted by miss-lapin at 4:53 PM on September 2, 2022
posted by miss-lapin at 4:53 PM on September 2, 2022
I spent most of the film trying to figure out where I knew Ryan Hansen from and the answer is Party Down. His smile was so familiar, but i had to look him up on imdb.
The twist is pretty obvious after the reveal about the house's history. But even knowing that it was fun to watch. That comes down to the acting and the writing. If you have a movie that really relies heavily on 4 actors, you need good actors and good writing. This movie had it. It's not gonna blow your skirt up, but it's an entertaining watch.
posted by miss-lapin at 5:20 PM on September 2, 2022
The twist is pretty obvious after the reveal about the house's history. But even knowing that it was fun to watch. That comes down to the acting and the writing. If you have a movie that really relies heavily on 4 actors, you need good actors and good writing. This movie had it. It's not gonna blow your skirt up, but it's an entertaining watch.
posted by miss-lapin at 5:20 PM on September 2, 2022
Sometimes I get lucky and Wikipedia has a synopsis of the whole plot, but lately they've just been offering a "premise" section that's like two sentences long. Boo!I find that Wikipedia basically always has the plot synopsis unless the movie either hasn't come out yet or is very new, in which case they have the premise instead.
I read a lot of plots of movies on Wikipedia, because I'm interested in what goes on even if I'm not going to see it, or maybe especially if I'm not going to see it. That's the case with most horror films, because it's largely not the genre for me unless the movie is very special and good (Get Out) or only part horror / playing with the genre (Cabin in the Woods / Dale and Tucker vs. Evil).
To be clear, I'm not saying the genre is bad. It's just not something I handle or connect to well.
And I thought the synopsis in this thread was very well done.
posted by cardioid at 7:09 PM on September 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
I really relate to you folks who don't want to watch horror movies but do want to know what happens, and highly recommend the podcast designed to meet that need: Ruined!
posted by prefpara at 7:00 AM on September 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by prefpara at 7:00 AM on September 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
I did enjoy thinking about this as being a possible future for Ryan Hansen's Party Down character (along with Blaze from Burning Love). Overall I liked it, it had a bit of Funny Games energy without the hectoring "you are a bad person for liking this" undertones. The antagonists were properly subtly menacing, and Hansen did a great job of making his character just pathetic enough that you could relate to him as an insecure striver even while he acted like a pretentious douchebag.
I liked the ending of the movie, too. The killers' apparent endorsement of our protagonists as a couple they liked winds up being a more of a back-handed compliment the more you think about it, and Adam's bringing flowers back home suggests a kinder, gentler Straw Dogs, where an incident of violence leads to some positive character transformation.
I'm not really sure what the whole incident with the dog by the roadside was meant to do. In some way's Teeny's refusal to kill the dog mirrors the twins' neighbors' inaction when they knew bad stuff was going on in the twins' household but didn't act on it, I guess, but the idea doesn't seem well-developed. Maybe it's just an extended Chekhov's Gun sequence (along with the cheese knife from about 1 minute into the movie, which was obviously going to wind up stuck in something besides cheese).
posted by whir at 7:35 AM on September 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
I liked the ending of the movie, too. The killers' apparent endorsement of our protagonists as a couple they liked winds up being a more of a back-handed compliment the more you think about it, and Adam's bringing flowers back home suggests a kinder, gentler Straw Dogs, where an incident of violence leads to some positive character transformation.
I'm not really sure what the whole incident with the dog by the roadside was meant to do. In some way's Teeny's refusal to kill the dog mirrors the twins' neighbors' inaction when they knew bad stuff was going on in the twins' household but didn't act on it, I guess, but the idea doesn't seem well-developed. Maybe it's just an extended Chekhov's Gun sequence (along with the cheese knife from about 1 minute into the movie, which was obviously going to wind up stuck in something besides cheese).
posted by whir at 7:35 AM on September 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
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posted by Ursula Hitler at 3:08 PM on September 1, 2022 [8 favorites]