CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

BeSummers Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

jasonlunn27 What a film the concept is perfect the music is the best lve ever heard I saw this as a 10 year old and still think what a film j Lunn

Woodyanders The Winslow family -- honest, morally upright dad Matt (a fine and likable performance by Robert Urich), sweet mother Patricia (a radiant portrayal by the ever lovely Joanna Cassidy), son Robbie (Barret Oliver), and daughter Chrissy (cute Soleil Moon Frye of "Punky Brewster" fame) -- move to an affluent California suburb to start a new life for themselves. Matt suspects that the local popular country club run by the alluring Jessica Jones (deliciously played with sinister sexiness by Susan Lucci) that everyone belongs to is harboring some kind of dark and deadly secret. Can Matt rescue his family from the club's wicked spell? Noted horror director Wes Craven, working from a compelling script by Richard Rothstein, relates the absorbing story at a steady pace, neatly grounds the fantastic premise in a plausible everyday suburban reality, and does an adept job of creating and sustaining a spooky and uneasy mysterious atmosphere. Moreover, the narrative offers a neat critique about the quintessentially 80's upwardly mobile yuppie obsession with power, success, and material gain that folks will literally sell their souls to obtain. The able acting from a sound cast rates as another substantial asset: Urich makes for an engaging hero, Lucci has a ball with her juicy femme fatate role, plus there are commendable turns by Joe Regalbuto as Matt's jolly, ambitious friend Tom Peterson, Kevin McCarthy as stern, but hearty CEO Mr. Thompson, Patty McCormack as Tom's perky wife Mary, and Nicholas Worth as a menacing sheriff. The climax with Matt venturing into hell to save the ones that he loves is quite gripping and exciting. Dean Cundey's glossy cinematography and Sylvestor Levay's shivery synthesizer score are both up to par. A solid and satisfying film.

Scarecrow-88 During the time around 1984, Craven was on his way to becoming a director with name recognition after admittedly struggling in show business until Nightmare on Elm Street changed his life forever. Television movies like "Chiller" and this movie, "Invitation to Hell" were more or less gigs to pay the bills. An interesting recurring theme in Craven's horror universe whether on the small or big screen was the notion of terror in suburbia. "Invitation to Hell" features some fine talent with Robert Urich, Joanna Cassidy, Soleil Moon Frye(Punky Brewster), and Barret Oliver as a family commuting to a nice suburban neighborhood after pops accepts a lucrative position working at an aerospace facility, redesigning a space suit for the 21st century. What Urich soon discovers is that a lavish club, where most of the neighbors and his fellow employees, along with their families, and most of the major figureheads in and around his new home belong to, is headed possibly by Satan herself in the form of Susan Lucci! The problem Urich faces is that his wife so badly wants "a piece of the pie" that she willingly leads herself and the kids into possibly hell in order to do so! Will Urich save them? While I did find the linking of yuppie-ism with selling your soul rather amusing, you know the concept of getting everything your heart desires, with a price, and not knowing that you must give up far more than you bargained for in the process. Of course, the end, as Urich must descend into a type of hell itself in order to rescue his family, is more than a bit corny(..it becomes a special effects showcase that pales in comparison to Nightmare), but, again, Craven was working in a medium too tame to really explore darker territories, as he most certainly would in something like "A Nightmare on Elm Street", "The People Under the Stairs", and "Deadly Blessing"..Craven, to me, seems less comfortable for "family friendly" horror, but I didn't consider "Invitation to Hell" too bad. I liked the cast, particularly Urich in the lead..plus, I think Lucci devours the scenery in a juicy part always trying to seduce Urich into joining "the club". Echoes of the "body snatcher" plot(..which I think has become a whole sub-genre in itself)can be found here in the inspired casting of Kevin McCarthy as Urich's boss, always needling him to join the club and become a "true member of the community"..I think it's safe to say that Urich actually inhibits McCarthy's role from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" as the hero who is ominously alone in his crusade to stop Lucci and recover his family from the very depths of hell. The ending is pat and predictable, as is expected for a television film, most end on a positive note. Nicholas Worth has an effective heavy role as Lucci's muscle who has an eventual altercation with Urich when he finds him snooping around where he's not supposed to be.

beerbohm A classy film pulled in 2 directions. To its advantage it is directed by Wes Craven. On the downside the TV film budget shows what could have been so much more with a larger budget. It moves along as Susan Lucci draws Robert Urichfamily into her clutches and trying to persuade him into the secret of her health club. His latest invention, a spacesuit which can analyse people or things becomes unexpectedly useful in his new neighbourhood. Anyone seeing this should pay attention to Susan Lucci. Her looks and performance had an unexpected repercussions a few years later. The actor, scientist and parapsychologist Stephen Armourae is a fan of this film and wrote a review of this film. Lucci became subject of a portrait by him followed as the basis for works of a sitter called Catherine. Lucci and Barbara Steele's portrait in 'Black Sunday' were used as references for the Catherine portraits which were immediately withdrawn by Armourae. Probably due to a personal nature between the artist and Catherine. So by seeing both films we can get an insight into another story and the appearance of unknown woman that would make an interesting film.