The Invitation(2022)

Plot Summary

• A young woman is imprisoned in a room in large stately home, later revealed to be New Carfax Abbey. She escapes her room and, despite the pleas of the search party, hangs herself from the staircase.In present-day New York City, struggling artist Evelyn "Evie" Jackson makes a living freelancing for a catering business with her best friend Grace. Evie takes a DNA test after her mother's death, discovering she has a distant cousin in England named Oliver Alexander. She meets Oliver, who tells her the scandal of her great-grandmother, Emmaline, who had a secret child with a black footman.Oliver invites Evie to an upcoming family wedding in England. She arrives in Whitby at the New Carfax Abbey, where she meets the lord of the manor, Walter De Ville, Mrs. Swift, a longtime maid of the estate, and De Ville's devoted butler, "Mr. Field". Evie also meets the rest of the Alexander family and the maids of honor, friendly Lucy and condescending Viktoria.During her stay, Evie and Walter develop a mutual attraction. Meanwhile, throughout the house, several housemaids, under the stewardship of Mr. Field, vanish after being attacked by an unseen force. One night, Evie sees an apparition in her bedroom. The next day, she sneaks into Walter's office and discovers that he had been researching her before her arrival. She confronts him and threatens to leave, but the two reconcile and have sex.The family hosts a rehearsal dinner, where Evie expects to finally meet the bride and groom. Instead, Walter announces that he and Evie are to be wed. Mr. Field slits a maid's throat and serves it in wine glasses to Walter, Lucy, and Viktoria, who are all revealed to be vampires. Walter explains that Evie's ancestors, the Alexanders, are one of the three families who, for centuries, have each offered one of their women to become his wife in exchange for protection and wealth. Viktoria, Lucy, and Emmaline were wedded to him, but Emmaline killed herself due to her guilt of killing humans, and due to the loss of her love, Evie's great-grandfather, and their infant son. The Alexander family had trouble finding a female member until they tracked down Evie.Evie is imprisoned in the cellar and visited by Lucy and Viktoria. Viktoria admits that she was the apparition that Evie had seen, and reveals Dee, an imprisoned maid, who disappeared days earlier. Viktoria locks Evie inside a coffin, but she is freed by Mrs. Swift, who was friends with Emmaline.Evie hides in a shed where she discovers the bodies of the maids and of Mrs. Swift, who has been killed by Mr. Field. Evie escapes into town and asks an elderly couple for help. They reveal themselves to be Jonathan and Mina Harker, who work for De Ville, and they knock Evie unconscious. She wakes to find herself with De Ville, who is feeding on Imogen, a maid. He reveals himself to be Dracula.Evie is forced to wed De Ville, while Dee is tied up next to the altar as a sacrifice. As they finish exchanging vows, Evie bites De Ville's arm, consuming his blood, and instantly transforms into a vampire. She sets the wedding chapel on fire, stabs him in the heart, which rapidly ages him, and flees with Dee. Viktoria ambushes Evie, before Lucy intervenes. The two vampires fight until Lucy impales both Viktoria and herself on a spear, turning them both into ashes. Evie is then attacked by Mr. Field, but she overpowers and kills him. Finally, Evie is attacked by De Ville, who grabs her by the throat. She breaks free by severing his wrist and kicks him into the flames, killing him. She loses her powers due to his death and returns to her human form. Evie escapes as the manor is engulfed in flames.Two weeks later, in London, Evie and Grace have tracked down Oliver, who prepares to flee after having paid off the police. The two women intend to kill him for tricking Evie and being complicit in the murders committed by the vampires. (thanks to Wikipedia)

Storyline

• After the death of her mother and having no other known relatives, Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel) takes a DNA test...and discovers a long-lost cousin she never knew she had. Invited by her newfound family to a lavish wedding in the English countryside, she's at first seduced by the sexy aristocrat host but is soon thrust into a nightmare of survival as she uncovers twisted secrets in her family's history and the unsettling intentions behind their sinful generosity. — Official synopsis Willing to unlock her family's history, orphaned ceramist Evie takes a DNA test. And not knowing what to expect, Evie is shocked to discover she has a distant cousin she never knew existed. As charming English relative Oliver Alexander offers Evie the chance to meet the rest of the family at a wedding in the clan's palatial estate at New Carfax Abbey, handsome host Walter De Ville sweeps the American guest off her feet, and Evie finds herself wondering. Is there more to enigmatic Walter than meets the eye? Why is Evie, and not the bride, the centre of attention? — Nick Riganas In New York, the brown Evelyn "Evie" Jackson and the black Grace are best friends and work as free-lancers at a catering service. Grace gives a bag to Evie she got in the party they are working with a bottle of wine and a DNA kit. Evie is an aspirant ceramic artist that has just lost her mother and has no family. When she sees the DNA kit, she learns that it belongs to a company that researches family trees to locate members. Evie submits her DNA and soon she learns that she has a distant British cousin, Oliver Alexander, who is working in New York. They schedule a meeting at a restaurant where he explains the color of her skin, and he invites Evie to go to a wedding of one member of the Alexander family in England. He pays her ticket and Evie travels and meets Oliver at the airport. They go to an isolated manor, where Evie meets the owner, the handsome Walter "Walt" De Ville, after a discussion with the rude butler Mr. Field. She is welcomed by her maid Mrs. Swift, by the Alexander family, the friendly Lucy and the obnoxious Viktoria. Evie and Walt are attracted by each other and they have sex. But Evie notes that weird things happen in the mansion, and soon she finds the secret of the families. — Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil