DEATH BY INVITATION (1971) Directed by Ken Friedman
Something Weird DVD-R
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THE FILM
Women's Lib. It's definitely a good thing. When Miss Lise crashes the party with her bag of body parts, the angst can only grow sweeter. Or stranger. Suddenly, I feel a need to join the cause.
Before knuckling under mounds of porno in the 1980s, producer-director Leonard Kirtman uncorked our minds with three steps into grody horror. If Carnival Of Blood (1970) and Curse Of The Headless Horseman (1974) are the contrasting bookends of the trio (one amazing, one incredibly shitty), then Death By Invitation (1971) is the pleasing compromise. This time around, the addition of director Ken Friedman can't fool anyone. Kirtman's Carnival-soaked paws are sunk deep into this downbeat clump of artsy/inept witchcraft recklessness. Come to think of it, Lise's talons sink in pretty deep too. Who's ready for dinner?
The colonial-era Lise (TV actress Shelby Leverington in her first role) is dragged through a town square. Some of the locals wear Herk Harvey spook paint and possibly Jordache jeans. Lise is bound and gagged, then (assumingly) burned at the stake. Jump to the 1970s. A fat ad executive with not one, but two lazy eyes pops veins while his affluent family get the bump from a reincarnated Lise. Damned be the ancestors! Between silent dinner scenes and cops talking about doped-up delinquents, Ms. Lise stares into the camera and delivers two lengthy monologues about ancient feminist cannibal orgies ("Greased and oiled bodies...eating...naked!"). She kills by fingernails, suffers from flashbacks, and may or may not want to have sex. Revenge can be sweet, but only if you're single.
Death By Invitation may be an incoherent mess, but nobody involved ever caught on. That's why it works. The film thrives on dedicated nonsense, but like Satan's Black Wedding, there's a whole lot to love: Lise looks like a model, but everyone else is a freak. Music cues jump from air organ simplicity to sappy library cues to pounding, epileptic freak-outs in a matter of seconds. The shots are atypical, ambiguous, and sometimes terrible. Most everyone answers questions with other questions. The film introduces bits of treading that would dog Curse Of The Headless Horseman, but even the slowest (and most humorous) scenes are touched with a creepy, early 70s magnetism. It's ingrained from the get-go. Even the bloodied little kid says so.
Domesticate the men and...do something with the women...? Sure, why not! Raise your fists and join the fight. Lise is counting on us.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
This print is struck from the only color 35 mm negative in existence, but don't be worried. Every green emulsion line, every buzzing camera noise, and every odd jump cut is a glowing addition to Leonard Kirtman's Special Vision. The print is slightly rough, but colors are thick with contrast and 1970s purity. I loved it. No compression artifacting was evident during the feature.
EXTRAS
All of Something Weird's DVD-Rs put out for nearly two straight hours, stopping only when capacity calls. Naturally, the surprises are always a treat. Highlights among the random goodies are trailers for Carnival Of Blood/Curse Of The Headless Horseman, Terror At Orgy Castle, The Curious Dr. Hump, and four TV spots for The Deadly Organ aka Feast Of Flesh. A fifteen minute LSD freakbeat party scene tucks us in before bed, along with a filthy little trailer for Evil Come, Evil Go.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Death By Invitation is dark, disorderly, and mostly baffled, but it delivers to those who are patient. If you enjoyed Carnival Of Blood and appreciate Nick Millard's films, this one's giving you the eye.
— Joseph A. Ziemba, 04.06.06 | 
Lise'd at the stake
Stallone would lose
Those things can cut diamonds
Goody guts
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