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.
Review of Invitation to Hell
