The Invitation Director Confirms R-Rated Cut on the Way

By Patrick Cavanaugh

Hitting theaters this Friday is the vampiric love story The Invitation, which delivers a number of eerie and unsettling sequences for audiences, though embraces more gothic storytelling sensibilities than overtly gruesome imagery. While it might be landing in theaters with a PG-13 rating, director Jessica M. Thompson recently confirmed that when the film eventually hits home video, it will be doing so with an embrace of all the R-rated material originally shot for the project. Even though a more intense version of the picture is on the way, the theatrical cut still delivers its fair share of tense and visceral exchanges. The Invitation hits theaters on August 26th.

"Well, just so you know, the R version will be coming out on streamers, but the PG-13 version is out in cinemas. I think you may be the first person to know that," Thompson revealed to ComicBook.com. "But yeah, I definitely intended for both. I'm someone who -- I appreciate a bit of gore when it's done in a shocking way and not just like gratuitous. There's definitely a scene that, I won't give away, at the start that I think handles that nicely. But I also think there's something to be said to elevating horror. I thought A Quiet Place was fantastic and it was an incredible PG-13 horror film, one that I really admire. So I think there's a way to still make something horrific, suspenseful, keep that tension there without having to go too far, for sure."

What's surely worth pointing out about Thompson's comments is that she confirmed she intended for both cuts of the film, the slightly more accessible PG-13 cut and the R-rated cut, so rather than merely censoring her initial vision for the picture, it sounds as though these potential rating restrictions were kept in mind while shooting to ensure two equally effective experiences.

In the film, 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 disturbing intentions behind their generosity.  

The Invitation hits theaters on August 26th. Stay tuned for details on the R-rated version of the film.

Are you excited for a more gruesome version of the story? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

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