What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Invitation
Karyn Kusama · Film · 2016
If you loved The Invitation, start with Homecoming (Sam Esmail, 2018) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Invitation across media.
If The Invitation hooked you, it is because you crave stories where social settings mask deep, suffocating paranoia and lingering trauma.
Books on the same thread
The Haunting of Hill House
Shirley Jackson · Book · 1987
Shares a thread with The Invitation: gaslighting.
Like the dinner party in The Invitation, this classic explores the fragility of sanity within a confined space, trapping you in the same suffocating dread and psychological isolation.
The Tenant
Freida McFadden · Book · 2025
Explores: unreliable narrator, home invasion, hidden agendas.
This story mirrors the domestic tension found in The Invitation, forcing you to question the hidden agendas of a stranger who invades your private, safe environment.
The Cabin at the End of the World
Paul Tremblay · Book · 2018
Explores: Moral dilemma, Isolation, Apocalyptic cults.
Just as The Invitation centers on the terror of being trapped with a sinister group, this novel pushes you into a moral dilemma where reality feels dangerously unreliable.
The Housemaid
Freida McFadden · Book · 2022
Shares a thread with The Invitation: gaslighting.
You will recognize the gaslighting and suspicion present in The Invitation here, as this domestic thriller keeps you guessing about the true intentions of those living around you.
Series on the same thread
The Leftovers
Damon Lindelof · Series · 2014
Shares 3 threads with The Invitation: Grief, Loss, Cults.
This series explores the same heavy themes of grief and trauma that drive the characters in The Invitation, showing how loss can open doors to unsettling, mysterious forces.
Homecoming
Sam Esmail · Series · 2018
Shares a thread with The Invitation: Psychological Thriller.
The paranoia you felt watching The Invitation returns here, as the story masterfully unravels a corporate conspiracy that forces you to doubt the validity of your own memories.
Servant
Tony Basgallop · Series · 2019
Shares 3 threads with The Invitation: Grief, Gaslighting, Psychological Thriller.
This show captures the same claustrophobic grief found in The Invitation, where a shared loss becomes the catalyst for a terrifying, fanatical intrusion into a private home.
Severance
Dan Erickson · Series · 2022
Shares a thread with The Invitation: Psychological Thriller.
Like the unsettling shift in power seen in The Invitation, this series uses memory manipulation to build a sense of distrust that will make you question everyone's motives.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Deca Tapes
Lex Noteboom · Podcast · 2025
Shares 2 threads with The Invitation: paranoia, psychological thriller.
This podcast mirrors the locked-room tension of The Invitation, plunging you into a state of social isolation and paranoia where you must decipher the truth from lies.
The Truth
The Truth · Podcast · 2026
Explores: human condition, experimental storytelling, moral ambiguity.
These cinematic stories echo the moral ambiguity and suspense of The Invitation, offering brief, intense windows into worlds where the human condition is pushed to its absolute limit.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Invitation a movie about a dinner party?
Yes, The Invitation centers on a dinner party hosted by Eden and David. Will and his girlfriend Kira attend the gathering to see old friends, but the evening takes a tense turn when Will begins to suspect that their host David has ulterior motives for the event.
Who directed The Invitation?
The Invitation is a 2016 film directed by Karyn Kusama. The story follows Will as he attends a social gathering at the home of his ex-wife, Eden, and her new partner, David, where he becomes increasingly concerned about the true intentions of the hosts.
What is the premise of The Invitation?
In The Invitation, Will and his girlfriend Kira are invited to a dinner party held by Will's ex-wife Eden and her new partner David. While the evening starts as a relaxed reunion with old friends, Will soon suspects that David is hiding a sinister plan from his guests.
Is The Invitation released in 2016?
Yes, The Invitation was released in 2016. Directed by Karyn Kusama, the film depicts a dinner party hosted by Eden and David where Will, an attendee, grows suspicious of his host's behavior throughout the course of the evening.