The table is set, the wine is poured and the time has come to take your seat at the table as we delve into Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation. From a history of dinner parties to the dynamics of grief, we’re serving up a once in a lifetime, four-course meal of analysis.

 

Class of 2021 Merch is here! Original art by Slutfocate

Become a Patron!

 

Salem Horror Fest 2021 – tickets and info now available!

REQUIRED READING

The Invitation. Dir. Karyn Kusama, 2015.

EXTRA CREDIT

Millennials have dinner parties, they just don’t call them that. Nisha Chittal’s analysis of the history and evolution of dinner parties.

 

The American Dinner Party. A detailed breakdown of what constitutes a dinner party by Amy Nash.

 

Rue Morgue TV: An Expert on Cults Reviews The Lodge.

 

What is it about California and Cults? A history and analysis of the Golden State’s relationship with cults.

 

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism. Amanda Montell’s book about cults and their wide-ranging influence.

 

One More Time with Feeling. The Nick Cave documentary that follows the singer as he completes the album Skeleton Tree after the death of his son.

 

The White Album. Joan Didon’s iconic essay and essay collection about the West coast and the end of the ’60s.

 

The Epidemic of Despair: Will America’s Mortality Crisis Spread to the Rest of the World (2020) by economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton. Some findings from their book, Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism.

 

LISTEN