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No matter how many security systems or doorbell cameras we may set up, danger could still be waiting around the next corner. And the short horror film Invader finds a family terrorized by an intruder—and a young woman trying to get help.
Invader begins as Ana (Vero Maynez) arrives in Chicago to visit her cousin, Camila. Ana’s bus arrives in the middle of the night—much later than expected, due to heavy traffic—and when she tries to call her cousin, she can’t get through. After a run-in with a creepy cab driver, Ana sets out on foot—but when she arrives at her family’s suburban home in the morning, no one comes to the door. Worried that her cousin is in danger, Ana sets out to find help—and some answers.
Even before she begins to worry that something here has gone horribly wrong, Ana faces her share of challenges. Alone at night in a strange city where she doesn’t fully speak the language, her plans suddenly changed, she finds herself struggling to communicate—and to get the help she needs. And, unfortunately for Ana, that’s just the beginning of the nightmare that’s waiting for her. It’s a tense setup—and the suspense just continues to grow as Ana begins her search for Camila.
The film then follows Ana as she teams up with her cousin’s coworker, Carlo (Colin Huerta), to figure out what’s happened to her family. Once they finally get inside Camila’s house, what they discover is horrifying and absolutely senseless. And while viewers may have suspected the worst along with Ana, they get to see it in full, terrifying detail—and it only continues to escalate from there.
As this compact horror story races to its conclusion, it spirals into a chaos of dark, tight shots—of noise and blurred action and confusion. At times, it’s hard to tell what’s happening—who’s fighting, who’s injured, who’s getting away—and it all feels hazy. The disorienting action can definitely be frustrating, but it also adds to the tension of this already chilling home invasion thriller.
Invader is a surprisingly short movie—just over an hour long—but that was a wise choice on the part of the filmmakers, who packed the horrors into a short runtime instead of trying to stretch it out. Admittedly, there isn’t much to the story—but it’s still a simple but effective horror movie.
You can get caught up in the horrors when Invader comes to select theaters on February 21, 2025—or view it in your own home on demand on March 25, 2025.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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