The Invitation has just landed in theaters, offering audiences an updated take on a classic legend. Blending gothic romance, mystery and horror, the film tells the story of Evie, a struggling artist who discovers she has relatives in England and accepts an invitation to a family wedding. Of course, things are not as they seem, and Evie's seemingly-charmed story quickly turns into one of survival.
In addition to featuring strong direction from Jessica Thompson and immersive performances from Nathalie Emmanuel and Thomas Doherty, The Invitation boasts a gripping score by composer Dara Taylor. Originally from New York, Taylor is a classically-trained vocalist and holds a Masters of Music from NYU. Taylor has previously scored a number of projects including Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar and an episode of The Boys Presents: Diabolical.
Dara Taylor spoke with Screen Rant about her experience working on The Invitation, choosing her sonic palette, and more.
Warning: SPOILERS for The Invitation below!
Screen Rant: How did this project come about for you, and what was it like working with director Jessica Thompson?
Dara Taylor: This project came about in the old-school way. I sent in a reel for the project, and I had a meeting, and it seemed like Jess and I really had a similar idea as to how to musically speak for the story.
From the very beginning, two things that Jess and I talked about were finding ways to make it weird, finding a lot of weird sounds to make it feel unsettling, and then the use of female voices. And it was great to utilize both of those things.
And you're a classically trained vocalist, right?
Dara Taylor: Yeah.
Did you sing on this score at all?
Dara Taylor: I did all the scratch vocals, and then I hired three amazing vocalists who are much more in practice than I am. But there are other things that I did that are in the score that you saw and heard. A lot of breathing effects and other mouth noises that are still in there.
That's so cool. Why did you choose to lean so much on vocals, and vocal effects?
Dara Taylor: We wanted the vocals to signify the three brides, and be sort of a siren song that lures her in. At some point it sort of switches as she escapes the manor later on. I can say these things now! [Laughs] I've had interviews where I'm trying to evade what happens. When she escapes the manor, and Evie starts to take hold, then [the vocals] become a little less affected, and [more] forward.
The one thing about the vocals is, earlier in the film, whenever it's kind of the three brides doing their motif, all the vocals are reversed. They were sung one way, and then I reversed them and added a bunch of effects and stuff. It differentiates it, coming from the manor's perspective and the gothic conspiracy versus Evie's perspective.
You have so much really beautiful music that fits with the posh atmosphere, and then you have this other very suspenseful, percussion-heavy music. How do you choose when to be melodic, and when to go right for action?
Dara Taylor: I think it depends on who we're with. There's a scene in the beginning where Evie sees the maids lined up in front of the library, and I remember when I was going through this cue with Jess, we wanted it to be kind of weird, but we wanted to wait to be dark until Evie had left the frame. And now you're seeing what's happening. That's when the women's voices come back in. So it's a lot of, "Where is Evie in this story?" as well. "Are we with her, or are we ahead of her?"
Outside of vocals, you used a lot of other found sounds. Is there anything that's particularly unconventional or weird that made it into the score?
Dara Taylor: Yeah! There's a sander in there. I was writing, and I heard this sound. I thought it was still coming from my rig, and I'm like, "No, where is that coming from?" And I went downstairs, and my boyfriend was in the garage sanding something. And I was like, "Huh! Interesting." Because it had this really buzzy quality to it. So I grabbed my phone, I went downstairs, and I was like, "Do that again." I recorded him sanding whatever it was that he was sanding, and I went upstairs and added a whole bunch of things onto it. It became this kind of ethereal, pad-y, sort of atmospheric sound that's used in a handful of cues.
You've also done straight comedies like Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, and you've done action films. Was it a fun new avenue to do something that had as much suspense as this film?
Dara Taylor: It was a fun avenue. I had done a few indie horror things years and years ago, but it's been a while. It was kind of fun to find out, "What is my voice in horror in 2022 versus in 2017?" But it was also great because it's such a genre-bending movie, so there's horror and suspense, but there's romance, and there are gothic elements. There was just a wide array of toys and tools - pun intended - to play with.
What's next for you?
Dara Taylor: The next thing that is coming out will be The Noel Diary, which is a holiday-based romance dramedy directed by Charles Shyer. It'll be on Netflix sometime later this year, and is starring Justin Hartley.
The Invitation Synopsis
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 unsettling intentions behind their sinful generosity.
Check out our other interviews with The Invitation director Jessica M. Thompson as well as stars Nathalie Emmanuel & Thomas Doherty.
