In an “Eyes Wide Shut” manner, the lead character of “Deadly Invitations” (2024) turns up at an underground sex and drug smuggling ring by trusting the unholiest of people. In this Tubi presentation, if one watches closely, the details show themselves as clear as day but what keeps the plot going is the characters continuously failing to read into what is obvious, like a ritual. The threats are words of advice, and the seemingly quizzical confusion could be moments of brain fog following a hangover that the character is trying hard to hide.
In this article, we break down the already simplified plot and answer the probable questions as they arise while watching the movie.
Deadly Invitations (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
“Deadly Invitations” opens with a visibly sick woman trying to find the exit to a masquerade party. As she messily tries to find her way out, she slams into people who seem a bit strange. Noticing her tipsy state, a man in a Guy Fawkes mask offers to bring her car. Despite not having a clear vision, the woman drives her car rough and meets with an accident.
Alex and her daughter, Nicole, move into a suburban town to start anew following Alex’s husband’s death. Nicole is not happy with the erratic decisions of her mother about her life choices. But Alex insists that this is for the greater good of her teen daughter. On their first day at their new house, Alex and Nicole are having a loud argument. Soon, they get interrupted by their new neighbor. Rachel, their new neighbor, is overtly friendly and wants to expand their chat. But Alex cuts her short and drives away for work. Nicole is left with Alex, and they get inside the house to have a drink.
Nicole tells Rachel that she is a social media influencer and model with a staggering 700,000 followers. However, Nicole suggests that something grave has happened in her life, which has made her distance herself from the virtual world. It seems Rachel is trying to probe deeper into Nicole’s personal life and secrets. Nicole chats with Rachel and pours her heart out on her mother’s overbearing parenthood. Rachel goes upstairs to figure out something else.
What does Alex find at her husband’s site of death?
Leaving Nicole with Rachel, Alex drives away to the place where her husband was found dead. In a flashback, we see a bridge from where the car of Nicole’s husband skidded off and landed on the other side. Alex goes back to the bridge but finds a police van and a coroner van at the same spot. She tries to shoot the happenings but a police officer stops her from filming.
Alex tries to talk her way through and assures her that she is a journalist. However, the officer rebukes her for using a celebrity’s death for Tiktok views. Alex tells the police that this is the second identical accident on the bridge, the first one being that of her husband, George Pereira. The wheel marks suggest there must be someone driving off these cars from the bridge. However, the police officer asks her to move away. He dismisses her claims as hot takes that drive her true-crime podcast conspiracy theories.
Alex does not leave. Instead, she goes below the bridge and starts taking photographs of the accident site. She finds the wallet of the victim, Delilah, and keeps it for herself. Just as she is taking a look around, a man sneaks up on her and introduces himself as Gabe, Delilah’s manager. Gabe suggests that it is a suicide, but Alex knows for sure that it is not. Gabe passes on his business card and asks Alex to call him in case she finds more details on Delilah’s death. We now understand that the woman we see at the beginning of the film, Delilah Avery, a popular celebrity, is now dead.
How does Nicole end up in the secret party?
Before heading out of the home, Nicole sneaks into Alex’s purse to look for some cash. However, she finds Delilah’s purse. A black unlabelled card with only a QR code grabs Nicole’s attention. She scans it and finds it to be an exclusive VIP pass to a mysterious party. Nicole shows up at the party. After getting thoroughly scanned and stamped with the ‘smiley’ marker, she is allowed to enter the party. Nicole is instantly attracted to the glitz, the glam, and the loud music. Soon, she realizes that without a mask, she is the only one at the party who is easily distinguishable from the others.
A man in a red mask tries to throw her away from the private party. But the guy wearing a smiling Guy Fawkes mask interrupts and saves her. The guy with the smiling mask recognizes Nicole as the Tiktok girl with a scandal. He tries to show her the exit, but Nicole insists on staying in as this is the most badass thing that has happened to her in months in her otherwise bland life. The man warns that the party is not an average party and that the repercussions might not restrict them to this one night. The two dance their night out. The man gets Nicole drinks, but she throws away the cherries. However, as the two are enjoying the party, a woman is seen keeping a close eye on them. The woman somewhat resembles Rachel.
When does Gabe start helping Alex in her investigation?
As Nicole is partying, Alex begins her investigation by rummaging through Delilah’s social media page. Delilah’s last post seems to be a cry for help, asking her followers to help her in getting out of the party. In the next photo from the same night, she can be seen sipping on a wine glass with the same smiley stamp around her wrist that we see on Nicole’s wrist in the following shot. Alex finds the names of three other girls who were found dead near the bridge. All the four women, including Delilah, were actresses and models of the same age. There is another thing– all of them were at the same party before their death. She gets the pictures of the other girls, who were suggestively at the same party as Delilah, printed. Alex then ponders on contacting Gabe.
The next morning Gabe arrives as Alex feels Gabe might be helpful in shedding light on the connections between the cases. Although Alex’s husband is not from the celebrity industry, Alex feels that there might be a possibility that he has seen something that he should not have. She gives a tour to Gabe on the progress she has made and the mindmap she has created on the evidence she gathered from the crime scene. Nicole wakes up and finds her mother and Gabe talking about the crime scene. Nicole’s arrival at the room and her disposition impresses Gabe. He talks to Alex about the possibility of Nicole being a star.
We learn of the secret recording device that has been fitted inside the switchboard of Alex’s room. The device is capturing the audio and transmitting it to somewhere else. Outside, we see Rachel eavesdropping on the conversation between Alex and Gabe as she jogs. Gabe asks Alex if it is safe to possess Delilah’s wallet as anyone might steal it, but Alex says no one is visiting her, so stealing is not a possibility. The scene ends with Rachel calling someone to slip in the details of the conversation as she stands next to her wardrobe, which is plastered with pictures of Alex and Nicole.
How does Gabe turn up as Nicole’s talent manager?
The second time Gabe arrives, Nicole opens the door for him. Gabe brings a box of gourmet chocolates for them. However, Nicole says she cannot have them as they are filled with cherries. Gabe shows interest in managing Nicole. When Alex returns from the grocery shop, she is taken aback by Nicole’s screams. She goes upstairs to check on her daughter but finds her demonstrating her acting chops to Gabe. This upsets Alex, and she starts lecturing Nicole about the repercussions of quick fame.
Alex asks Gabe to leave, but Nicole says that she has already entered into an agreement with Gabe. Subsequently, Alex brings in Nicole’s past life, where her mental health was severely affected by the fame she received as a social media influencer, to enlighten Gabe on the teen’s incapability to handle fame. Alex feels Gabe, who could not take care of Delilah, is incapable of taking care of her own daughter. Gabe leaves. Later that night, Alex spots someone outside their house. She calls Gabe and asks him to back off, but Gabe makes a video call and proves that he is at his house.
Why can’t Smiley Man remove his mask?
A flashback shows the smiley mask man introducing Nicole to an app where messages disappear every 10 seconds. The app does not allow screenshots. The secrecy is to ensure that details of the party, which is populated by the most influential people, are not out to the public. He says it would be their only means of communication, and he would text her through this app to let her know the time and date of the next party.
In the present time, Nicole receives a disappearing message from the man asking her to be present at the given location. The smiley man arrives in a car, but Nicole is disappointed to see him still wearing the mask. She refuses to share a car with a masked stranger and threatens to leave. The Smiley Man tells her that since he is a big name, he cannot show his face. He is moved by Nicole’s innocence and purity as it is not marred by the toxic world of what he refers to as “the industry.”
Smiley Man reveals his ulterior motive and asks Nicole to help him in finding out the truth about Delilah’s death. When Delilah’s career started to take off, she received an anonymous invitation to attend the masquerade party out of nowhere. Despite being advised against it by the Smiley Man, Delilah went to the party and invited trouble. The Smiley Man accompanied her to the party. However, he lost sight of her and eventually found her drugged and scared. He tried to get to Delilah, but a woman (who we had previously seen watching over Nicole and the Smiley Man at the party, who resembles Rachel) stopped him from reaching Delilah. The next day, Delilah was found dead.
The Smiley Man says he cannot go to the police as he has no concrete proof or any agency or group on his radar. However, he is sure that something very unholy is taking place at these parties. He cannot risk his identity getting known. He tells Nicole that the secret organizers of the party are impressed with Nicole, so she might help him to get close to them. In these parties, girls are getting drugged and killed. He offers Nicole to enter into a quid pro quo deal: if Nicole helps him, the Smiley Man can help Nicole turn her life around.
What happens after Rachel shows up at Alex’s door to drink with her?
As Alex is deep into her mindmaps, the football rings. She finds Rachel at her door, with a wine bottle, in a drunken state who invites herself in. Rachel requests Alex to accompany her in drinking which Alex rejects immediately but later gives in. As the two women start drinking, Rachel asks Alex the story of how George was killed. Alex starts drinking the wine and complements it with the gourmet chocolate that Gabe has brought.
Alex realizes that she is gradually going under the influence of some drugs. Rachel starts interrogating her on the progress she has made in the investigation into Delilah’s death. She asks her about the bridge, but Alex is certain that she has not talked about it. Despite being drugged, Alex has considerable control over her senses as she figures out that Rachel is trying to extract details of her investigation by attempting to manipulate her. Alex asks Rachel to leave as she is certain that Rachel has drugged her through the wine.
Before leaving, Rachel requests her to let her use their restroom. Rachel takes this time to go upstairs and take a look around the evidence that Alex has gathered on the case. As she is taking photographs, Alex reaches upstairs, hobbling. This infuriates Alex, and she asks Rachel to leave. Rachel tries to advise Alex on the repercussions of going down that line which Alex reads as threats. Rachel tells her that the people Alex is looking for have already found her. The next morning, Nicole wakes up from the hangover. She was brought to her room by the Smiley Man the previous night. Nicole finds Alex unconscious in her room. Alex reveals to Nicole that the people she is after are aware of her movements. She tells her about Rachel’s threats. Alex finds Delilah’s wallet gone.
She calls the police and tells them that she was drugged by Rachel. The police, in turn, tell her to produce a urine sample. She lets them know about the threats and the way Rachel was taking photographs surreptitiously. Alex is unable to report the missing wallet of Delilah as she should not have been the one to possess it in the first place. The police do not charge Rachel. Instead, the police come back after taking a round and tell her that Rachel is the one who has specifically asked Alex to stay away from her.
What happens to Julia Knight?
The next day, Gabe appears and says that Nicole has landed herself an offer to audition for an action movie with a big-shot actor. Alex updates him on the progress she has made. Instead of going after the girls who had died, Alex is now looking at girls of the same age group who are still alive but have been at the same parties. One such woman, Julia Knight, messages her back. She agrees to meet Alex on the condition that Alex should come alone, which means Gabe cannot accompany her. Nicole calls the Smiley Man surreptitiously and tells her about Alex’s secret meeting with Julia as this might help him too. Rachel again eavesdrops on this conversation.
At the audition, Nicole meets the bigshot actor and mistakes him for the Smiley Man. Julia gets a secret message on the Fade app from a person who asks her to meet. Julia is scared and tries to avert the stranger, however, the stranger appears. Alex spots Julia at the agreed place and time, but as she walks up to her, she finds her dead. Alex rings 911, but the Smiley Man comes from behind and strangles her.
Deadly Invitations (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
Should the Smiley Man be trusted?
Unable to see her mother’s deteriorating condition and filled with remorse and guilt, Nicole comes to understand that her mother’s claims were not false after all. She asks the Smiley Man to meet her in her room and tells him that she will have a mask around her eyes. Nicole tells him that she needs to uncover the truth for which she has to be present at the next party. The Smiley Man tells her that the details of the underground party are elusive.
The two arrive at the party. The Smiley Man communicates with masked men through sign language. When Nicole tries to grab a drink, the Smiley Man advises her to only drink water at the party as the drinks may contain drugs. As she splits from The Smiley Man to have a look around the party and gather evidence, she finds a girl in a completely drugged state. The girl tells her that she got drugged through the water. Nicole gives her a hand to get out of the place. However, she does not manage to get any further, and the Smiley Man catches up. Alex reaches the location of the party after slipping out of the hospital and informs Gabe about Nicole’s disappearance. She confronts the Smiley Man in a secret room. The Smiley Man reveals his identity: he is Gabe.
The Smiley Man teases her on her belief that it was Rachel who was after her and drugged her. The flashback shows that Gabe, playing the part of Smiley Man, picked on the detail that Nicole was allergic to cherries. So, he specifically got the chocolates with cherries drugged as Nicole would not touch them, and the chocolates would be devoured by Alex alone. Alex had completely forgotten that she had complemented the wine with the gourmet chocolates, so she should have seen the chocolates with suspicion, too. The flashback shows Alex lying drugged on the floor, out of her senses, following Rachel’s departure. The Smiley Man silently showed up and stole Delilah’s purse.
It was Gabe who killed Julia by a drug overdose and then strangled Alex. Gabe tells Alex that he has no answers on how George died. A fight breaks out between the two. Gabe overdoses Alex and explains to her that this is how easy it is with the other girls who are auctioned. In these parties, girls are auctioned who have a fairly new career in the industry.
A drugged Nicole is put on the center stage, and bids are invited for her. Rachel, who is revealed to be a police officer, rescues Alex with an antidotal drug. Alex saves Nicole, who has been held captive in a dark room. The police, helmed by Rachel, raid the party. Nicole, who is unaware of Gabe’s real identity and what has conspired between her mother and him, runs towards Gabe upon spotting him. But Nicole frees herself, and Rachel shoots him. The next morning, the newspaper carries Alex’s article on busting the human smuggling ring. By the end of the film, Nicole and Alex start afresh and rediscover themselves and their relationships.
