X
- 2020
- R
- Saban Films
- 1 h 31 m
- 2020
- R
- Saban Films
- 1 h 31 m
Summary On the way to a heavy metal concert, Alexis (Alexandra Daddario) and two girlfriends hear a news report of a local murder believed to be tied to a series of satanic killings. After the show, the girls invite three guys to join them at the estate owned by Alexis’s father, a fire-and-brimstone preacher (Johnny Knoxville). What starts as a ...
Directed By: Marc Meyers
Written By: Alan Trezza
- 2020
- R
- Saban Films
- 1 h 31 m
- 2020
- R
- Saban Films
- 1 h 31 m
We Summon the Darkness
55
4.7
Where to Watch
Summary On the way to a heavy metal concert, Alexis (Alexandra Daddario) and two girlfriends hear a news report of a local murder believed to be tied to a series of satanic killings. After the show, the girls invite three guys to join them at the estate owned by Alexis’s father, a fire-and-brimstone preacher (Johnny Knoxville). What starts as a ...
Directed By: Marc Meyers
Written By: Alan Trezza
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
55
50% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
36% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
14% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
55
50% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
36% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
14% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Daddario’s work is a ferocious joy to watch, particularly in light of how well We Summon the Darkness holds back on secrets.
We Summon The Darkness is a wickedly fun and delightfully devilish thrill ride led by electric performances from Alexandra Daddario and Maddie Hasson.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 18 User Ratings
4.7
22% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
50% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
28% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 18 User Ratings
4.7
22% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
50% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
28% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
Alot better film than I expected. More of a comedy than a horror film or even a thriller because alot of the dialogue is played for laughs and theres alot of situational comedy involving the 3 girls, 2 of whom are idiots. Johnny Knoxville is good, albeit in a rather small role.
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Lets start off, people claiming this does not look anything like the 80s are looking at the wrong (lamer) side of the 80s. This doesn't look like Stranger things and the people who lived through that part of the 80s apparently forgot what the edge end of the 80s looked like.
Visually everything is very authentic. To the Jeep Cherokee (before they added grand) To the metal head girl look of a bleach blonde with brown eyebrows, To talking about Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer instead of groups like Iron Maiden and Ozzy. The ONLY inauthentic thing I saw was a modern 100$ bill amongst period appropriate 100s. The look, the feel, the dialog, makeup, even casting fit well with the late 80s aesthetic of the 1988 period this is set **** trio of girls look like they just stepped out of Great White's "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" video.(Forgot just how amazing jeans of that era looked) Even the "satanic panic" of that period was represented.
Now past that even the plot is reminiscent of 80s slasher flicks, just with its twist.
For what it was it is the best representation of the 80s I have seen. That does not mean its a great film. It is definitely watchable and the story gave me a few good laughs along the way. If it had not been a period piece it would have only netted a 5 in my book. Where they absolutely nailed the 80s metal aesthetic Ill gift it 2 additional points to bring it up to 7. Just a shame this couldn't be cranked up to 11. Even still its one of the most accurate depictions of the 1980s to come out of this recent rash of 80s nostalgia in TV and film.
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We Summon the Darkness reveals itself to be a fun ride when all is said and done because nobody on-screen knows what he/she is doing.
We Summon the Darkness is a psycho thriller that pulls the bloody rug out from under you, and does it in a shivery sly way.
The proceedings are not entirely unamusing in their lurid way, but they’re also not nearly as clever as the filmmakers believed or hoped they would be.
We Summon the Darkness is fine throughout; but it peaks in its first third, when nothing much is happening beyond some very good actors recreating the small-town rock ’n’ roll lifestyle of the recent past.
The film’s cat-and-mouse antics play out with no sense of escalation or invention.
As someone who loves music and goes to see a lot of rock shows, I really enjoyed the setup to this 80’s period thriller. It recalls an unprecedented manic time where the music scene had dramatically risen and influenced a new generation with the advent of MTV. (Though that’s not directly brought up in the film.) The acting here is really good even if the motivation and characterization of the female leads is sometimes in conflict with their back story. While you can see the broad strokes of the plot coming, I was pleasantly surprised with a few of the twists. My biggest complaint is that the filming was kind of frenetic along with everyone’s exaggerated motions and movement in the parking lot scene. It really stood out to me like sober people acting drunk. I’m sure it was an aesthetic choice by the director or the DP, but it was a bit much even if it was to help build some anxiety-driven tension. I think that this early use of energy leads to the film feeling like it’s dragging a bit in the final act. I’d say it’s worth a watch for anyone who can handle seeing what would be a modest amount of blood for a slasher flick. I definitely think that if you were alive and remember all the media hype during this time that fed parents fears of devil music getting ahold of their children that you should check this out.
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Much better than expected and Daddario really pulls off the psycho well. I think the people who say this doesn’t look like the eighties maybe never grew up in the 80’s. That or they just have a very limited view of what the 80’s looked like. To me this represents the late 80’s very well. The metal scene during that era was big and the Bible thumping religious zealots who declared it satans music, was all over the place.
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There's nothing wrong here with the premise or even the acting. I would even say this might be Alexandra Daddario's best performance and the cast is clearly having fun. I also liked all the character archetypes that were set up. But unfortunately, each character's desire line feels so unclear, leaving many scenes with empty space and characters doing nothing. After 40 minutes, it becomes pretty clear that the film doesn't quite know how to fill up its already short runtime.
Also, I rarely make this complaint, but this movie definitely isn't violent enough for the kind of cult horror it's going for. There's some witty and crude dialogue but after so much bark and less bite, the film begins to lack a sense of excitement or danger. I really just went in expecting a mindless slasher flick and it doesn't even really deliver on that regard. There are far worse horror movies, but beyond a good cast and pleasant 80's throwback aesthetic, there isn't too much to offer. Although they might be comparable in overall filmmaking quality, I would say something like The Babysitter (2017) makes for a more worthwhile crazy-cult slasher comedy.
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They summon the mediocrity, and that's about it.
Suddenly even VOD releases are now coveted and sought out with the current insanity, but don't fall for this lowest common denominator cliche nonsense of a film. It's marketed as yet another 80's themed nostalgia trip with a slasher horror Genre focus. Well to be honest it's neither and truly an embarrassing low budget production. It's really just a bunch of cliches around every corner intertwined in a really shallow story with extremely unlikable characters. There's a few references to Metallica and some leather/chains and they think that's enough to make it (80s fare). The attempted slasher aspects come off as cheap dark comedy and the big twist was pretty lackluster. Knoxville was really the only thing worth anything as it was interesting seeing him in this type of role.
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Production Company
Common Enemy,
The Fyzz,
Magna Entertainment,
LB Entertainment,
Highland Film Group (HFG),
Iconic Media One,
Litecoin Foundation,
MEP Capital,
Nightshade Entertainment
Release Date Apr 10, 2020
Duration 1 h 31 m
Rating R
Tagline Be careful what you pray for.
Website
https://www.netflix.com/
Awards
ACTRA Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Screamfest
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Molins Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
