Director: Marc Meyers
Writer: Alan Trezza (Screenplay)
Starring: Alexandra Daddario, Maddie Hasson, Johnny Knoxville, Keean Johnson, Logan Miller, Amy Forsyth, Allison McAtee
Plot: Three best friends embark on a road trip to a heavy-metal show, where they bond with three aspiring musicians and head off to one of the girls’ country home for an after-party.
Tagline – Be careful what you pray for.
Runtime: 1 Hour 31 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Twist Filled Horror
Story: We Summon the Darkness starts as we follow three friends Alexis (Daddario), Val (Hasson) and Bev (Forsyth) as they are on a road trip to watch a concert, this does seem them clash with three musicians Mark (Johnson), Kovacs (Miller) and Ivan (Swift), with the banter easing things between them and an after party seeing the drinks continue.
The night takes a turn when the satanic killers are revealed and the battle to survive is thrown into the mix with the victims looking to survive.
Thoughts on We Summon the Darkness
Characters – Alexis is the leader of the girls, she knows that Val can be flaky and wants to help Bev be part of the group, when things get out of hand, she takes control, showing that she is the sensible one of the group. Val is Alexis best friend, she enjoys more drinks than the rest, she has the wildest stories of the group. Pastor John is wildly considered the man that is arrange the satanic cult killings, he is seen as a cult leader. Mark is one of the band that attends the after party, he keeps himself looking like a mystery, while showing a more sensitive side.
Performances – Alexandra Daddario in the leading role is entertaining to watch through the film, showing everything her character needs. Maddie Hasson is entertaining to watch through the film, while Johnny Knoxville doesn’t get enough screen time for a character that feels important. The rest of the cast all work well through the film, keeping us guessing on their characters actions.
Story – The story follows three women and three men that attend a party after a concert which takes a twist when a satanic cult reveal themselves putting the two sides fighting to survive. This story does play along the lines of waiting for the reveal and keeping us guessing, though it does seem clear who the villains will be. Where this does stay stronger is by showing us how planned everything is, which adds moments of humor as well as showing the villains thinking on their feet. This is fun to watch once things get going and see just how things will unfold.
Horror – The horror side of this film is more about the tongue-in-cheek style of what we would imagine the normal going, it is on the lines of what Scream did for a slasher film.
Settings – The film is mostly set in one location, the house for the party, it shows us how one side is using it to defend themselves, while the other is using it for the plan.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are used for the basics of injuries, with most working well, but one fire sequence not looking as strong as the rest.
Scene of the Movie – Wake Up.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It goes for one too many twists.
Final Thoughts – This is a horror film that is goes against nearly everything you would know, only to get caught up in the middle of trying to pull off one too many twists for its own good, even if it is an entertaining watch.
Overall: Entertaining Horror
Signature Entertainment & FrightFest Presents presents We Summon The Darkness on Digital HD April 20th and DVD 11th May
