We Summon the Darkness

_**Wannabe Tarantino flick about a house of fools**_ In 1988, three ‘metalhead’ teen girls (Alexandra Daddario, Maddie Hasson & Amy Forsyth) travel the sticks of Indiana to a concert featuring the band Soldiers of Satan. They meet three guys (Keean Johnson, Logan Miller & Austin Swift) and take them to a mansion owned by Alexis’ dad to party wherein the fun eventually turns… horrific. “We Summon the Darkness” (2019) is entertaining for the first act as it takes us back to 1988 and a metal concert, which features MF’s “Black Funeral,” but then it bogs down at a mansion for the rest of the movie where it becomes clear that the director & writer were shooting for a Tarantino-like picture. The problem is, they ain’t Tarantino. They lack his writing talents, especially his great dialogues, plus they don’t have the quality actors to pull off the story. Don’t get me wrong, the six main actors do well for an Indie, but they’re not anywhere close to the level of John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bridget Fonda, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, etc. One problem is that the two main girls, Alexis (Daddario) & Val (Hasson), aren’t believable, and I’m talking about after the key revelation is unveiled. They shoot for 100 lb. psycho biyatches, but come across campy and not overly daunting, particularly the alluring Val. Sometimes the movie’s even humorous, making me wonder if it’s an intentional black comedy. In the mansion there’s a lot of screaming and bloodletting that gets eye-rolling and tedious, à la the last acts of "Psycho II" (1983), “Scream” (1996) and “The Hateful Eight” (2015). The message is that appearances can be deceiving and the sheeple can be misguided or fooled, which is a good one, but I didn’t buy the twist’s revelations and I’m not even talking about the initial surprise so much, but rather the whole shebang. Then again, it could be argued that money is the root of all kinds of evil and well-meaning people HAVE been corrupted by the allure of filthy lucre and their followers misguided. Yet it seems too forced here, like the creators had a Lefty agenda and it’s off-putting. Give me “Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood” (2019) any day. The film runs 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot in Winnipeg, Manitoba. GRADE: C/C-

Full Review at **_Horror Focus_** We Summon The Darkness has glimpses or originality and flare throughout, sprouting up through heaps of generic sequences that do more damage than good. Luck enough, these moments do add a little zest to the experience, and remind you that there is a healthy chunk of potential to be admired. Whether it's the charming cast or the plentiful gore, there seems to be something that will keep everyone pleased, even if not fully satisfied. The gore is delicious, the home-invasion game of cat and mouse is entertaining, if a little watered down, and the characters are ultimately the saving grace here, even down to the "coke booger' step-mum which add a tantalisingly fun element to the whole experience. Now, this won't be breaking new ground by any means, but it's still a passable way to kill 90 minutes. Gory, entertaining and often funny at a flaw, boasted by charasmatic performances from Daddario and Hasson. Expect a plot with verve or ingenuity and you will come out of this with a whimper.

Good watch, could watch again and can recommend. Alexandra Daddario ("Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief") is expanding her range again here, I just wouldn't have thought to cast her in a villainous style role, but she rules the scenes she is in, showing her big personality. Amy Forsyth actually shows some big acting strength, mostly by playing a meek character which isn't easy. And I wouldn't have thought Johnny Knoxville (Jack Ass) would have the commanding presence for a preacher, but he fills the atmosphere with power. The movie itself has every sign of being some horrible slasher movie with twists, but the biggest "twist" is that everything careeens out of control. The movie honestly reminded me of "Duplex" more than "Scream". Honestly, without this cast working their butts off this would be a terrible movie, but the story it just interesting enough and the acting good enough to save it. Worth the watch, but I would understand if you want to watch something else: there are a lot of choices.