‘This is supposed to scare other people, not us…’
We have been spoilt with high end horror movies as works of art recently. I’m sorry to cite these films yet again, but Get Out, Mother! and Hereditary really have raised the bar. At the other end of the scale, the Happy Death Day franchise is a whole lot of fun, and We Summon the Darkness is certainly closer to the latter than the former.
Three best friends set out on a road trip to catch a heavy metal concert during the height of the satanic rituals craze of the ’80s. Group leader Alexis (Alexandra Daddario) tries to keep wild card Val in check (Maddie Hasson), while the more reserved Beverly (Amy Forsyth) settles for a role on the sidelines.
Director Marc Meyers vision of the ’80s is much closer to Detroit Rock City than Stranger Things, and this really pays off in the mostly good natured first act. Once We Summon the Darkness becomes a more traditional slasher movie, complete with twists and bucketloads of gore, it sadly becomes less interesting. That being said, it never outstays its welcome and Meyers makes the most of what was undoubtedly a small budget. The cast do well to rise above their generic characters with all three female leads having a blast, and that infectious enthusiasm rubs off on the audience too. By the end, nobody is sure who we are rooting for, and then Jonny Knoxville shows up, which is… an interesting turn of events.
I’m 23 days in to this horror film marathon now, and there have been more ups than downs. We Summon the Darkness is probably closest to the kind of horror movies I was raised on. Straightforward slasher flicks, the kind of movies that pretty much became redundant the moment that Scream was released. This isn’t a criticism. Sometimes there is nothing better than bathing in the warm glow of familiarity.
All in all, We Summon the Darkness has the heart of the ’80s mixed the goofball charm of some of the milder ’90s horror flicks, and while it certainly isn’t a masterpiece, it’s far from terrible either. The kind of level that I myself aim for in most areas of life.