Writer/director Peter Sullivan's thriller SUMMONED feels like what you would get if Stephen King and John Grisham teamed up to write a story together. It's a legal mystery in the form of a ghost story, about the spirit of an infamous serial killer who has returned for revenge.
Ashley Scott plays Laura, a former juror on the Midnight Murderer case, who is now living a quiet life in Marin County. But when the foreman of the jury, who also wrote a book about the case, supposedly commits suicide, she gets suspicious. After two more jurors are found dead, Laura becomes convinced it's murder... and worse, the jurors are being hunted in order of the juror numbers. Guess who's next in line? She teams up with a cop (Bailey Chase), who thinks that they're dealing with a copycat until a couple of creepy scenes lead her to believe that the perp is really the serial killer himself... having returned from the grave. His partner (Cuba Gooding Jr) was an investigator on the original case and together, they make a startling discovery that will throw the whole trial into question. You may see some things coming, but this evocative thriller has enough surprises to keep you guessing.
The performances are strong. Ashley Scott is amazing as the troubled lead who is still dealing with the death of her child, Bailey Chase is solid as a skeptical detective who needs some convincing on the supernatural front, and Cuba Gooding Jr. is good as the veteran cop with a secret. And, refreshingly, he's not the killer.
Summoned is cut from the same cloth as movies like THE RING, and there's also some similarity to the underrated EXORCIST III. In fact, there's a decent scare in this movie very similar to a scene from that film. Most of the gore is off screen, but director Sullivan still knows how to make the audience uncomfortable and build a creepy mood. Recommended.
Ashley Scott plays Laura, a former juror on the Midnight Murderer case, who is now living a quiet life in Marin County. But when the foreman of the jury, who also wrote a book about the case, supposedly commits suicide, she gets suspicious. After two more jurors are found dead, Laura becomes convinced it's murder... and worse, the jurors are being hunted in order of the juror numbers. Guess who's next in line? She teams up with a cop (Bailey Chase), who thinks that they're dealing with a copycat until a couple of creepy scenes lead her to believe that the perp is really the serial killer himself... having returned from the grave. His partner (Cuba Gooding Jr) was an investigator on the original case and together, they make a startling discovery that will throw the whole trial into question. You may see some things coming, but this evocative thriller has enough surprises to keep you guessing.
The performances are strong. Ashley Scott is amazing as the troubled lead who is still dealing with the death of her child, Bailey Chase is solid as a skeptical detective who needs some convincing on the supernatural front, and Cuba Gooding Jr. is good as the veteran cop with a secret. And, refreshingly, he's not the killer.
Summoned is cut from the same cloth as movies like THE RING, and there's also some similarity to the underrated EXORCIST III. In fact, there's a decent scare in this movie very similar to a scene from that film. Most of the gore is off screen, but director Sullivan still knows how to make the audience uncomfortable and build a creepy mood. Recommended.