We Summon the Darkness

Was all right, entertaining. Had a twist, Alexandra's acting was good, rest was ok. Johnny is Johnny, never disappoints. But Blondie's eyebrows were darker than the movie and they were thicker than the plot. Just saying.

Definitely NOT set in 1988!! Which irritates the hell out of me...don't give a year if you can't get the costuming & props correct! Johnny Knoxville as a pastor?!! Ya, that's believable. Decent B-movie horror

Only thing 80's about this movie was Jolt soda and the old Twinkie boxes. That was literally it. The wardrobe was terrible. The cast looked like modern day posers. I liked some of the actors it's just too bad the story sucked. Especially the ending. The film had a lot of potential. Too bad it ended up the way it did. 5 stars

Once again, a terrible plot, worse acting, and seriously bad, over-the-top, trying-too-hard '80s references. Scant, terrible soundtrack. Too much forced, obvious use of Hot Topic T-shirts...

This film was apparently made by people who didn't live in the 1980s, have bad memories of the '80s, or weren't in the "cool kid" club, then.

Dear Everyone trying to reproduce the 1980s:

Just stop it, already. You're ridiculous.

We Summon the Darkness is a partially fun, nonsensical throwback to 80s slasher flicks, albeit with a mild satanic twist. There's really no depth in the writing (by Alan Trezza) here and it's almost like director Marc Meyers fully acknowledges this. They intentionally play to its B-movie strengths (a.k.a cheap thrills) - a death-metal concert backdrop, a bunch of boys and girls who are up for the textbook definition of a good time, and a little (but quite predictable) twist in the tale. However, the film doesn't fully embrace its Grindhouse potential.

The film gives more screen-time to Daddario, Hasson, and Forsyth. Daddario scores in the latter parts while Hasson keeps the sass levels unchecked. The dudes (Austin Swift, Logan Miller, and Keean Johnson) are serviceable at best, while Knoxville (as Pastor Butler) feels miscast. The gore isn't really off-putting; it just adds to the kills. The off-the-hook comedy barely works too; there's an overall feel of a dumbed-down Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The weapons (one of the most important elements in slashers), used to elevate the shock value, are surprisingly the least memorable.