Film Review

We Summon the Darkness (2019)

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.

by James Steep

Marc Meyers’ latest film, We Summon the Darkness, knows exactly what it is. Although there aren’t many new twists in this horror thriller, what’s most notable is the occasional humour thanks to Alexandra Daddario’s lead performance. Unlike Zombieland (2009), which was a clear-cut horror-comedy, We Summon the Darkness is first and foremost a slasher evoking real suspense while making us laugh along at the desperation of its OTT characters.

Three friends — Alexis (Daddario), Val (Maddie Hasson), and Bev (Amy Forsyth) — entice three boys from a heavy-metal concert back to Alexis’s father’s house. It turns out these girls are part of a murderous Satanic cult and, in a reversal of gender conventions, the boys are their unwitting prey after being drugged and awakening in the midst of a ritual sacrifice. Some may have seen this coming…