Amidst of a series of unsolved murders attributed to a satanic cult, three best friends go on a road trip to a metal concert where they meet three guys with a totally rad van. Post-concert, they decide to go back home with their three new friends and then things become interesting.
Written by Alan Trezza, the story has a Satanic Panic feel to its background, which is most likely very wanted as it takes place at some point in the 1980s in the Midwest, right in the heart of Americana and preachers with odd ideas. The girls here are fairly well-written and the guys they join up with are decently done as well. The story itself is good and if the viewer goes into it as cold as possible, there will be some nice surprises. The only issues with the story come from some of the references and the car-phone and a few other things that make it harder to guess what year it may be taking place in, the mix of things seems to indicate more than one year, so that’s something to try and ignore. With this writing, director Marc Meyers does decent work and makes a fun film out of a clearly decently written script. The work of Trezza and Meyers together makes for a fun film and an easy watch.
Helping the film along is the cast led by Alexandra Daddario, Maddie Hasson, and Amy Forsyth who place the trio of besties going to a concert and having some fun afterwards. Joining them are Keean Johnson, Logan Miller, and Austin Swift as the three dudes they meet at the show. Rounding out the cast are Johnny Knoxville and Allison McAtee as the preacher and his ex-wife. The cast does good work in general with Amy Forsyth coming out as the best of the bunch and the most appealing to watch as well. Her work here sets her apart in a good way. She’s the one to watch here even though she’s is not top billed.
The film’s soundtrack here is a point of interest with some nice 80s style songs and covers, even a few actually recognizable pieces by the original artists (well at least one and an off-sounding version of Belinda Calisle song). The music is fun and it works, but it can’t be looked into too deeply to keep the sheen of the film on. Same thing happens with the costumes, which while cute as can be for the girls, a few of the pieces feel out of place for some reason that is hard to pinpoint at times. It may be the fit, or the fabrics, but something about some of their clothes feels like a nostalgia collection and not actual pieces from the 80s.
We Summon The Darkness is a fun film, but does require that the viewer be ready to ignore a few things that will take some people out of the story as they try to figure out what year it takes place in. The performances are good, the story is fun, the direction makes it all easy to watch, so it’s the kind of movie that makes for a good Friday night with some friends, watching the mayhem go down, which there is plenty of here.