From: thevidiotwrites@gmail.com

We Summon The Darkness (2019)

Dir: Marc Meyers
Wir: Alan Trezza

Three BFFs, Alexis (Alexandra Daddario TEXAS CHAINSAW), Val (Maddie
Hasson GOD BLESS AMERICA), and Beverly (Amy Forsyth HELL FEST) are
really stoked to see the heavy metal band Soldiers of Satan live on
stage. While hanging out in the parking lot they make eyes at fellow
metal heads Mark (Keean Johnson ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL), Ivan (Austin Swift
I.T.) and Kovacs (Logan Miller SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE),
who are traveling by van following the band. Hitting it off they enjoy
the fine music and afterwards want to keep the party going. Alexis
offers up her old man’s house and the motley group heads there for a
night of social intercourse and booze.

Trouble is there is an ongoing satanic killing spree in the area.
Eighteen dead so far all due to the newest generation not going to
church and instead listening to heavy metal music. What are the chances
our not so upstanding teenagers will encounter the dark force consuming
the nation?

WE SUMMON THE DARKNESS takes place in the Midwest during the late 80’s. There's a bit of nostalgia, Jolt cola makes an appearance and car phones
are mentioned a couple of times. Mostly though the time period is used
to play into the satanic panic that reached a head in the 80’s. It was a moral panic that went after role playing games such as Dungeons and
Dragons, heavy metal acts Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne, and a shadowy
satanic organization that abused and killed children nationwide. All of
it was garbage of course but it helped to bring in church donations,
sell books written by ‘experts’ and ‘survivors’ and drive television ratings. DARKNESS uses the time period as a jumping off point for its
satire of not only the past but today where we have new outrages to
concern us. JACKASS’ Johnny Knoxville portrays a man of the cloth
fighting the forces of evil in a nod to Ozzy Osbourne portraying a
reverend denouncing rock and roll in the 80’s film TRICK OR TREAT.

The film is decent escapist entertainment. The nostalgia and references
to the satanic scare from thirty odd years ago will be lost on many
viewers. The acting, directing and production values are fine. But the
last third of the film was more sit com or screwball comedy than tension
filled horror film. Characters are running around trying to accomplish
some goal or hide a secret and keep getting interrupted. A bit like an
episode of THREE’S COMPANY. The film is above average but I was
expecting a bit more.

**½ out of ****

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: www.darkrealms.ca (1:229/2)