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We Summon the Darkness 🤘

And the Daddario...

Adam Frazier

17 Apr 2020 • 2 min read

We Summon the Darkness

Genre: Heavy Metal Horror
Release Date: Apr 10, 2020
Running Time: 91 Minutes
Rated: R

Behind the Scenes

Directed by Marc Meyers
Written by Alan Trezza
Cinematography by Tarin Anderson
Music by Timothy Mark Williams
Studio: Saban Films

In Front of the Camera

Alexandra Daddario (HBO’s TRUE DETECTIVE)
Amy Forsyth (CHANNEL ZERO: NO-END HOUSE)
Maddie Hasson (GOD BLESS AMERICA)
Johnny Knoxville (ACTION POINT, BAD GRANDPA)

What’s It About?

“The killing spree of murderous Satanists has already led to 18 deaths throughout America's Heartland. Three best friends Alexis (Alexandra Daddario), Val (Maddie Hasson), and Beverly (Amy Forsyth) embark on a road trip to a heavy metal music festival. Naive, they bond with three seemingly fun-loving dudes and soon the group heads off to Alexis' country home, a very secluded place, for an afterparty. What should be a night of fun and youthful debauchery may instead take a dark, deadly turn. With killers on the loose, can anyone be trusted?” — Saban Films

Why You Should Check It Out

Filmmaker Marc Meyers broke through in 2017 with his critically-acclaimed adaptation of MY FRIEND DAHMER, based on John Backderf’s graphic novel/memoir about his teenage friendship with Jeffrey Dahmer, who later became a serial killer. With his new movie, WE SUMMON THE DARKNESS, Meyers doesn’t deliver a restrained and humane exploration of a serial killer’s psyche but rather a head-banging, hell-raising heavy metal horror flick with a fun cast and a razor-sharp sense of humor.

Daddario, Hasson, and Forsyth are great in their roles, with Daddario more than making up for her previous cinematic sins in the genre (TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D — yikes!) with a turn reminiscent of Megan Fox in JENNIFER’S BODY (Karyn Kusama’s highly underrated 2009 horror-comedy). Also, Johnny Knoxville walks the tight rope of understated and over-the-top as Pastor John Henry Butler, a televangelist looking to take advantage of the fear and anxiety stirred up by the Satanic slayings.

WE SUMMON THE DARKNESS is a fun, subversive horror-comedy that doesn’t quite go far/hard/dark enough to earn a full 🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕 score but still raises plenty of hell. It’s Daddario’s best performance to date and a breakout for Hasson, who’s pitch-perfect as the unhinged party girl Val. I’d highly recommend ordering take-out and checking out Meyers’ film along with any/all of the suggestions below for a heavy metal movie marathon this weekend! I mean, what else are you going to do?

Slices:

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Trailer

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