Review of We Summon the Darkness (2020) by Mjcarrillo96 — 05 Aug 2020

There's nothing wrong here with the premise or even the acting. I would even say this might be Alexandra Daddario's best performance and the cast is clearly having fun. I also liked all the character archetypes that were set up. But unfortunately, each character's desire line feels so unclear, leaving many scenes with empty space and characters doing nothing. After 40 minutes, it becomes pretty clear that the film doesn't quite know how to fill up its already short runtime.

Also, I rarely make this complaint, but this movie definitely isn't violent enough for the kind of cult horror it's going for. There's some witty and crude dialogue but after so much bark and less bite, the film begins to lack a sense of excitement or danger. I really just went in expecting a mindless slasher flick and it doesn't even really deliver on that regard. There are far worse horror movies, but beyond a good cast and pleasant 80's throwback aesthetic, there isn't too much to offer. Although they might be comparable in overall filmmaking quality, I would say something like The Babysitter (2017) makes for a more worthwhile crazy-cult slasher comedy.