Review of We Summon the Darkness (2020) by Umaumai — 07 May 2020

As someone who loves music and goes to see a lot of rock shows, I really enjoyed the setup to this 80’s period thriller. It recalls an unprecedented manic time where the music scene had dramatically risen and influenced a new generation with the advent of MTV.

(Though that’s not directly brought up in the film.) The acting here is really good even if the motivation and characterization of the female leads is sometimes in conflict with their back story. While you can see the broad strokes of the plot coming, I was pleasantly surprised with a few of the twists.

My biggest complaint is that the filming was kind of frenetic along with everyone’s exaggerated motions and movement in the parking lot scene. It really stood out to me like sober people acting drunk.

I’m sure it was an aesthetic choice by the director or the DP, but it was a bit much even if it was to help build some anxiety-driven tension. I think that this early use of energy leads to the film feeling like it’s dragging a bit in the final act.

I’d say it’s worth a watch for anyone who can handle seeing what would be a modest amount of blood for a slasher flick. I definitely think that if you were alive and remember all the media hype during this time that fed parents fears of devil music getting ahold of their children that you should check this out.