We Summon The Darkness (2019) - Party And Bullshit Rhetoric

Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll. Or at least two out of three ain't bad. When a trio of girls drive through the country to get to a heavy metal concert, all seems pretty cliche by late 80s standards. But a milkshake to the windshield results in a threesome of boys joining the party, and things start getting pretty wild.

What is it about cults and religion in movies? The two can't ever seem to be mutually exclusive. And what does that say about the mainstream consciousness, spouting their rhetoric about violence in art being imitated in life when the masses are buying movie tickets in droves to see the latest demonic feature, only to be alive and well, ready for the next one. 

The modern substitution for the gospel word seems to be the morality tales told on the big screen. And it's films like this one that seem to succeed at echoing the fear of God in us - just not necessarily the fear of his or her disapproval. Entries like The Wicker Man, Sound of My Voice and Midsommar really drive home the horrors of being on the side of what morally feels wrong; even if that is as one of God's children. And in that lesson lies the complex nature of good and bad.

This isn't an elaborate character study (although I would argue that the lead actors have such great chemistry, that's worth deep analysis), and there's nothing particularly unforgettable about this entry, but what it does for style without completely losing substance is enough to make me join the party and rock out.

The drinking scene has some fantastic lighting and it feels like we're engaging with the group as a whole. It helps when wardrobe does such a fantastic job, all the actors look like they were ripped out of the late 80s. Big hair and nostalgic nods to the celebrities that defined the time are a little too on the nose, but nothing hurts when you're chilling to the max. 

Director Marc Meyers hasn't completely impressed me yet but he certainly has a visual flair for recreating an era. And even if the creators didn't push for Oscar-worthy performances or award-winning cinematography, their story still makes a necessary point about the evils in the world. And that is that it's inside all of us, just waiting to claw its way out. And all it needs is a satanic ritual and a few cups of spiked bourbon.