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- All in all, The Summoned is a newfound throwback that could easily rub shoulders against all the wacky and weird offerings that haunted midnighter lineups. Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Jun 10, 2022 Rotten Tomatoes, home of the Tomatometer, is the most trusted measurement of quality for Movies & TV.
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Summoned to an exclusive self-help retreat, a young man learns that he must settle a supernatural debt that dates back generations. Rent The Summoned on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV,...
- (16)
- J. Quinton Johnson
- Mark Meir
- Horror, Mystery & Thriller
- A self-help retreat turns into a hellish getaway.
- Best Horror Movies on Netflix
- Which 2022 horror movie are you most excited to see?
- Verdict
By Matt Donato
Updated: Jun 11, 2022 10:42 pm
Posted: Jun 10, 2022 8:17 pm
The Summoned had its world premiere at Overlook Film Festival, and currently doesn't have a wide release date.
Mark Meir’s The Summoned is a modern take on old-school horror storytelling about deals made with the devil. It’s reminiscent in tone and playfulness to something Brian Yuzna or Stuart Gordon would have produced in the ‘80s — you can immediately tell who Barbara Crampton or Jeffrey Combs would play. That’s a compliment, given how we still talk about Re-Animator and Society. Not to claim The Summoned will be as worshiped as either cult classic — it won’t — but there’s still plenty of entertainment to be found in Meir’s wildly character-driven story about unholy pacts, self-help follies, and sinners pretending to be saints.
J. Quinton Johnson stars as a hopeful musician Elijah, the secret boyfriend of megastar performer Lyn (Emma Fitzpatrick). The duo attend a self-help gathering at a mansion deep in the middle of nowhere, with real-world Tony Stark type named Joe (Salvador Chacon) and flirtatious celebrity Tara (Angela Gulner). Over the course of the film, the host, Frost (Frederick Stuart), dares the attendees to explore their past regressions and embrace change — which is where the games begin. Everyone’s charisma becomes a weapon, as screenwriter Yuri Baranovsky satirically uses the self-help retreat story as a cover for selfish evils that make Elijah a target in multiple ways.
The Faustian influences that power The Summoned aren’t subtle, as Baranovsky works religion into Frost’s speeches early. Frederick Stuart oozes all the off-center charisma Jeffrey Combs brought to sophisticated gamesmen who mess with characters through psychological torments. Elijah enters the group therapy scenario as a meek partner, and is pushed by Frost to confront Lyn about his feelings of being hidden from the public. Every fireside conversation, or private session away from Lyn drives a wedge between lovers that starts driving Elijah crazy. Meir’s vision as director keeps pushing forward into Elijah’s spiral as the wheels come off, finding sick enjoyment in one man’s paranoia as the healing getaway turns into something unexpectedly dreadful.
The Summoned relies on performances to elevate levels of psychosis, once we learn more about Tara’s intentions behind seducing Elijah or Jose’s offer to invest millions in Elijah. Angela Gulner seems to be having a ball as she plays the livestreaming seductress who gives herself to blood-soaked tendencies. Once appearances drop and The Summoned reveals its satanic nature, it’s Gulner who stands out while making “F*ck Marry Kill” jokes and waving an axe. Everyone has their moments, whether that’s Emma Fitzpatrick’s attic monologue while twirling a knife or Salvador Chacon’s comical frustrations over the amount of work he’s forced to complete, but it’s Gulner who stands a little taller in her wicked ways. Should her character be on a VHS cover for The Summoned, she’d be smiling back at you while dripping red — and that’d be the reason you rented The Summoned from Blockbuster that night.
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Meir’s approach to horror is tricky because this is a moralistic tale of offered souls, so he finds ways to insert nightmare hallucinations that terrorize Elijah at night. The Summoned is violent and deadly, but not exactly a haunted house tale with traditional horror imagery — these montages of gravediggers and talking corpses help sell harder genre elements. Meir’s tone is more funny than frightening, which makes The Summoned a pleasant midnighter that seems influenced by Sam Raimi the way cameras zoom on speeding cars or whip as women quickly raise rifle sights to their eyes. These are the more successful moments of The Summoned, since Elijah’s premonitions or whatever he’s seeing can be confusing and jarring spliced between narrative movement. I appreciate the way Meir wants to mess with his audience’s heads, but it’s not always the cleanest storytelling — the wheels come off for damn sure, and that also means it's a wobbly ride at times.
All in all, The Summoned is a newfound throwback that could easily rub shoulders against all the wacky and weird offerings that haunted midnighter lineups. J. Quinton Johnson does a splendid job reacting with less and less sanity to his developing dilemma, surrounded by strong supporting maniacs who push his character to multiple breaking points. M...
- Matt Donato
The Summoned begins in tantalising fashion and benefits from the work of skilled lead J. Quinton Johnson, yet becomes considerably less interesting the longer it ambles on. Full Review | Original...
Feb 5, 2020 · The Summoned may not be a huge gamechanger of a film, but it is well-made and different enough to stand out and be a nice change from the business as usual. It’s a good choice for a weekend afternoon watch.
- Mark Meir
Jul 6, 2022 · An enjoyable little film with something meaningful to say, The Summoned appreciates the value of trickery and has a devilish sense of humour. Reviewed on: 06 Jul 2022. Share this with others on...
Jul 7, 2022 · But what happens when that retreat is merely a trap and leads you into a hellish spiral of violence? Such is the case in Mark Meir’s feature film debut The Summoned, out now on digital and VOD.
Jul 5, 2022 · Mark Meir's acclaimed Faustian morality tale, The Summoned, lands on North American VOD on July 7th, following a celebrated World Premiere at the 2022 Overlook Film Festival. The psychosis is strong with this one!
