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This Wild, 2019 Satantic Panic Horror Film Starring Alexandra Daddario Is a Must See for Halloween
This month's Hidden Horrors of Peacock tackles a recent horror film with roots in classic 1980s fears.
Welcome to Hidden Horrors of Peacock, a monthly column spotlighting off-the-beaten-path scary movies available to watch right now on NBCUniversal's streaming service. From cult classics to forgotten sequels to indie gems you've maybe never heard of, we've got you covered.
We've got Satanic Panic on the brain right now thanks to Peacock's upcoming series Hysteria!, and that's led us to consider other horror stories that make use of this rich vein of real-life paranoia and fear. The 1980s were, of course, a hotbed for such feelings, and ever since horror storytellers have been mining those dark emotional depths for material.
There are a lot of ways to tell a Satanic Panic-themed horror story, but few films have ever made it as entertaining as We Summon the Darkness, a 2019 film from director Marc Meyers and writer Alan Trezza. The story of a group of 1980s heavy metal fans caught up in a story of Satanic cults and murder, it combines a winning cast, a smart script, and a sense of humor to create a film that's part black comedy, part home invasion thriller, and all a blast. And if you want in on that action, it's streaming right now on Peacock.
Why We Summon the Darkness is such a fun horror watch
Set in America in 1988, the film begins with a group of three friends –– Alexis (Alexandra Daddario), Val (Maddie Hasson), and Beverly (Amy Forsyth) –– driving to see a heavy metal concert. They're having typical road trip fun, but the world around them is tense. A Satanic cult has been murdering people, leaving dark signs of rituals in their wake, and TV preachers (including one played by none other than Johnny Knoxville) are warning of a reckoning. Still, the girls make it to the show, and quickly befriend three young men (Keean Johnson, Logan Miller, and Austin Swift) who want to party with them.
After the show, at a secluded, spacious house in the country, the girls and the guys get to know each other over copious amounts of alcohol. But something more sinister is brewing underneath this party, something that will change everyone's lives, something connected to that Satanic cult and their bloody sins.
We Summon the Darkness is five years old now, but to say more about what happens next would compromise the spirt of the film, a movie that wants to pull the rug out from under you more than once. It's possible you'll guess the first twist, but what happens after that is more slippery, and more impishly delightful. Meyers makes excellent use of what turns out to be a tight, single-location-based story, turning the house where the party takes place into a chamber of horrors and surprises full of improvised weapons and unexpected pivots, and the cast is game for it all. Daddario and Hasson are especially gleeful in the way they dive headlong into this kind of horror film, but Forsyth's turn as the girl who was never quite on board for a party to begin with is especially compelling.
These ingredients all come together to craft a film that's unexpected, blackly funny, and full of sometimes stunningly violent developments. It might not have the budget or the dark mystery of other Satanic Panic-driven films, but We Summon the Darkness makes up for its with inventiveness, swagger, and a sense of enduring fun that'll keep you hooked right up until then. So, if you still haven't seen this particular indie horror gem, head over to Peacock and give it a try.
And for more Satanic Panic fun, check out all eight episodes of Hysteria!, streaming on Peacock beginning October 18.
