The Summoned

Sign the contract! 

Dark, brooding, and full of all sorts of hallucinogenic metaphors, The Summoned and its mysteries provide once jump scare after another thanks to a supernatural debt which must be paid.  Hold tight, though, all is not as it seems!

"Dark, brooding, and full of all sorts of hallucinogenic metaphors"


 

Will you find yourself among The Summoned?  You might not enjoy your stay in this Self-Help Hell, especially if you are sane and not given to one too many reactions from the devious extremes around you, but, hey, this is the nightmare fuel behind The Summoned and it might just make a hero out of you. 

This self-help retreat is full of moments to seize, yet Elijah (Hamilton's J. Quinton Johnson), who is given every opportunity to drop his skepticism, wallows in mediocrity, or so says the host of this bizarre - and at times completely satirical - self-help retreat, Frost (Frederick Stuart, The Odyssey).  Frost, whose words of advice guide the characters making secret pacts here, might not be about healing the folks who attend, but he’s definitely wanting something from them. 

Turns out, The Summoned is all about settling a generations-old supernatural debt.  Equal parts intense and suspenseful, this film willfully drags the audience into a blood-soaked game of master and servant as those invited to the retreat become hunters, seductresses, and devil-dealing sinners who need a victim in order to complete the deal. The Summoned 

It seems no one wants to pay what is owed, which is why Elijah finds his world spinning out of control.  Full of solid (read as manic!!) performances, The Summoned - and its wild cast of characters - becomes both fun and gripping for audiences already in tune to the murder-mythos of cult classics, which might be a blueprint for this Faustian farce. 

Directed by Mark Meir with a script by Jewish-Ukrainian writer Yuri Baranovsky, The Summoned’s intriguing cast features commanding performances from Emma Fitzpatrick (The Social Network), Salvador Chacon (Mayans M.C.), and Angela Gulner (GLOW) as they work in unison to stir up the paranoia Elijah feels while on the site, feeding it with a bunch of extreme situations as they grow more desperate because they NEED his soul!  

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!

4/5 stars

 Film Details

The Summoned

MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime:

Director
: Mark Meir
Writer:
Yuri Baranovsky
Cast:
J. Quinton Johnson; Emma Fitzpatrick; Angela Gulner
Genre
: Horror | Thriller
Tagline:
There will be be HALL to pay.
Memorable Movie Quote: "You will finally discover your true potential."
Theatrical Distributor:
XYZ Films
Official Site:
Release Date:
July 7, 2022
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:

Synopsis: In THE SUMMONED, young Elijah (Hamilton's J. Quinton Johnson) attends a self-help retreat with his rockstar girlfriend Lyn, unaware that the enigmatic doctor who runs theestate has summoned him here to settle a generations-old supernatural debt.

Art

The Summoned