The Summoned

             Elijah (J. Quinton Johnson) and Lyn (Emma Fitzpatrick) are not your average couple, as there are some complications they deal with that very few experience.  You see Lyn is a successful singer and well Elijah is a mechanic, two careers at the opposite side of the job spectrum. They are traveling to a retreat that Lyn has been summoned to in which she hopes the that it will help them iron out the tension in their relationship, but this weekend might just create some new ones.

             Couples retreats don’t always work and there seems to be more bad in them than good. This though is not so much a couple retreat as Elijah and Lyn are they only couple. The other guests are Joe (Salvador Chacon), who is some rich guy who sells things and Tara (Angela Gulner), who is an actress, and also seems like one of those annoying types. Now that they are all here they meet their host Dr. Frost (Federick Stuart), who is calm and gives them all a welcoming speech and what rooms they will all be staying in. Things start off a little bumpy for Elijah as he falls asleep and has the kind of dream that is going to leave some marks. Woken up by Lyn and feeling a little disorientated, he is told that Dr. Frost would like to have a little get together around the fire. Once there he wants them to get in their feelings and when it is Elijah’s turn, he first declines, but when he is asked to sing a song he has worked on, finally gives in.That is where it appears a wedge might have been put between him and Lyn as the night is only going to get a little stranger for Mark.

Written by Yuri Baranovsky, The Summoned  does take a while to get going and struggles to come together in a coherent way. Baranovsky does find a way to give you some hints of the devilish things that are happening and does have some clever twists and betrayals. As the craziness start to happen, Elijah finds a clue to what is going on and starts to figure a way out. The problem though that it might be too late for that but Elijah finds help in the strangest place that just might help turn the odds to be in his favor.

  Director Mark Meir attempts to bring to life a good ol’ fashioned story on the pits and perils of making a deal with the devil. While the set up drags more than it should, once the turn start to happen the movie picks up the pace and things get a lot better. The other thing that plagues the movie is poor character development. Other than the stereotypes the film leans on, it’s hard to connect with any of them. A couple of other positives is the film shot really well and the music helps some to set the tone they are going for. The Summoned  for its warts is still is pretty enjoyable due to some good bones in its story. While some of its ideas are never fully realized it does pull enough of them off all while giving you even more reasons to never make a deal with the devil.