By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 hour ago
Alexandra D’Addario is a gifted, Emmy-nominated actor known for her great work in award-winning shows like White Lotus. Of course, she’s also famously attractive, and her appearances in everything from True Detective to Baywatch have had men drooling from one corner of the internet to the other.
Whether you’re more a fan of her acting or her beauty, I’ve got good news: We Summon the Darkness (2019) is Alexandra D’Addario’s best work, and you can stream this spooky, sexy classic (one that also features Jackass legend Johnny Knoxville) for free on Tubi and Plex.
The Deadliest Women In Horror
The premise of We Summon the Darkness is that three young women in the late ‘80s are fans of heavy metal, linking up with a trio of hapless dudes at a concert in Indiana. Unfortunately for the fellows, these girls are also into something else: grisly human sacrifice. Unless these men can outwit or overpower their attackers, they will become the latest victims of Daughters of the Dawn, a violent religious cult that has already claimed 18 lives.
Aside from Jackass icon Johnny Knoxville, the biggest name in We Summon the Darkness is Alexandra D’Addario (best known for the Baywatch movie), and she does an excellent job of adding bloody dimension to what could have easily been a one-note character. The other two lethal ladies are played by Maddie Hasson (best known for Elevation) and Amy Forsyth (best known for Hell Fest), and their collective chemistry will have you rooting for their gory, girl-power exploits. Meanwhile, the trio of doomed fellows is led by Keean Johnson (best known for Alita: Battle Angel), who spends the whole film trying to become the rarest horror archetype: the final boy.
A Fresh, Freaky Twist On The Spooky Genre
When We Summon the Darkness premiered, it really cast a spell on reviewers hungry for something new and different. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 68 percent, with critics praising the film for its excellent cast and sharp (like a bloody knife) sense of humor. They also commended the film for being an affectionate love letter to the entire spooky genre, making it an ideal film for horror fiends looking for something new to sink their teeth into.
At first, you might think the idea of a horror period piece is a bit passé. With Stranger Things absolutely dominating the internet, do we really need more spooky media set in the ‘80s? However, the film really makes the most of its setting, exploring the crunchy intersection of heavy metal and Satanic panic that became such a dominant cultural force during the Reagan era. Throw in the movie’s very clever use of religion, and you have a story that could only really work during the decade of Miami Vice and Back to the Future.
Sexy, Scary Surprises From Beginning To End
Additionally, this is a movie that really subverts your expectations in some surprisingly satisfying ways. If you don’t know anything about We Summon the Darkness, you are likely to imagine the trio of charming female characters as being very vulnerable, especially when they run into a group of boys who are sporting a few scary surprises (like a hidden switchblade) and are clearly just looking to get lucky. Soon enough, the movie reveals that the women are the real threat, and the boys who appeared to be sleepy predators suddenly become helpless prey who must fight for their lives at every turn.
As an added bonus, the core characters of We Summon the Darkness all have different personalities, and they often clash over the finer points of killing victims and covering up their increasingly messy crimes. This results in some very exciting plot twists, all of which center on characters who may very well be undone by the strength of their twisted convictions. All of this combines to create a film that is genuinely unpredictable at every turn, which is particularly satisfying for horror fans who are looking for a frightening film that will keep them on their toes until the credits roll.
An MTV Icon As You’ve Never Seen Him Before
While the core cast of We Summon the Darkness (particularly Alexander D’Addario) do an amazing job straddling the line between sexy and scary, the most captivating performance of the film comes from Jackass star Johnny Knoxville; after watching him nearly get himself killed on MTV for all those years, you might not believe such a goofy, down-to-earth guy would have the acting chops to play a demented cult leader who is driven to kill as many victims as possible by weaponizing his cult-like church. Knoxville is a revelation in this movie, and his shockingly captivating performance helps to ratchet up the film’s tension until the audience and characters alike just can’t take it anymore.
Will you agree that We Summon the Darkness is one of the sexiest and most subversive horror films of the last decade, or would you rather join a cult than watch it to the end? The only way to find out is to summon your remote control out of the darkness of your living room and stream this film for free on Tubi. Afterward, you may never look at Alexandra D’Addario or Johnny Knoxville the same, ever again.
