Top 10 Film of 2023
Summoning Sylvia review.
Summoning Sylvia is a perfectly cast horror comedy with one of the funniest scripts in recent memory. Everything in its brief 75-minute runtime clicks…and it does it at a breathless and exciting pace.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Summoning Sylvia
Directed by Wesley Taylor and Alex Wyse
Written by Wesley Taylor and Alex Wyse
Starring Travis Coles, Frankie Grande, Troy Iwata, Noah J. Ricketts, Nicholas Logan and Veanne Cox
Summoning Sylvia Review
The interesting thing about Summoning Sylvia is how much it didn’t need to be a horror movie to be a great movie. The horror elements are appreciated, of course. They add to an already strong package. The story of Sylvia Lawrence and the séance to bring her spirit forth is simply the narrative device that the movie chooses to hang its very funny hat on. This could have just been an all-out comedy about a bachelor party where nothing spooky happens and it would have been a hilarious, fun ride.
Larry (Travis Coles) is whisked away to a gay bachelor party weekend by his friends Nico (Frankie Grande), Reggie (Troy Iwata) and Kevin (Noah J Ricketts). Things get uncomfortable when his fiancé’s straight brother Harrison (Nicholas Logan) arrives for the weekend. Things get much worse when the vengeful spirit of Sylvia (Veanne Cox) is unleashed by the group’s séance.
Summoning Sylvia is hilarious. Everything from script to delivery is pitch perfect. The cast nails every snarky aside and shriek of terror. There’s a running dead cell phone bit that works every single time they call back to it (it’s a lie to get out of Venmo-ing his share of the rental cost). A misunderstanding with a pizza delivery guy leads to another hysterical set of laughs.
While the movie is a very short 75 minutes, Summoning Sylvia packs in enough laughs for a movie twice that length. The four friends interactions with each other, and later the not so on board Harrison, keep a steady stream of smile and chuckles flowing. Each character has plenty of moments to shine before and during the start of the spooky occurrences.
This isn’t a scary movie by any means. It’s too funny for an earnest attempt at scares to have worked anyway. Instead, Summoning Sylvia gives us a horror backstory. We learn about Sylvia Lawrence in both flashbacks that are expertly interwoven through the story and through the group finding clues in the house. As the story goes, 100 years ago Sylvia killed her son and buried him on the grounds of the house. The group learns that her son was also gay. Now they feel she has returned to target them.
Harrison provides a real-world threat on top of the supernatural one. Larry’s fiancé warns that he can become violent when he drinks. Spoiler alert: he drinks. Tensions were already high between Harrison and Nico…who takes offense to Harrison’s attitude and view of Nico. Larry is stuck in the middle of trying to make Harrison feel comfortable and embracing Nico’s more…flamboyant nature. The tension boils over when everyone finds themselves in a horror movie of their own making.
I’d describe the horror aspects of Summoning Sylvia as more of a set of hijinks than genuinely dangerous. Stakes rarely feel that high…but again, they’d be undercut by a joke even if they were intended to. Instead, like the rest of the movie…it’s all played for fun.
There are twists and turns in both the backstory and the modern goings on. Everything works but plays second fiddle to the non-stop laughter the gang provides. Whether they’re doing a montage of bachelor party games or running from the banging in the ceiling…everything here is a riot. Even if you generally like more horror in your horror comedies…I recommend Summoning Sylvia wholeheartedly.
Scare Value
With more laughs per minute than most comedies, Summoning Sylvia squeezes every ounce of joy out of its set-up. A non-stop good time that feels fresh from start to finish. Witty and bitingly clever. A perfect cast deliver memorable characters in hilarious moments…as they’re scared for their lives. A ghost story with the right twists. A comedy with a terrific script. Summoning Sylvia is must watch entertainment.
4/5
Summoning Sylvia Links
Rent/Buy on VOD from VUDU and Amazon
