Summoning Sylvia

I had never heard about this 2023 horror comedy titled "Summoning Sylvia" prior to sitting down to watch it. So I didn't know what I was in for, aside from what I read in the synopsis, and for it being a horror comedy. But of course I opted to give the movie a fair chance.

And as it turned out, then writers and directors Wesley Taylor and Alex Wyse put together a surprisingly enjoyable and entertaining script and storyline. The narrative in "Summoning Sylvia" was really well-written, and the two writers managed to juggle elements of traditional, classic horror with elements of good comedy. And the movie turned out to be quite a surprise. I have to admit that I was genuinely entertained throughout the 74 minutes that the movie ran for.

The laughs throughout the narrative are plenty and good. I was genuinely amused by the comedy in "Summoning Sylvia", so thumbs up to writers and directors Wesley Taylor and Alex Wyse for that accomplishment.

And I really enjoyed the way that the narrative unfolds, keeping the audience in the dark and speculating as to what is really happening. The movie has some rather great and unforeseen twists to the storyline, which certainly helped to make it all the more enjoyable.

The character gallery in the movie was good as well, because the characters were nicely fleshed out, with different traits and personalities. And I have to say that the writers really aced it here, because the characters were very likable.

I was only familiar with actor Michael Urie on the cast list. But I will say that they had a great group of actors and actresses for the roles. The movie was really nicely carried by Travis Coles, Frankie Grande, Troy Iwata, Noah J. Ricketts and Nicholas Logan.

There was a good atmosphere throughout the course of the movie, which implemented both traditional horror and the comedy nicely into it. And the effects in the movie were fair enough, despite it not being a movie that was heavily dependent on special effects.

If you enjoy horror comedies, then "Summoning Sylvia" is certainly a movie that I warmly recommend. I was genuinely and wholeheartedly entertained throughout the entire movie.

My rating of "Summoning Sylvia" lands on a seven out of ten stars.

This horror comedy is actually really funny but it's not scary at all, I doubt it would frighten anyone in an adult audience (and this is definitely not for kids due to explicit bachelor party jokes and nudity).

The horror themes in Summoning Sylvia instead are approached with a light, almost-adolescent touch, which is fine because the movie works well just as a comedy. The ghost story is also used as a plot device to carry the underlying message of the film.

I would definitely recommend this and potentially will watch it again. However I don't understand the 100% on Rotten Tomatoes which frankly seems inflated because the flick is so openly gay.

'Summoning Sylvia' is a very short movie (74 minutes) with a simple premise, so this is going to be a short review.

What's the movie about? About summoning Sylvia, off course! Larry is about to get married to Jamie, so his friends Nico, Reggie and Kevin throw him a bachelor party for the weekend at a haunted house. Story goes, years ago Sylvia killed her son Phillip and buried him on the grounds. Philip now haunts the property.

Further to the story, it is believed Sylvia killed her son because he was gay. I'm not going to ruin anything for you, so let's just say the film dishes up a few twists towards the end.

But let's not jump to the end yet. Nico decides to do a séance, joking that he would like to ask Sylvia what really happened. It's all fun and games for the friends until Jamie's brother Harrison uninvitedly shows up. Well, not entirely uninvited since Larry told Philip in a moment of panic it was ok for Harrison to join them. Oh, did I mention all the guys except Harrison is gay? This puts the guys in a bit of an awkward situation, resulting in funny moments.

But when Sylvia shows up, it's a different ball game altogether... I don't think I've ever seen a gay movie about a haunting. Uhm, or should that be a film about a haunting with gay characters? Well, however you look at it, this turned out to be very entertaining. I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed the setting in the haunted house, and I enjoyed the 'over the top' moments. This was a very different kind of gay movie and I liked it.

Summoning Sylvia is almost a really good movie... but it's just not quite enough comedy/horror to push it over the top.

There are some genuine laugh out loud moments throughout the film and overall, it certainly works well as a decent comedy. The "horror" aspects however are basically non-existant.

It really felt like the film would have been boosted even more if there was a little (or maybe even a lot) of extra emphasis on the supernatural threat. The characters never feel like they're in any jeopardy at all.

The cast was overall really great imo as well.

It's too bad, but it seems destined to become a film you'll see and forget about, instead of joining the list of great horror comedies.

Summoning Sylvia is a perfectly fine campy film of a gay supernatural story. It has all the elements that are needed: haunted house, spooky backstory, believers, and enough confusion that no one really understands what is happening.

Then, the mistakes start. The shrill stereotypes that are indicative of "gay culture" dominate the film. And they are so strong that even the "straight" character has to become the epitome of a ignorant homophobe with all the inkling of being a violent repressed soul. Ho Hum.

I want representation and love the ideas of what this film is trying to do. I'm frustrated that representation of gay has to be a certain way: shrill, effeminate, queeny, and all leading to a drag performance.

Do they know that there is a full range of gay men out there? Is Adam Pauley on Happy Endings one of the few images of a gay man I can somewhat relate to because he's just a guy who likes men?