Rating: R | Runtime: 74 minutes
Release Date: March 31st, 2023 (USA)
Studio: The Horror Collective
Director(s): Wesley Taylor & Alex Wyse
Writer(s): Wesley Taylor & Alex Wyse

Well, what’s the point of having friends if you don’t kiss?

Despite already being committed to going tuxedo shopping with his soon-to-be brother-in-law (Nicholas Logan’s Harrison), you can’t blame Larry (Travis Coles) for letting it slip his mind once his three best friends (Frankie Grande’s Nico, Troy Iwata’s Reggie, and Noah J. Ricketts’ Kevin) kidnap and blindfold him en route to his surprise bachelor party. Once the excitement hits, singing begins, and spooky tales of haunted spirits are revealed, all Larry cares about is partaking in a séance and crossing activities off Reggie’s extensive weekend schedule.

The catch is that no one told his fiancé (Michael Urie’s Jamie) knowing he’d inevitably spill the beans. So, while calling to let him know he was okay, Larry is suddenly reminded of that previous obligation. Desperate to not ruin the party or sour an already rocky relationship with Harrison, he invites him to join them.

His on-the-wagon, toxically heterosexual, military veteran proves the final piece to Wesley Taylor and Alex Wyse’s comic horror Summoning Sylvia. Harrison is the last thing any of these men want ruining their fun because the point of the getaway is to have the freedom to be themselves in a safe space devoid of homophobia. And while begrudgingly agreeing to attend this bachelor party for his brother’s sake seemed harmless, knocking on the door to see four unapologetically gay men turns a chore into a nightmare for Harrison.

Add banging walls and falsetto humming and Larry and company suddenly fear they really brought Sylvia (Veanne Cox’s son-killing, murdered original homeowner) back to life. Kevin screams, Harrison battles PTSD, and Nico excitedly hopes to interact with ghosts.

It’s a fast-paced (74-minutes) ride including an extremely unsubtle game of “Never Have I Ever” and a sexual encounter with an unwitting yet awakened “spirit.” There are easy jokes insofar as having the straightest man ever thrown into a room of flamboyant revelers, but also poignant moments dealing with shame (Larry wiping off his make-up and dialing down his “gayness” to compromise for his guest) and empowerment (the truth of Sylvia and her son becoming a heartfelt mirror on acceptance and sacrifice).

By allowing preconceptions and lies to dictate these situations rather than open conversation, the friction builds out of control in a self-perpetuating cycle of perceived bigotry. Looks can be deceiving, though. Protection can appear like animosity through an already tinted lens.

Taylor and Wyse pull no punches dialing things to eleven with secret trysts, mob mentality, betrayals, and drag as Coles, Grande, Iwata, and Ricketts have a blast with a pervasively snarky streak. Logan plays a good straight man (both definitions), simultaneously being someone for them to fear and attack in equal measure. The parallels to the past with living flashbacks and a gradual reveal of the facts help propel the narrative forward while also providing fodder for more hijinks once the possibility of ghosts gets everyone’s minds racing to hilarious ends.

Cue the pizza boy and the terrified groom rushing to diffuse what he can only imagine has devolved into disaster and it becomes impossible not to give the film your full attention. With zero lulls and a heavy air of homicidal potential, it becomes a race to see whether the dead will rise before the living impulsively murder each other.

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Noah J. Ricketts (Kevin), Frankie Grande (Nico), Troy Iwata (Reggie) in SUMMONING SYLVIA; courtesy of The Horror Collective.