Summoned (2013 TV Movie) User Reviews

Understandably Direct To DVD

[zane-darkstar · 3/10 · 28 July 2013]

First off, let's just be honest. The acting in this movie was pretty bad. The stilted dialog and wooden performances made it hard to finish this movie.

Cuba Gooding Jr.'s name is added to this film supposedly to give it credibility. He's barely in the movie. After his last several films, it would seem that his name is becoming more and more associated with low budget specials such as this one.

The storyline is right out of a made for TV movie. The ending was so cliché that it was painful.

I would not recommend this movie unless you're really bored and there's no paint to watch drying.

Do you remember the 1967 suspense movie Wait Until Dark?

[Ed-Shullivan · 3/10 · 25 September 2013]

Well SUMMONED is by no means as suspenseful nor as cleverly written as the 1967 Wait Until Dark. I compared the two to identify what is a really suspenseful and great movie and what is not. By now you have guessed that SUMMONED did not do it for me.

Cuba Gooding Jr is credited as one of the stars but he plays a minor part and a dumb cop to boot. So if you are watching Summoned because you admire Cuba Gooding Jr's body of work, you will be even more disappointed.

The two main actors Ashley Scott and Bailey Chase do a pretty good job trying to carry the movie but no matter how good the acting is, a poor script will create a poor movie, thus my 3 star rating. The plot surrounds a convicted murderer who is put to death and shortly after his execution the jurors start dying under mysterious circumstances.

Most irritating for me was the continuous use of the violins as the background music to try and hold our suspense. If you fast forward and skip to the last 15 minutes of the movie you will get the gist of the plot and find out who the killer is. Not a very creative movie and not one that will hold most movie fans heart in their throat.....at least not like Wait Until Dark does.

Where's Cuba?

[albrechtcm · 3/10 · 9 July 2013]

Cuba Gooding, Jr. has been in some real dogs lately, so with "Summoned", I didn't expect much. What I didn't expect was for Mr. Gooding to make a couple of bland cameo appearances that added exactly nothing to the story. Any actor from Central Casting could as easily have filled this slot. And playing on Mr. Gooding's name to sell the film, well, considering his recent films, I'm not sure that was a brilliant idea either. Getting past that, this film had reasonable suspense but was of course disappointing since it made no sense whatsoever. In the beginning it appears that the spirit of an executed serial killer has come back to avenge himself on the 12 jurors who convicted him. But that's just trick photography. We eventually learn that a real live person is doing the killing. But why? Forget the many reasons you might dream up. There is no reason. Just senseless killing. For all that, the actors do a credible job and keep up the suspense. It's simply that the end and the entire exposition turn out to be so lame it makes you feel you've been cheated…again. And what in the world does the word "Summoned" have to do with this?

Moderately entertaining if a bit weak

[phd_travel · 5/10 · 18 September 2013]

Lifetime adds it's touch to the supernatural thriller genre about former members of a jury who sentenced a man to death. One by one they start dying - is it a ghost or natural? It's moderately predictable in a reassuring lifetime way. It's also a bit weak especially in the romance part.

Ashley Scott is in a lot of LMN movies these days and she is a bit painful to watch at times. There is an inadvertently funny part with James Hong. Poor Cuba, what are you doing in this kind of TV movie? Overall okay for a relaxing watch if you just want to unwind and switch off your brain for a couple of hours.

Day time tv drama

[mattfrancis-03963 · 2/10 · 3 June 2021]

This felt more of a day time TV movie with a bit of a jump scare thrown in. A supernatural crime movie but with a weak anti climax. I think we expected more and were left a bit annoyed at ourselves for ensuring the rest of the movie.

I can't believe I was charged $3.99 for this

[jay_deforest · 1/10 · 4 April 2020]

The worst sort of "made for TV" cliches make up every bit of this movie.

No back story to give any foundation whatsoever. General shots of San Francisco, but every location setting is somewhere nowhere near SF. Generic TV wardrobe cop uniforms. Loaded with little "scary" flash scenes with no meaning. In the end, the "heartfelt" revelation is worse than the most cheesy Hallmark movie ever.

Don't waste your time or money on this!

Letter

[hardmandavid · 3/10 · 6 June 2021]

Can someone explain why there is a letter to the police from madeleine McCanns parents.in this movie.

Oo ghost of murderer haunts the jury and kills them...

[pfne · 4/10 · 12 April 2022]

...

And the premise is better than the actual movie... Take the premise, make a better film with it.

Make a film like Shocker, Shocker was a billion times the movie this is.

Skip it, it's awful.

Has the feel of a made-for-TV movie but it is watchable & I have seen worse. Cuba barely in it so don't watch it for him. I say B

[cosmo_tiger · 6/10 · 13 June 2013]

"Saw him again this afternoon. Seems to be stalking me wherever I go." Five years ago serial killer Simon Bourdias was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. Now mysterious deaths are occurring to the members of the jury. Juror number 5 Laura Price (Scott) starts to investigate and begins to wonder if the deaths are a coincidence or something more mysterious then she ever imagined. I have to say that after the last Cuba Gooding movie I watched I was very worried that this one would be bad too. Not to spoil anything but he is in this for about 10 minutes. That said this movie was not that terrible. While it does have the feel of a made-for-TV movie it is watchable and I have seen much worse. The movie is a little slow at times and a little repetitive but it does keep you watching and interested all the way till the end. Overall, one of the better B-rate movies that I have seen in awhile. Nothing amazing but this is worth watching. I surprisingly give it a B.

SO MANY EVILS

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 4 August 2018]

In the opening scene, Nathan (Scott Whyte) finds himself thrust into the middle of a Steven King novel. He was the jury foreman of a trial that convicted Evan Lucas (Dylan Vox) of murder. Now it appears Lucas is back as the jurors die one by one with a supernatural element involved. Laura Price (Ashley Scott) is juror number 5 and has started to track the deaths once weird things start to happen to her.

Laura gets the eager help of detective Michael Lyons (Bailey Chase) and a minor role for Cuba Gooding Jr. no matter how big they slap his face on the cover. After an hour of low grade horror the film shift gears to a low grade detective case. The film felt like Steven King wrote a film for the Lifetime network and then died before he could finish leaving it up to network writers to complete. It was a horror film that has been done before and better.

Parental Guide: No f-bombs, sex, or nudity. Implied sex. Ashley Scott in undergarments.

Spooky little thriller

[biskwitsbaby · 10/10 · 2 June 2021]

Definitely feels like a made for TV film, but I really enjoyed it. Made me jump quite a bit for only a PG rating too.. bit embarrassing I know.

Horror? Police movie and a little supernatural.

[Patient444 · 6/10 · 8 July 2013]

This one starts like your typical ghost story. Someone dies at the beginning, a mystic presence is involved and then we move on. We learn a little more about the situation here, who's involved, about our 2 main characters as Cuba Gooding Jr. even tho he holds the poster, makes short appearances, and the ghost.

OK, we have a ghost, but it will be like NOTHING you expect, it's more of a police movie and it doesn't work as good as anyone would think. Because through this film, the supernatural just faydes away little by little till we are left with nothing more than bang bang, this is my riffle, this is my gun.

So there you have, a truly short inside of what you'll find here. Action police story meets a ghost, the ghost leaves, the cops remain, and confusion reigns!

Overall, I give this a 6, probably a little more than it deserves, but what the heck, I'm feeling generous today! I don't recommend it tho, it's not what you would think so: little Cuba Gooding Jr., little ghost story, and almost no horror. Cheers!

Enough (plot) holes to fill the Albert Hall.

[ulicknormanowen · 5/10 · 11 June 2021]

This thriller kept gore and sex to the minimum and tried to blend the detective story with supernatural ;add a "pattern" (which the slayer follows) ,the kind of stuff Agatha Christie and Ellery Queen lent credibility too , and was brilliantly treated in one of the best thrillers of the nineties "seven" .But Peter Sullivan who not only directed but also wrote the screenplay in neither Christie nor Queen :his story has as many plot holes as Swiss Cheese , and its action is too hurried for comfort.

What the police and the judges were not able to do five years ago, Ashley Scott effortlessly did it. Single-handedly , cause ,although at the top of the bill ,Cuba Gooding Jr is only supporting ,and Chase "Longmire" Bailey is only an attentive escort , it's Scott who discovers the "clues". Like Demi Moore in "the juror" ,she might die (on the third day after the last murder) ,for a mysterious assassin is doing away with the members of the jury of a trial which took place five years ago. Her dead child is only a trick to justify the last scene ,which does not review the genre ;the professor and her 1% are here to give the de rigueur cultural alibi to a far-fetched story.

Entertaining at best;very average MTV film.

Agree with most of the reviews here.......

[frosty-44431 · 4/10 · 8 June 2021]

Defo an afternoon type film. The acting is pretty bad. The suspense it there though which is probably why I gave it a 4 rather than a 3 rating.

Bad movie

[twridge · 2/10 · 8 October 2023]

This is a really bad movie , it is really Ashley Scott's movie - she is almost every scene and very often alone ! Looking worried - Cuba hardly in it all , a third lead ... doesn't do much till a scene or two at end - trued to be supernatural- little 6th sense a bit / but the natural explanation pretty weak and didn't hold up - if a natural killer how Duke he do that or this ? And ending an oh hum no tension . A slow waste of time , and not very invested in Ashley Scott walk around and closing her 6 window curtains 2 or 3 times in the movie - Bailey pretty weak in it as well. Thought it would be better - I liked murder of crows , but this was a stinker ...

Just bad

[David_Fairall · 5/10 · 7 June 2021]

Other than a couple of fairly jumpy moments, this is about as bad as it gets... poor plot, script and acting - and not at all scary. That's an hour and a half of my life I won't get back!

So Many Evils, Just Kidding It Was Decent!

[icocleric · 6/10 · 28 March 2022]

So I was surprised to see this film was made in 2013, because it does have a very old school/90s feel to it, and it looked old with some of effects as well. Some of the effects were a little cheesy in the way you'd see an older film pull it off too. So the lower budget did show a little. I can see why some reviews said it looked made for TV.

I really liked the detective angle of trying to get answers with what's going on supernaturally, and with the murder case. I thought it was a good way for the characters to get the answers they needed. I thought the plot was mostly well thought out, but did get a little weaker at the end.

Overall a decent job and I did actually enjoy watching it. I've seen much worse.

Solid, spooky ghost story

[paullonge278 · 9/10 · 16 June 2013]

Part horror movie, part mystery, "Summoned" is a ghost story about a serial killer who was executed years ago and has come back to haunt the victims who convicted him. Despite the fact that it's about a serial killer, it's more like "The Ring", where its about the tone and little jump scares than it is about killing or gore. In fact, there's very little violence in it at all. But it's still very creepy. The character development is good, and Ashley Scott does an amazing job as a former juror whose life was ruined by the case. The movie is full of twists and turns around every corner which keeps everything entertaining and fast moving. There's a big twist towards the end that catches you off guard and makes the story even more tragic. Mixing the legal and horror genres is something I've never seen before, and the result is really fresh. Cuba Gooding Jr has a small but important role and he ends up playing a much bigger part than the movie hints at early on. Overall, if you like movies like "The Ring" or "The Grudge," I would definitely recommend this movie.

A Decent little Mystery Thriller with a Supernatural twist!!!

[lukem-52760 · 6/10 · 2 June 2021]

I really enjoyed Summoned as it had a slight old school feel to it similar to Denzel Washington's 90's film "Fallen" but this was obviously a lower budget production, a t.v movie i believe but as such it was very well done & very interesting. A very old school 90's B-movie Cop Thriller feel to it.

A group of former Jury members from a big high profile murder case called the "Midnight Murders" are suddenly being killed off one by one in the order of their seat numbers from year's before of their Jury time. This comes to the attention of the beautiful Ashley Scott as Laura who was also one of the Jurors & she starts to investigate into these suspicious deaths. Ashley gives a decent performance & is believable as she tries to find out why this is suddenly happening to the jury members years later. Bailey Chase is the lead Detective on this case & teams up with Laura, he's a very basic serious cop character but ok. I liked having the veteran actor James Hong (Big Trouble In Little China) also as one of the older Jurors in a small part. The Coolest part of this neat Thriller is having Cuba Gooding Jr (Judgment Night) in the supporting role of Detective Callendar, the lead Detective from years before on the Midnight Murders case. Gooding Jr is always a decent actor & I've always liked him & here he plays his part like an old school Cop from the 80's or 90's with his look, a mustache & gun holster hanging around his shirt as he sits at his desk, just such a cool cop image & the type of part a character actor would play such as Tom Atkins for example. Gooding Jr brings some class to this cheap film & is good in his role.

I liked the nice mix of Detective Mystery & Supernatural Thriller & the really beautiful setting of San Francisco. The the famous city is shot really beautifully especially the night time view of the city & the huge famous bridge & the lovely sunny day time scenes. The music is really good too, it's basically proper daytime "Thriller movie" music & works perfectly.

There's little to no gore but that's to be expected from a daytime t.v film but there is a silly soft erotic scene that is out of place.

I liked the whole investigating stuff & Detective work & the supernatural stuff is very minimal & not scary at all but that's fine & it all makes sense at the end with a neat little twist.

Why are these Jurors being picked off one by one?

Why now? These are the main questions & the answer was good.

Honestly a well done & Decent little Thriller with a good little cast & really nice Cinematography & music make this a good entertaining movie.

Really alot better than it probably should be.

Stephen King meets John Grisham

[kevinbeswick507 · 9/10 · 17 June 2013]

Writer/director Peter Sullivan's thriller SUMMONED feels like what you would get if Stephen King and John Grisham teamed up to write a story together. It's a legal mystery in the form of a ghost story, about the spirit of an infamous serial killer who has returned for revenge.

Ashley Scott plays Laura, a former juror on the Midnight Murderer case, who is now living a quiet life in Marin County. But when the foreman of the jury, who also wrote a book about the case, supposedly commits suicide, she gets suspicious. After two more jurors are found dead, Laura becomes convinced it's murder... and worse, the jurors are being hunted in order of the juror numbers. Guess who's next in line? She teams up with a cop (Bailey Chase), who thinks that they're dealing with a copycat until a couple of creepy scenes lead her to believe that the perp is really the serial killer himself... having returned from the grave. His partner (Cuba Gooding Jr) was an investigator on the original case and together, they make a startling discovery that will throw the whole trial into question. You may see some things coming, but this evocative thriller has enough surprises to keep you guessing.

The performances are strong. Ashley Scott is amazing as the troubled lead who is still dealing with the death of her child, Bailey Chase is solid as a skeptical detective who needs some convincing on the supernatural front, and Cuba Gooding Jr. is good as the veteran cop with a secret. And, refreshingly, he's not the killer.

Summoned is cut from the same cloth as movies like THE RING, and there's also some similarity to the underrated EXORCIST III. In fact, there's a decent scare in this movie very similar to a scene from that film. Most of the gore is off screen, but director Sullivan still knows how to make the audience uncomfortable and build a creepy mood. Recommended.

Not Bad

[billykao · 8/10 · 22 September 2021]

I like Summoned. It's the thrill genre I enjoy. Ashley was pretty back then.

A former jurist has to race against time before she becomes the next victim of a vengeful ghost she had convicted.

[pal05052003 · 8/10 · 9 August 2015]

Suspenseful till the end. Despite only a few minutes on screen, Cuba Gooding stole every scene he was in. A mixture of legal thriller with the supernatural, I had no idea it was a made for TV movie. Some scenes are actually creepy. Great movie to enjoy on a Sunday. The score added tension to the scenes, and every minute you keep wondering what is going to happen next. The key strength to the movie is how the it manages to keep you hooked by keeping you guessing. First you guess whether the characters would make it to the end. Then you start to guess what actually happened that led to this story in the first place. The director slowly drops small hints throughout the scenes till the ending. It was refreshing to see a genuine mystery combined with the supernatural without any distracting special effects.

Savvy but frightened woman solves ghostly murder mystery

[jkadmire · 8/10 · 30 October 2014]

I enjoyed this made-for-TV movie, partially because I liked Ashley Scott so much in Jericho. Wish she hadn't cut her hair. This movie doesn't have any gore or slashing, but relies on creepy clues and great lighting to manufacture the chill. The ending was unexpected despite the fact there were a sufficient amount of subtle clues. Perfect way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon. There is also a strong possibility of romance between appealing characters, as a good LMN movie should provide. The heroine shows compassion for elderly characters, which I hope becomes a common trend. This compassion leads to some valuable information for her, demonstrating that courtesy always helps. The houses shown belonging to various characters are amazing, so we have to assume these are professional people called to jury duty, which is, in itself, unusual. The title,"Summoned" refers to the fact that citizens are "summoned" to jury duty, or in this case, summoned to an untimely death. Worth watching in my opinion.