Summoning Sylvia (2023)

Out writer/directors Wesley Taylor and Alex Wyse’s 2023 horror-comedy SUMMONING SYLVIA.

SUMMONING SYLVIA

2023. USA.

 Directors: Wesley Taylor & Alex Wyse

Screenplay: Wesley Taylor & Alex Wyse

 Starring: Travis Coles, Frankie Grande, Troy Iwata, Noah J. Ricketts, Nicholas Logan, Michael Urie, Veanne Cox, Camden Garcia & Sean Grandillo

In SUMMONING SYLVIA, four gays camp-it-up and enjoy a bachelor party weekend in a spooky Victorian home. They attempt to summon the spirit who haunts it, but are interrupted by the groom’s creepy straight soon-to-be brother-in-law. Plans change, and the four seem to become the target of the homophobic Victoria ghost they’ve summoned – as well as the unstable ex-military brother-in-law.

Wyse and Taylor first collaborated while writing and directing their web series INDOOR BOYS in 2017. After the series finished after three seasons, the two decided two write a feature film together. Watching horror films, and interested in the similarities between horror and comedy, the two began exploring ideas for what would eventually become SUMMONING SYLVIA. Wyse expanded on this in a 2023 interview with Pop Culturalist:

“We’ve seen so many stories where the gay person is the only one of their kind in a straight world, but we haven’t seen a lot of stories where a straight person steps into a gay world. We thought it would be really interesting to turn that trope on its head. That’s what this movie is about. That’s where the horror comes from. That’s where the comedy comes from.”

And it’s not the only queer trope Wyse and Taylor subverted! To avoid spoiling anything, I’m just going to direct you to streaming options:

SUMMONING SYLVIA is streaming through Shudder and AMC Plus (Canada/USA), and available for rent/purchase through Amazon and AppleTV.