Stupid Games (2024) – Indie Horror Film Review
Stupid Games is an indie horror film that’s set almost entirely set in a small apartment, where six people are playing a board game that initially appears childish and undemanding and later becomes something more sinister.
The film begins with two guys, Jaxson (Saad Rolando) and Rex (Gage Robinson), travelling at night in a car. Their conversation is limited to a dinner party to which Jaxon has been invited. It’s being hosted by a girl called Celeste (Alyssa Tortomasi), who he met in a bar several weeks ago. According to Jaxon, they hit it off well, but Celeste ghosted him. Now, after three weeks of radio silence, she has invited him to a party. The only stipulation is, he must bring along a couple of his friends to make up the numbers.
Rex is happy to come along but, while they are talking, Cody, the third member of their party calls and drops out. This is the last thing Jaxon needs. He’s very keen to see Celeste again and, if they are one man short, it may be a deal-breaker.
Fortunately, when they arrive at their apartment block, they bump into Stanley (Grant Terzakis), the building superintendent, who offers to be their third man. Stanley is a little awkward and nerdy, so he would never have been a first choice for a party companion. Probably not a second or third choice either but with the clock ticking and no obvious alternative, Jaxon and Rex have no other choice but to accept Stanley’s offer. Getting in the spirit of the event, Stanley even agrees to ditch his overalls and put on his best woollen jumper.
When the guys arrive, they meet Celeste’s roommate Riley (Cass Huckabay) and Mia (Ashwini Ganpule), who is presently sleeping on her friends’ sofa. Riley is a very attractive girl who is quick to show an interest in Rex, who finds her equally impressive. Even Stanley and Mia appear to hit it off, so it initially looks like a good evening, though Celeste keeps Jaxon at arm’s length. She shows enough affection to keep him on the hook but doesn’t seem to have much motivation to reel him in.
During their meal, the power goes out but the girls, who do not seem overly phased by the loss of light, say it happens a lot and pull out a selection of board games they have bought for the occasion, along with plenty of candles.
The guys choose to play a game that contains aspects of truth or dare and Monopoly. It’s called Quest for Truth. The girls’ behaviour suggests this was the game they planned to play anyway and have carefully coerced the guys into making the appropriate decision.
As the game progresses, the girls’ behaviour becomes erratic—desperate even—and there are strange disturbances in the apartment, along with glimpses of a dark, shadowy entity. Eventually, the guys discover everyone present is playing for their lives.
There are countless films about people having Ouija board parties and living to regret it—or not living to regret it—Stupid Games offers something a little different and, overall, it’s not a bad little film.
However, at times the acting is forced and hard to believe. It sometimes appears like the scriptwriters were trying too hard to encourage viewers to like the characters and Celeste’s behaviour is often more intense than the situation warrants. These issues have as much to do with the script as the cast’s acting abilities. As the old saying goes, you can only work with what you’ve got.
It’s about 30 minutes into the film before spooky stuff starts happening. However, when the truth comes out and the guys find out what’s going on, it makes the girls’ behaviour in the early scenes less credible. Given their situation, there is no way they could be so composed, chatty, and flirty.
Having said that, Stupid Games was shot with a budget of just $10,000. That’s not a lot and the finished result is better than many films from producers with deeper pockets. The small budget, no doubt, prohibited the use of fancy special effects and that’s okay. The rattling cupboard doors and unexplained noises are sufficient to help generate a feeling of danger and, as with older films, when something bad happens, instead of a messy, red meat show onscreen, all the bad stuff happens off camera. It worked back in the 1970s and given the chance, this type of tactic can work well these days as well. Stupid Games proves this.
Is Stupid Games, a good horror film? The answer is yes. It’s far from being perfect, but you feel compelled to keep watching because there is a mystery to solve—what the f@&k is going on? Then, once you know, you want to see if anyone manages to beat the game and escape. In my opinion, the worst thing about Stupid Games is the ending. It’s weak and unfulfilling, but it’s not a total washout because there is a touch of humour as well.