The Midnight Game

The Midnight Game

Starring Renee Olstead, Shelby Young, Guy Wilson, Valentina de Angelis

Directed by A.D. Calvo

The Story:
After her mother goes away for the weekend, Kaitlan (Renee Olstead) invites her friends for a night of fun.  Her best friend Jenna's (Valentina de Angelis) boyfriend Shane (Guy Wilson) comes up with the idea to play "The Midnight Game" - a game that could bring about the Midnight Man, a spirit that haunts its victims with their biggest fears.

The game is simple - light a candle, write your name with a drop of your blood, knock on wood twenty-two times, and keep your candle lit until 3:33 am.  If your candle goes out, you have ten seconds to re-light it, or surround yourself in a circle of salt to prevent the Midnight Man from getting you.  At first, it seems like just a game, but soon the teens find themselves haunted by their biggest fears, leading them to wonder if this is more than just a game.

The Synopsis:
I'm always a sucker for a new game to play, and "The Midnight Game" has given me a new game idea I'd like to try with some friends (minus the use of blood, that's just wrong).  Apart from this game idea, there's not a whole lot to be said about a film like this, except that it could've been so much better if it offered something more substantial.

Five high school friends (although the actors look like they're at least in college) meet at a girl's house and play the Midnight Game, where they have to follow the rules otherwise they'll be hunted by the Midnight Man, who will trap them in a continual loop of their biggest fears.  While the film offered a decent concept, the execution was poor at best, and somewhat laughable at worst.

The characters are typical and bland, not really offering a lot in the realm of decent performances.  Their names would've been easily forgotten if they weren't repeated ad-nausea, which also made it seem like the entire script was just ad-libbed.  There's not a whole lot of depth to the characters, who seemingly give off a typical stock character vibe, as you'd expect to find in a film like this.

The film's runtime is a measly 74 minutes, yet somehow managed to make it feel a lot longer.  I was actually hoping they'd expound more on the fears of the victims, but instead there's long, drawn-out moments of creaking noises and people walking through woods, but the substance just isn't there.  It's like the air you find after opening a potato chip bag, expecting to find more chips than you thought you'd find.

The effects are alright for a small budget, especially the demon-looking thing, which resembled a typical demon creature you find in many other films like this.  Basically that's the only big special effect, so there's not a lot to be said there either.

In reality, there's not a lot to be said about the film as a whole, except giving a fun spooky game to play during the Halloween season - and that's unfortunate, because it could've offered a whole lot more.

The Summary:
With typical actors, a typical story, and typical ending, "The Midnight Game" is a game in trying your patience, testing you to see if you'll sit through the entire thing or turn it off before it ends.  At least it did give a new game idea at least.

The Score: D+