A.D. Calvo's The Midnight Game might sound like the usual horror genre setup, but it provides enough thrills and scares to rise above most other horror films using a similar plotline. We know there's always a huge slew that come out right around Halloween, but they usually disappoint after the first fifteen minutes, but Calvo's will keep your attention until the end. The Midnight Game hits on August 12, 2014, but you can also pre-order now.
The story follows a teen girl who's parents go away for the weekend, and naturally she invites a few friends over who wind up inviting even more people over. Of course, there's always that one odd guy who gets invited and no one really knows who invited him (Guy Wilson). He suggests playing one of those creepy late at night games that's bound to freak everyone out, especially when things start going awry shortly afterward.
Only one person mentions that playing the game might not be such a good idea, but you know kids, they don't listen and realize that there's some big crazy consequences to be had when you play these games. Here's how the game goes: Confess your greatest fear, spill a few drops of your own blood on a note card bearing your name, kill the lights, bring out the candles, knock on a wooden door twenty-two times, wait for some freaky shit to go down. There is, of course, a catch: Those who flub any part of the ritual must chill in a circle of salt from the stroke of twelve until 3:33 a.m. or else risk a visit from the Midnight Man, a murky, ghostly figure who brings his victims’ aforementioned phobias to corporeal life. What could possibly go wrong playing games like that?
It's one that's worth checking out as Calvo keeps the premise simple which is usually the sign of a good horror film as they rely on atmosphere and our basic fears against us. It always works, but when filmmakers try to overcomplicate a plot thinking it will make a better story, it most often goes awry. Simple is better in these cases.
