Stupid Games is a type of film to watch this summer with some beer and a pizza. It has charming B movie qualities and a familiar premise. That said, unlike some other films that toy with similar concepts but have a poorer execution, this feature has interesting, well-developed characters and ever-growing tension among them.

Directed by Nicolas Wendl and Dani Abraham, with a script by Tanner Adams, the film stars Saad Rolando as Jaxon, who sets the events in motion. A few weeks ago, Jaxon hooked up with Celeste (Alyssa Tortomasi), who suddenly ghosted him. However, out of the blue, she contacts him, inviting him over for dinner on one condition. He must bring two other male friends. He decides on Rex ( Gage Robinson), but when one of their friends bail, they pick the cable guy, Stanely (Grant Terzakis), to tag along. Initially, everything goes well. The food and conversation are great, and the guys mingle with the other women, including Riley (Cass Huckabay) and Mia (Ashwini Ganpule), who has chemistry with Stanley.

Suddenly, the power goes out and the group of six play a board game that makes little to no sense. It’s like a combination of Two Truths and a Lie, Truth or Dare, and random trivia. The board does look cool, though, including the small pieces. As the game goes on and on, the friends start to turn on each other, revealing secrets about each other and their feelings towards each other. Again, we’ve seen this premise before and creepy board games are certainly a staple of horror movies, especially gateway genre films. Yet, what saves this film from being a ho-hum B movie is the cast and the performances. All of these characters feel distinct, and their friendships with each other feel incredibly complicated with layered history. These interpersonal relationships raise the stakes, especially once they start turning on each other.

Eventually, the movie takes a supernatural turn. The fellas learn that the women used the board game as part of a demonic ritual. Again, rehashing familiar tropes and motifs, the women soon realize they can’t control the demonic forces and the consequences grow more and more severe. The supernatural elements are certainly a bit cheesy, but again, it makes the film all the more endearing. This isn’t a movie to take seriously. Simply enjoy it for what it is, an entertaining late night summer watch.

Stupid Games knows exactly what it is, including its limitations, and it never tries to be more than that. Yes, we’ve seen most of this before, but that doesn’t lessen the fun factor. That said, this feature avoids being completely silly and repetitive by showcasing some strong performances and well-written characters. This game is worth a play.

6.5 Out of 10