Stupid Games – roll the dice…or die

Sponsored Feature: V Channels Media & Sandaled Kid Productions

Stupid Games is a new mystery thriller directed by Nicolas Wendl and Dani Abraham and written by Tanner Adams.

Watch the trailer here!

A girl’s discreet attempt to assess her one night stand and his friends takes a deadly turn when she and her roommates host a dinner party where they unknowingly unleash a malevolent force.

Stupid Games by NICOLAS WENDL & DANI ABRAHAM & TANNER ADAMS

A Q&A with directors Nicolas Wendl, Dani Abraham and writer Tanner Adams

Hi Dani and Tanner, thank you for joining us to chat about your new film Stupid Games! How did the idea for the film come to fruition?

NICOLAS: I’ve always been a fan of the supernatural and all things magic and monsters, so when Dani, Tanner and I started spitballing ideas for what kind of film we wanted to make, we instantly knew it needed those elements at its core.

DANI: Each of us chimed in with various ideas and plot points that we liked, which we put into an outline form, which Tanner then used to write the script. We were very much on the same wavelength in terms of the story and style we wanted to convey cinematically.

TANNER: Initially when we got the opportunity to create a film together we really just knew the vibe we wanted. Nicolas, Dani, and I are all products of the 90s, and there were some absolutely amazing movies that came out in that era. We drew on those for some inspiration. I think after we discussed the vibe we were going for, the idea for a spooky board game was put out there and we all immediately knew there was something to that idea. And as they say, the rest was history.

We’re seeing a trend in game-related horror films in recent years like Ready or Not, Truth or Dare and Escape Room. Were you inspired by any other films in this subgenre (or any other horror films in general) when creating Stupid Games?

NICOLAS: It’s so fun to see this genre more prominently in recent years. From the start I knew that a 90’s tone and approach to this film would be perfect for the genre. Growing up with shows like Charmed and movies like Practical Magic and Hocus Pocus, the foundation for the tone of Stupid Games came very naturally to me. “Jumanji” was another big influence for our film as well as The Craft. A more modern horror film that has been a source of inspiration in terms of “less is more” is It Follows, and how it perfectly played with the grounded and realistic approach to create fear and tension.

DANI: A24’s Bodies Bodies Bodies was another great inspiration for how it handled the single location tension storyline that we knew we wanted to have in our film as well.

TANNER: Inspiration came in many forms for this film. We drew from the classic films like The Craft, Jumanji and Zathura. We were also heavily inspired by TV shows like Charmed, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The Scream franchise also lent itself many nuggets of wisdom. In general the 90s decade of pop culture was a go to for the aesthetic and tone of our movie.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during the writing and filmmaking process?

NICOLAS: Our biggest challenge overall was time. We were given a very short window to write, shoot, and deliver the film, so getting our story in good shape, locking the script and then getting ready to dive into principal photography was very intense. Then came capturing our film on camera and making sure I got what I needed to tell the story was the fun and challenging part. We shot the film in 6 days, which meant we had to shoot 14 pages per day in order to cover our 86 page script. It was wild, and our first day on set had me extra nervous because I knew that our first day was going to determine how the rest of the shoot would go. I was so blown away by everyone’s commitment and preparation that after we wrapped day one within 12 hours and with the shots I wanted I knew that our cast and crew would be there for each other to carry us across the finish line. While I love being on set and making memories between takes, I also knew that we had so much to get through that every minute mattered. In hindsight I still can’t believe we achieved as much as we did, but that truly is a testament to the people we had both in front of and behind the camera. I could not have brought this vision to life if it wasn’t for everyone going above and beyond with their craft.

DANI: This whole project was a challenge. We had a very small budget, and we had almost no time to get it done. But, because our team was so passionate about making this thing happen, we worked against all odds and made it happen!

TANNER: Our budget was a huge hurdle for all parts of this film. The budget dictated a lot, in the writing process I had to be aware of what we would be able to pull off. We didn’t want the magical parts of the film to be so obviously bad that it distracts from our story. The budget also dictated our shooting schedule meaning we didn’t have very much time to shoot the movie so everything was a tight turn around.

The cast share engaging chemistry on screen. What was the casting process like? Was there anyone who you knew fit a certain role right after auditioning?

NICOLAS: Our casting process was somewhat unconventional to say the least. Because of how fast the overall turnaround was for making this film, we resorted to our inner circle of actor friends and reached out to people we knew/wanted to work with. Most of the cast I had never worked with before, some came recommend by my co-director Dani and others came recommend by actors whom we had already cast. While we had specific looks in mind for each character, the audition process really came down to “are you as crazy as we are to make a feature in 6 days?” Ultimately the actors we secured for our film turned out to be a true match made in heaven. I keep telling them that the planets truly aligned for Stupid Games. Their chemistry, drive, dedication, and passion were unmatched, and our film wouldn’t be what it is without each and every one of them in it. I keep saying that the one word that defines the magic we were able to pull off in this film is TRUST. We all trusted each other to be there, to have each others backs, and to step up to the plate, and it’s because we were all ready to catch one another that we were able to make this film.

DANI: Nicolas and I would literally meet with actors over coffee and chat about our passion for filmmaking and see if they had that same hunger and drive as we did. It’s scary to commit to a feature film, let alone one with a tiny budget and practically no time for principal photography.

TANNER: Due to our budget being small, we knew when it came to casting we would need the right people. Not just in terms of who can embody the character and perform, it also came down to who is crazy enough to want to do this with us. Luckily we found the perfect people.

Tell us about your approach to the special effects.

NICOLAS: Right off the bat I knew I wanted this film to have practical effects, for two reasons: One, any good 80’s/90’s movie has practical effects, which is the tone we wanted to emulate, and two, we didn’t have the budget or time for VFX, so we had to get it in camera! There is something timeless about capturing some supernatural occurrences with in camera effects, it gets under your skin more because it’s real, its palpable, its there. We had an insert day where we pretty much spent all day playing with magnets hooked up to a c-stand to make the letters and pawns move on their own. We used fishing-wire to have cabinets and room doors open and close supernaturally. It was so fun. However pulling on that wire too hard would cause it to rip and we’d have to re-set the shot and try again. It felt like being a kid again getting to be so hands on with practical effects. As for our main creature in the film, we had a friend of ours Mitchell Clark customize a store bought monster mask in order to give us our own vision of the malevolent force within the apartment. It was challenging finding the right balance of showing just enough of the creature to have it be scary but also not give away that our budget was limited. I always think of JAWS in moments like this and how it worked so well because of the shark not always being there. It was my main inspiration for juggling our creature in Stupid Games, finding the times to show it and times to give it just enough of a tease to keep our audience on the edge of their seat.

DANI: We draw inspiration from the timeless films of the 90s, which excelled despite the limitations of their era’s visual effects technology. Every effect you see on screen is achieved practically. We use fishing line, magnets, and other creative techniques to produce “magic” entirely in-camera. This approachnot only honors the legacy of classic filmmaking but also delivers a uniquely genuine visual experience.

TANNER: As I wrote the first draft, I would make sure that every effect I put in the script, there would be a practical way to achieve it. Even if given the largest budget in all of Hollywood, I will always prefer practical effects over VFX.

What are you hoping viewers will take away from Stupid Games?

NICOLAS: My hope is that viewers spend a fun and spooky 86 minutes with us. I really just wanted to have a good time when I signed on to make this movie, and I would hope that people will get a kick out of this little atmospheric horror film that feels familiar yet different. This film is meant to be a fun look into people who have made some silly choices in their lives and how they try to make their way out of it, or how they suffer the consequences because of them.

DANI: For me, I hope that viewers just have a good time. There are movies that exist for the sake of being fun, and, Stupid Games is our way of playing with our audience.

TANNER: Truthfully, I hope they’re entertained. I would hope they get lost in the story and game playing. If there’s anything to be taken away from Stupid Games is really that, play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Any plans for a Stupid Games 2 down the road?

NICOLAS: Let’s just say that the game is not quite done with its players or its audience quite yet…

DANI: We have some ideas….. S2pid Games? Stupid Gam3s? Stupid G4mes?

TANNER: You know I think there are more stories to tell in the Stupid Games universe so I wouldn’t count a sequel out.

Watch Stupid Games on the free streaming app MOMETU.