No Winners, Only Survivors: All Fun And Games (2023)

All Fun and Games (2023)

Rating: ***

Starring: Asa Butterfield, Annabeth Gish, Natalia Dyer

As standard as the affairs are in this movie, I got to say that All Fun and Games (2023) is at least a fair watch of a supernatural teen slasher flick.

Set in the town of Salem, Massachusetts, the film centers on a macabre knife seemingly carved from human bone as it gets discovered by brothers from a dysfunctional family while the two were riding bikes across the woods one day. Fascinated by the find, younger sibling Jonah (or just Jo, for short) decided to take the knife home despite his older brother Marcus' disapproval, later learning that the blade also comes with an incantation scratched unto it and, upon uttering them, awakens something demonic. The evil presence makes its way through the brothers, eventually settling inside Marcus as its chosen vessel and the night becomes a deadly, stabby game of Hide-and-Seek as the brothers' sister Billie, her boyfriend Pete and her bestfriend Sophie, as well as the family's bum uncle Bob fall victim to the chaos. 

With its concept of a cursed object bringing forth murderous supernatural possessions being far from original, what All Fun and Games (2023) have running for it is an attempt on developing its characters, a breakneck pace and mostly adequate production quality. Despite being overly hostile in some scenes, the relationship between the three sibling leads works on a rather strained yet relatable closeness considering the domestic troubles they have to bear with, painting a sympathetic enough dynamic which is further helped by the acting and writing done during the movie's more drama-focused scenes. This flair with the dramatics doesn't overstay its welcome, though, and the plot devolves into a slasher as soon as night falls and the curse of the knife brings out someone's inner knife-wielding maniac. 

The slasher scenes are a decent bunch; not overly gory but deliciously bloody for the bloodhounds, with a few stalk-and-stab sequences delivering a good sense of suspense and thrills. This all leads to a final act where the remaining casts explore the otherworldly origins of the knife and its curse, challenging the demonic force with a paranormal take on a couple of children's games in order to beat it which would have been alright if it wasn't for the overly cluttered and unsatisfying villain defeat capping things off. It could have ended worse, sure, but it could have rounded up the plot with a better conclusion, too, especially after all of the passable possessed murderer gig.

Production-wise, All Fun and Games (2023) has a competent look to say the least; its camera work captures the chill of its night scenes and its visual editing and effects are usually alright, though some of the CG effects do look a bit hokey. The film, in its entirety, is relatively okay; it's not really setting itself up for anything too grand, but what it is able to achieve makes for a good enough viewing to pass the time with.

Bodycount:

1 boy seen stabbed to death

1 girl seen dying from stab wounds

1 girl seen dying from a stab wound

1 male had his throat cut with a knife

1 male hanged with a noose

1 male knifed in the chest

1 male killed with a knife, blood splash seen

1 male knifed through the neck

1 female knifed to death

1 boy beaten and tortured, set on fire (flashback)

Total: 10