The 100 Candles Games is a great premise for a Halloween movie. A group of friends sits in a circle of 100 candles. They take turns telling scary stories. When they are done with their telling they go to a room and blow out the candle in front of a mirror. Part anthology/part bad horror movie, the indie film is a mostly enjoyable watch. The titular game is a neat idea. It is reminiscent of playing with a Ouija board or daring friends to summon Bloody Mary.
The 100 Candles Game has some strong stories. The first tale is about a child eating witch is atmospheric but also seems to point to an issue the movie will have; the segments are too short to develop. Though some of the stories are just a tad longer than a clip, they are very engaging. Most of the stories have the sinister twists that are expected in horror anthologies. A story about a father and son hiding from ghosts and a mother protecting her daughters are particularly good.
It is accepted that some parts of horror anthologies are just not going to be as good. Even the lesser stories in The 100 Candles Game work on some level. This keeps the movie enjoyable even though there are so many characters and settings. The stories have to be impressive in The 100 Candles Game since the overarching plot is very bad. Filled with bad jump scares and unlikable characters, the bumper segments are the worst part of the movie. There is a shocking continuity error and a very predictable twist. Thankfully, these parts are relatively short and succeed at making each scary story that better.
Horror anthologies may be the perfect movies for Halloween. They evoke memories of sitting around with friends and swapping spooky stories. The 100 Candles Game is a surprising good collection of stories. There are some great twists and fun tales. The terrifying segments make up for the poor overarching plot. It is a wonderful addition to any Halloween watch list.
The 100 Candles Game is playing at the virtual Frightening Ass Film Fest. Badges ($25 gives access to everything!) available here.
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