The Midnight Sleepover Club

Four children are pursued by a mysterious man while in their school at night-time.

Young students Noah (Aldridge) and Jake (Tomasos) are driven to their school by Noah's mum during the evening for their annual sleepover club. There, they meet up with fellow students Lucy (Mukunku) and Bruce (Polanco) and they encounter an unexpected attendee, a man who appears to be a caretaker. It quickly becomes clear that the stranger has sinister intentions and the children must now confront him if they are to survive.

This enjoyable short dark comedy was influenced by the hit TV series Stranger Things and it shows as it contains quite a few elements that resemble the popular show. The main heroes are a group of children who go against a supernatural evil entity. Also, the four children are hip and enjoy spooky stories and video games. The film is a lot of fun, with pranks and ghost stories, entertaining performances and plenty of darkness. The atmosphere is amusing and scary at the same time and things do get rather life-threatening at one point.

The four students make likeable protagonists, with Noah being the main character and the one who appears to have the most common sense. Jake is sensitive and has asthma and Lucy is rebellious and keen on teasing others. Bruce is the one who sinks into the background and less is known about him in comparison to his three friends. The unknown man who goes after them looks like a simple man (like a caretaker to be more precise as he wears the appropriate clothing), without a weapon and generally he does not look threatening and he is also silent. However, it is later on when he reveals what he is capable of.

Commendations go to the work that was done of the lighting throughout the film and the frightening music certainly creates quite an atmosphere.

This is a story about four children who find themselves in a darkened place with something bad seeking to harm them. The plot kind of turns towards Ghostbusters territory and explores friendship, inner strength and the power of being together. It could be viewed as an homage to Stranger Things and is it certainly an enjoyable experience.