Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Knucklebones’

Written by Scott Edwards

​Nothing bad ever came from playing a game, I am sure that someone said that at one point in time. I am of firm belief that Hungry Hungry Hippos is the safest game to play with friends, that is until you break the board and shoot the marbles out at everyone. It can be dangerous to play games, especially if your friends are very competitive. Things can get out of hand and when that happens you just need to know when to walk away, to save your friendship and of course, your own sanity.
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While at the carnival, Neesa is approached by a young boy that is eyeing her food. Trying to find out what he will trade her for it, the boy offers her a kiss, but she is not too sure about that, especially since she has a fiancé and all. Seeing her man Ryan come back for her, he has something serious to tell her…that he is breaking up with her. Not knowing what to do or what to say, since her heart has just been broken into a million pieces, Neesa has only one thing on her mind, to just end the pain.

Finding Neesa lying limp in her bathtub, her mother rushes her to the hospital. Waking up and not being able to find anyone around, Neesa sees a strange box on the floor, but before she is able to pick it up, a figure appears awakening her from her slumber. Waking up again, but this time for real, Neesa is ashamed that she was not able to complete the job that she had set her heart on and will find another way to do it again. Getting back home under her mother’s watchful eye, Neesa gets a visit from her best friend Samantha who has an alternative for her, to go out with some boys and have a good time.

Arriving at an abandoned garment factory with her friends Samantha, Kia, Travis and Adam, Neesa is ready to let her hair down for a couple hours and have some fun. Finding a place to sit back and have some drinks, the group tries to have a good time, but Neesa is hearing something strange in the distance. As the group decides to go and investigate what it could be, they find a temporary wall that has something hidden behind it. Pulling out an old army box, the group opens it up and finds old WWII documents, Nazi uniforms and a game box from ancient times. Reading the instructions for the game, Kia wants to give it a try, as it is supposed to summon a demon if played correctly. Although everyone is not as excited about the game as she is, they take turns and Neesa is able to get the winning roll. Not knowing what to expect, Kia is ripped open from the inside as the demon Knucklebones comes out to play. Needing to find a way to escape his killing grasp and possibly find a way of stopping him before he moves into town, it’s a race against time to save the day as the group gets taken out one by one by the demon.

I will say, I went into this movie with low expectations after reading some of the reviews for it, and I came out really enjoying it. It did take a little while to get the demon on the screen, but after he made his first appearance, I did not want him to go. With blood on his mind, Knucklebones will not stop killing until his game is done, but I am unsure how to control him, even after the movie came to a close. Neesa was really the lead story in the movie, and while she was dealing with depression after being dumped, she finally snaps out of it, but in reality, it would have been too little too late. That being put on the back burner, you get some great kills, a love triangle, a killer Nazi demon, a hobo with a message and yes, a problem that can be solved with just a little ingenuity. Stay Scared.

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