I recently watched: Darkest Dungeons an honest to goodness adaptation of a Chick Tract. 5/10 for competence, 8/10 for laughs.
My D&D group decided to watch this gem before one of our sessions, and boy, was it something. Clocking in at 40 minutes, it could be considered a TV episode, but is a standalone piece.
First, credit where credit is due: It is both faithful to the subject material, and competently made on just about every level. The camerawork, acting, costumes, set design, writing and props are solidly at the 'professional television commercial or orientation film' level. The plot flows logically (within the bonkers internal logic of Chickworld), the actors deliver their lines and emote adequately. Cuts, zooms, and framing happen when and how they should. The only readily noticeable visual problem was the obvious disconnect between the stock exterior shots of generic private college, and the extremely spare interiors. Such a thing can be excused by budget. All in all, I was actually impressed with the level of competence that this weird cartoon was brought to short film. This should not obscure the fact that nothing I mentioned was particularly inspired. None of the actors managed to make their roles seem natural, and nothing technically challenging was attempted, aside a few brief and really unnecessary CG shots.
The fact that it is so competently made leaves nothing to distract from its utter insanity. I'm sure most of you are familiar with the Tract it was based on, where Role Playing Games are portrayed as a diabolical plot to introduce young people to Satanism. The film opens with five robed figures standing on a pentagram, reporting on their efforts to corrupt souls. The methods listed are Occult and fortune telling, Political activities to lead to one world government, People 'choosing' homosexuality (that is emphasized), and finally, Role Playing Games! We then move to the tale of two women who go to college together, and are eager to learn new skills that will help them spread the Lord's Word. During their orientation, they bump into a bunch of bad-looking students, who's styles vary from goth girl to motorcycle guy, who are identified as the "RPGers." An upperclassmen says that he wishes they could just throw them out, but they are "just too popular." Anyone who actually plays RPGs will know that this is the opposite of the truth. Cut to the two heroines on their way to a house party, which they go to so they could meet new people to spread the Word. They soon discover that the party is a rave attended by none other than the oh so cool RPGers. The rave is abruptly terminated, and gaming tables and paraphenalia are quickly set up. The Dungeon master appears in the form of a seductive lady, who is assisted by motorcycle dude as co-DM (note they avoided these terms, so as not to be sued). While they have things like dice and minatures, everything about the gaming is utterly unlike how Role Playing games actually are. Notably, the RPG game played here is a spectator sport, with only about 10 people participating at any given time. Our two heroines are sucked in by the coolness and are assigned characters. Hilariously, when a character dies in the game, their miniature is thrown into a nearby fireplace to melt.
The second act shows the two heroines completely seduced by the game. They neglect Jesus, their studies, and begin dressing more attractively. (again, the last is the opposite of real RPG experience). The girl who plays a cleric begins learning real spells, which she casts on her professor to keep from flunking out. It is not revealed how the one who plays a rogue stays in, perhaps she sneaks in and changes the test scores at night. Anyway, they become so obsessed that they decide to take it to the next level, which is Live Action Role Playing, or LARP. Fully costumed, they go on an adventure (still in the same set, however) and the rogue dies in the adventure. The girl, who has come to identify with her character completely, then takes her own life. This is treated as a human sacrifice, which awakens Cthulu, for some reason. I am still not clear as why Cthulu is in this at all, I thought it was supposed to be about Satan. Perhaps the filmmakers couldn't bring themselves to actually depict him.
This is a shock to the remaining girl, who plays the cleric. She is sent to fight the evil that has awakened with her spells, little realizing that her use of magic to fight evil only makes it stronger. Having failed at that, she again runs into the helpful upperclassman (who was creepily hanging around the freshman girl's dorm, I couldn't help but notice) and he explains that only Jesus can save her. She goes to church, listens to a bonkers sermon, gives herself to Jesus, causing Cthulu to be cast down, and the the castle where the five robed figures live get struck by lightning and explode, for some reason. The film ends with a book burning. Our remaining heroine burns her gaming materials, as well as the works of JRR Tolkein and similar. She is then handed the Bible by the upperclassman.
All through this film, we couldn't tell if it were a parody or not. Our theory is that the film is dead serious, but one writer may have been throwing in winks and inside jokes here and there. For example, the joke about casting magic missile at the darkness appears. However, the film is to all appearances, otherwise dead serious. The humor is almost entirely unintentional. From an aside about how one girl learned Arabic so she could inform Muslims that they are accidently worshipping the Moon God, to the hilariously inappropriate font used on the suicide note, everything is delivered in the most serious tone possible.
All in all, I recommend this film! The short time commitment, coupled with its laugh a minute absurdity makes it a very good thing to do to kick off your evening of gaming, assuming you aren't doing a rave. It is available on Netflix.