Review of Truth or Dare (2018) by Christian M — 13 Apr 2018

Over the last several years, Blumhouse has made a name for itself, as well as tremendous amount of money, off of formula. Each film seems to be put together on an assembly line, the same, mass produced parts found in each new film they release. Truth or Dare, I'm sorry to say, is the latest in a long line of cookie cutter cinema Blumhouse has become to famous for.

But there is some good news: Truth or Dare isn't too bad a time at the movies. You aren't going to call it the best horror film of the last decade, (you aren't going to call it a horror film at all, honestly) but if you are looking for something fun that tells an intriguing, entertaining story, it might be for you.

Truth or Dare tells the story of Olivia, perfect little philanthropist in training, and her pack of calculatedly progressive pals, where a seemingly fun trip to Mexico for Spring break turns into an all out nightmare. The group spends their time doing what most college kids do on Spring break: drinking, partying, going off to an abandoned mission with a stranger to play childhood games... Wait, what was that last part?

You heard right. After the charming, yet mysterious Carter shakes an overly aggressive partygoer off of Olivia, he convinces the group to follow him to a long-abandoned mission where he suggests playing a game of truth or dare to pass the time. The group is skeptical at first, playing a kids' game a bad substitute for their lustful desires, but soon find themselves getting into the game; That all changes when Carter confesses he only lured them out to the mission to save himself from certain death. He warns the group to do as the game says: Don't pick truth or dare? You die. Refuse the dare or to tell the truth? You die.

Olivia and her friends quickly brush this off as a weird stranger's idea of a joke and return home. Soon the group finds what Carter has done is no joke and they must play the game if they want to live; while at the same time struggle to uncover the mystery of how this could possibly be happening.

From here you can basically see how things are going to go. Some supernatural stuff is going to happen, some people are going to die, it isn't going to stop until the secret is uncovered. We've seen it all before, and it's a shame because Truth or Dare actually seems to have more on its mind than your typical teen scream.

The movie's most gleaming problem is how cliché it all is. You would've thought after 2012's Cabin in the Woods, the classic horror character archetype would be shut away forever, but in Truth or Dare, they have no qualms about bringing back our old "favorites". The Fool, the Jock, the Slut, the Final Girl - they are all here in fine form, some as paper thin as ever. The second most egregious sin is just how plain not scary it is. Trailers billed Truth or Dare as a horror film, but besides a creepy-smiling illusion every time the dark force decides to show itself, the movie doesn't have any horror elements beyond tired Final Destination-esque tropes.

With all that being said, there are actually some things to like here. As stock as many of the characters seemed to be, I found myself rooting for some of them as the story went on. You aren't waiting feverishly for the next kill, rather, you sort of care about these people and want to see them get out of this mess they are in. The film actually makes an attempt to give its characters depth by emphasizing this group of upper-class kids from California harbor many dark secrets about themselves and each other.

A reoccurring theme throughout the movie was the idea of choosing yourself versus the collective. What would you do if faced with the choice? Olivia has dedicated her life to looking out for others, but this nightmare she finds herself in may challenge everything she thought she believed, leading to a culmination that will leave you satisfied and genuinely surprised with how well the movie was able to wrap up its themes and bring you a very impressive ending.

Truth or Dare isn't breaking any new ground, but it is a smartly made thriller that you won't find yourself totally underwhelmed by.