Truth or Dare (2018)

Choices: there's only two that matter these days

By: JWBM

Spring break, Mexico: friends, beaches, drinking, sex, and a game of truth or dare at a local abandoned church. How could that go wrong? Soon enough, this group of pals and lovers with a penchant for booze and free time find out how serious this little game will be.

One of the most important aspects of any horror movie is its setup. It's like a comedian that doesn't get you to laugh in the first few minutes, how well do you think the rest of the experience is going to end up? "Truth or Dare" is a perfect example of a film that grazes over this key element in order to try and pick up the pieces later. This not only throws off the pacing, but it never fully recovers. It's like expecting to have the audience cheer for you at the end of the race, but starting out with your shoes untied. The story is far-fetched enough to begin with, though give this better direction and the audience might be right there with you to believe this supernatural force is attempting to make this group of adult-age friends play a deadly game of truth or dare. Instead it feels borderline silly, with odd CGI grins from the villains to put the final nail in the coffin.

The tone of the film is all over the place. It feels pieced together at times and somewhat erratic for where you're going to be taken. One moment they're attempting drama, to a forced scare, to some drum-roll worthy joke all in one scene. It makes all of this bickering between the two best friends over a guy not only abrupt, but nauseating to listen to. The plot at some point explains itself and then re-explains itself in simpler terms at a later point. Didn't we already have that conversation? As if they wanted to make sure your wavering attention span is still with them. Then this turns amateur, 21st century Scooby-Doo, where they must search out clues on Google and Facebook after their friends start dying left and right. Makes this feel like a simple TV movie, and not something you'd see on the big screen. It's like the writers weren't quite sure how to piece it all together. That or went back and attempted to edit the story by trying to appease everyone at the same time, while not actually appeasing anyone that well.

There are worse horror movies out there. This isn't the bottom of the barrel. But "Truth or Dare" is still mostly a waste of time. There are moments where the filmmakers catch your interest with a certain set up, plot point, or at another moment where one of the actors is giving this their best. But they are few and far between.

Rating: 4/10

Recommended instead: "Get Out," and "It Follows"

Director: Jeff Wadlow ("Never Back Down," "Kick-ass 2")
Actors: Lucy Hale, Violett Beane, Tyler Posey
Info: IMDB
Trailer: Youtube


And a bonus, things I learned from "Truth or Dare": 

7. You can easily just drove over to Mexico and back again.
6. Pretty young 20-somethings have ample time to do ample sleuthing.
5. It's never a bad time to say a joke or two.
4. Always pick truth.
3. Whenever a plot is re-explained, it's the editor's way of knowing their pacing is messed up.
2. Never go from drinking at a safe public place to a non-safe abandoned church, unless you're a licensed exorcist.
1. Alcohol is a catalyst for bad choices.