April happens to be a month that contains a Friday the 13th. That means that someone will be looking to make a quick buck based on this ominous date in the world of horror. With another recently released horror movie, A Quiet Place, foregoing the easy target option of releasing on this cursed day (and probably also because Paramount Pictures was pretty confident that they had a legit hit on their hands), the field is left wide open for another studio to swoop in and get a little extra push. Blumhouse’s Truth or Dare will live or die by this initial weekend’s box office push.
A group of college friends plan a little getaway to Mexico to enjoy life’s simple pleasures prior to entering the real world of adulthood and real responsibility. Olivia (Lucy Hale) resists at first, but caves in at the insistence of best friend, Markie (Violett Beane). On their last night of vacationing, an encounter with a stranger sends their lives spiraling down a deadly path. When a simple game of Truth or Dare ends up becoming an actual game of death. Their only hope of survival is to keep playing the game while trying to find a way to beat the odds and living to tell their tale. The truth never hurt so bad.
Friendships are put to the test and the moral compass spins uncontrollably as Truth or Dare takes some ugly turns. Blumhouse has found a nice niche in the horror genre by turning the understated into something unexpectedly fun. Get Out (2017) and Happy Death Day (2017), which was also released on a Friday the 13th, are two recent examples that the studio has an eye for the macabre while also understanding how to market it. It stands to reason that guarded optimism is to be expected from the studio’s latest dance with the dark side. Director Jeff Wadlow enlists Lucy Hale, Tyler Posey and Violett Beane to carry this vision to fruition but the load seems to be too heavy to bear.
There are only a couple of startling moments that could register a blip on the anxiety radar. And due to the psychological impact involved, the idea of what’s going on in Truth or Dare is kind of cool on the surface and sets up for an interesting story. Maybe if this were an hour long episode of a television series it would be better received. As it is, repetition proves to be the toughest adversary you’ll face. And you can just forget character sympathy. Faults far outweigh any of the redeeming qualities that may come to pass. Because of this, there is very little emotional attachment to anyone.
Once you stop and look at what’s in front of you, Truth or Dare does very little to make it stand out in a crowd of MANY movies that have come before it where poor decisions and peer pressure have lead to dire situations. The audience that hasn’t been sullied by countless similar movies before it may find suspense and joy in this less-than-original supernatural humdrum horror spectacle. The more seasoned viewers will focus on obvious plot holes and will find their interests waning, especially over the final third of the movie. Truth be told, this game should be shelved and saved for a home release.
