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Overanalyzing Anime
Blog Owner & Lead Writer
Blumhouse's Truth or Dare tells the story of a group of college roommates who, for their last spring break before graduation, decide to travel to Mexico for a week of fun and relaxation. However, that all changes when they meet a man named Carter, who tricks them into playing a game of Truth or Dare wherein, if you fail to tell the truth, can't complete the dare, or refuse to play, then you die.
The Blumhouse production company has has become the sort of defacto king of producing genuinely terrifying horror flicks. Whether it's supernatural titles such as Paranormal Activity and Sinister, or sociological/psychological thrillers such as The Purge. Not only that, but two of their films - Whiplash (2014) and Get Out (2017) - were nominated for Academy Awards in the years that they were released. These days, when I see the Blumhouse banner, I think of it as a seal of approval that the movie is going to entertain, and their latest production, Truth or Dare, fails to disappoint.
Now, I won't say that Truth or Dare reaches the same heights as any of the previous movies I've mentioned, but it does do a number of things correctly. For one, it doesn't disappoint when it comes to the horror aspect. While, like most movies, it does rely on a number of jump scares, it manages to make it work. Unlike most supernatural movies, which involve possessing a place, person, or thing - this particular entity latches onto "an idea," which allows it to jump from person to person at any given moment. It was actually somewhat reminiscent of It Follows, in the sense that the entity can get you at any time, and you're the only one that realizes what's happening.
It also does something that many other movies fail to do - which is create a lingering sense of fear once the credits have rolled. As you can see from the trailer, this particular "game" of Truth of Dare involves something possessing random people and forcing them to ask the question, "truth or dare?" There's also the side effect of having their face control itself into a bizarrely, unnatural smile that's something out a Batman comic. In fact, the whole ride home from the movies I was half-worried that my girlfriend might turn to me with that same grin and ask me that dreaded question.
Now, while the horror aspect was done very well, the story was definitely lacking - as is the case with most supernatural horror movies. I will say that this movie does try to provide some complexity for its main characters, and it does succeed in a number of ways. Leading ladies Lucy Hale (Pretty Little Liars) and Violette Beane (The Flash) have a complex relationship and the two actresses do a decent job at properly conveying that throughout the movie.
If I had to choose one that I had an issue with, it would be the characters reactions to the death of their friends through the course of this movie. I understand that dwelling on their deaths might be too much to ask given the limited amount of time the movie has to work with, and the fact that the threat of the game is still ever-present. However, having someone die in one scene and then seeing the characters perfectly fine in the next is a little annoying, especially since they were all supposed to be best friends.
While not a great film, Truth or Dare does manage to break new ground on the storytelling aspect of horror films. Moving away from the idea of people, places, or things being the only thing capable of being possessed, we see that even "ideas" can be possessed by evil spirits, and that was definitely interesting. While acting and particular characters choices do detract from the story, the fresh concept and entertaining scares were enough to make me look past a lot of them. All in all, I say go check it out, if nothing else you'll definitely have fun.
My rating: 7/10
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