Blumhouse are known for their ability to create horror/thriller films that aren't just jump scares and cringeworthy plots; they either dig a little deeper or try a new approach.
If 'Truth Or Dare' were to fit in either one of those two methods it'd be the first, but it's nothing like, for example, the same studio's Oscar-winning masterpiece 'Get Out'.
The film is a little similar to another sort-of-recent silver screen Blumhouse slasher 'Unfriended', where an online source forces a group of friends to complete horrific actions and confess hard truths in order to avoid a gruesome death.
Much like 'Unfriended' it's a group of friends who all find themselves entangled in an all-too-real game of truth or dare, but let's leave plot points and spoilers out of this.
The way 'Truth Or Dare' moves along is, admittedly, a little slow to begin with. Like most horror films you have to wade your way through the shiny, happy introductions until things start getting a little dark. However once it did get dark, it also got cheesy. I found myself squinting at the screen and once or twice even rolling my eyes, but it's important to consider that these moments may have been on purpose.
To elaborate, this film – from go to whoa – is essentially over-the-top teen drama. It takes very little effort for the first 'victim' of the game to convince their other friends that the game is real which, in itself, is far-fetched. Suspension of disbelief is an important thing to walk in with because the producers clearly went for a project that would simultaneously reel younger people into the world of horror and also, by the end, let them know that it's not as simple as it seems.
That's what works in not only 'Truth Or Dare' but most of Blumhouse's efforts. They're simple on the surface to begin with but by the end you almost feel as though you've been taken for a ride.
With the above in mind, this is a decent movie. The casting (with such folks as Lucy Hale, Tyler Posey and Violett Beane) is great... All actors carry out the task of 'melodramatic, cheesy teen' well.
As usual from this production company, the presentation is well-done. Jeff Wadlow as Director and Jacques Jouffret as Cinematographer present a not-so-complex skeleton of a story in a way that nails that classic edge-of-your-seat horror atmosphere but also looks great both in and out of the suspenseful, scary parts.
If you're up for a relatively simple plot (which does thicken a little toward the end) and a cast full of dramatic teens with overactive imaginations trying to find their way out of a sticky situation, this one's for you.
★★★☆☆
