Truth or Dare (2013)

just watch it!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

....Then be forewarned. Truth or Dare is NOT for the faint of heart!! That being said, it is an extraordinarily well-crafted, bloody juggernaut of a movie that makes its presence known almost immediately. But - and here's a lesson for filmmakers everywhere - it does not substitute blood & guts for an interesting, twisted and downright nasty (that's intended to be a compliment!) story. I have seen hundreds of horror films in my lifetime (possibly even a thousand), yet only a few of them have truly made my stomach churn. The first two that did just that were Peter Jackson's Dead Alive aka Brain Dead, and the second was Fede Alvarez's re-imagining of The Evil Dead. Number 3? Jessica Cameron's Truth or Dare. This is Ms. Cameron's debut film as a director, and she knocks it out of the park. She also does some excellent acting in the role of Jennifer Collins, one of the "Truth-or-Daredevils" from the reality TV show named - you guessed it - Truth or Dare. Joining her is the lovely and multi-talented Heather Dorff as Michelle Lucas, in yet another of her sublime performances. Devanny Pinn plays Courtney Austin, and delivers a command performance in her role. Brandon Van Vliet is terrific in the role of Tony Lockhart, as is Shelby Stehlin, who plays Ray Austin. And last - but CERTAINLY not least (by any stretch of the imagination) is the incredible Ryan Kiser as Derik B. Smith - Truth or Dare's #1 Fan!! (Eat your heart out, Annie Wilkes!!) So, for fans of nasty, bloody, gory - but smart & coherent - fun, check this one out.

What shocks me the most about this film is the universally positive reviews for it on IMDb! The user rating is closer to the truth. This was diabolical.If this is a shocking movie to people they must be quite sheltered from what movies they have seen.First of all, all these characters were painful to watch, perhaps that's kind of the point but god I didn't wanna see them live, not one of them was likable.Secondly some of the decisions these characters made are mind boggling, like I actually couldn't believe!Overall opinion: BAD!Recommendation: Watch a French film called Inside. Now that will bloody well shock you!

Having seen three of the female members of the cast - Jessica Cameron, Devanny Pinn and Heather Dorff - on numerous film DVDs, I seized the opportunity to see the UK premiere of Truth or Dare in London where they all had major roles in a film which was the directorial debut of Jessica Cameron. In the previous films seen, I had appreciated that all three possessed the ability to make the maximum impact regardless of the screen time they were allocated and was interested to see how they fared in this film. I was certainly not disappointed.My attention was immediately captured by the opening scene an credit sequence and remained riveted for the full 84 minutes of the film. At the end of the film, I suddenly realised that I had been watching and thoroughly enjoying a film which apart from the opening few minutes was mainly located in one cramped room with most of the cast remaining in the same floor sitting position during the time that they were on screen. Obviously, it takes a successful combination and blending of various factors to achieve such a high level of audience attention and positive response throughout the length of a film in such a location and scene setting as experienced on this occasion. As far as I am concerned, some of these factors relevant to this film are: (a) Interesting storyline. Truth or Dare certainly possesses an original, imaginative and topical storyline based on the now popular style of Reality TV Shows which injected humour at unexpected moments which was immediately appreciated by the audience judging by the instant laughter generated who recognised the perfect timing by the actors delivering the lines. The story unfolded at a good pace throughout with not one moment of opportunity for the audience to be bored by unwarranted dialogue.(b) Excellent direction and camera-work. I was particularly impressed with the close up shots of faces and action. All the actors involved were clearly comfortable with the requirement to produce the necessary expressions for the close up sequences. Even the space tightness of the location there was a constant variation between focusing on individuals, couples and groups of characters as well as the occasional complete room location shot. All was very neatly accomplished.(c) Sound Effects/Soundtrack. Both sound effects and soundtrack were spot on and very effective with a touch or originality and appropriate to the occasion. I will not spoil the enjoyment of the viewing experience by mentioning one particular sound effect which I am sure was much appreciated by my fellow audience members.(d) Competent Acting. As mentioned previously, I have been impressed in the past productions by the performances of Jessica, Devanny and Heather and their excellent work throughout this film served to enhance their reputations. The other members of the cast, who were well selected, were new names to me but I will certainly be on the lookout for further examples of their work after admiring their contributions to this film. Ryan Kiser gave a flawless performance in a very difficult and demanding role. Many actors would have not been able to resist the temptation to go overboard with the delivery of the role and consequently lose the impact required but Ryan gave a very intelligent performance with astute presentation of verbal and movement requirements.When considering the mark to award the film, initially I was going to give it 9 out of 10 but on reflection I decided to award it a full 10 marks as I could find no reason to validly deduct a mark.

I will keep this review a spoiler-free as possible, but some amount of divulging will no doubt occur so you've been warned.I first saw Jessica Cameron at the 2013 Fatality Fest in Florida, and heard about her new film 'Truth or Dare.' There was a fund raiser in progress and after meeting her, reading about the film and watching the trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8J7qVONFmE - warning it's a "red band trailer so not safe for kids) I decided to donate. However, I didn't get to see the film as it is still on the festival circuit at that time and still is today.Now, many festivals and dozens of awards later, I was finally able to see this horror film at Immersed in Ink's Tinley Park Tattoo Arts & Horror Festival yesterday (4/19/14). In fact, I ended up seeing several screenings during the day, and it's indeed one of those films that demands multiple viewings if for no other reason to test the endurance of your friends to see when they will cry uncle.I only knew initially that the movie was about a group of friends playing a real game of bloody, gory "truth or dare." The how/why they would do this was a mystery and things quickly click into place.The film is a commentary on our culture's incessant narcissism, celebrity obsession and viral video addiction. These "daredevils" have created a national outcry over their videos purporting to show actual deaths resulting from vicious versions of this game.What transpires is one of the bloodiest, sickest films I've ever seen. The f/x are top notch for a low budget indie. I could almost taste the copper from the blood. The truths reveal the lies we keep from even our closest friends (I definitely will NOT spoil those) and the "dares" get more vicious and brutal from round to round. Throughout there's some decent humor that made myself and many attendees laugh out loud multiple times.If you enjoy sick, twisted horror (such as works by Jimmyo Burril & April "Chainsaw Sally" Burril, Debbie Rochon or the Soska Sisters, Jen & Sylvia) you'll be right at home. If you laugh as flesh is cut and people are brutally wounded, maimed, etc. this film is one to support. Go see it at a film festival, buy it when it's out and give it reviews. Let the big studios know the horror community supports both strong female writers/actresses/directors and boundary-pushing horror/gore.For too long the industry has celebrated male artists while ignoring women (in general and horror specifically). As a horror author who's come to know many of these artists I've referenced, I stand firmly behind the next generation of horror leaders - strong female voices who demand our attention and respect... or else.Is this film for everyone? No. But I'm telling you it's WELL worth the ride. And like any good roller coaster, you'll be a wreck afterward and then ready to go again.***Spoiler warning*** Delving in the game that takes up the majority of the film, I wanted to express my sincere admiration for Jessica Cameron's vision and direction of this brutal film. Others would have pulled back from some of the gore/violence, but she pushed forward into each logical next step.The film opens with the team's most recent episode which involved a variation of Russian roulette that appears to go wrong. Milking the controversy, the "victim" actually goes into hiding for awhile to add to the "reality" that he's really died.What follows from those events, when faced by their #1 one fan/fanatic who desperately wants to join them, they are forced to play the game for real. He knows more about them then they know about each other and delivers brutal punishments for those trying to avoid the truth.Unlike most films, the women are the real standouts here and I was really struck by both Heather Dorff and director Jessica Cameron's characters who are not the cookie cutter women we normally see in horror films. I would NOT want to play this game with either them despite considering them peers and friends. I wouldn't last to round two.While most people will focus on the brutal dares, many of the audience members in the screenings I attended were sickened by the revealed truths. And cleverly, despite being essentially forced at gun point to play to the death, the truths some reveal feed into executing the dares.I liked the realism in the writing. All of the brutal actions, in particular some so spectacularly awful I would never dare to reveal them, were researched for accuracy by Jessica. I also liked the simple attention to detail of the events being film on alternating memory cards and uploaded as the game progressed. Many films skip even the simple reality of things, but this felt natural and "real" in terms of what would be occurring.And the killer constantly checking their "views" and comments of each new scene was both realistic and hilarious. The obsession with "going viral," view counts and viewer comments in today's world is skewered over and over much like the participants.As I disclosed, I am a horror author who calls these folks peers and friends, but I still take a critical eye to all films I watch. In fact, out of respect to my friends, I would honestly say I hold their work to a higher standard than others. Just as I would expect them to comment on my work and drive me to be my best that's who I approach things.I can easily say that this film is a sick one that I love and am proud to have had any part in supporting and promoting. I expect to see a lot more of Jessica, and Heather, in the future and the horror world will be the better and bloodier for that!