Truth or Dare: A Missed Opportunity in Teen Horror
This film presents itself as a potentially intriguing teen horror flick, but unfortunately, it falls flat due to its weak execution.
A group of American college students embarks on a spring break trip to Mexico, where they encounter a mysterious guy named Carter. He lures them to an abandoned church and suggests a game of “Truth or Dare.” Little do they know, this seemingly innocent game comes with deadly consequences, haunting them even after they return home. Those who refuse to play or fail to complete their dares face a gruesome demise.
It’s almost hard to believe that just a decade ago, we were rolling our eyes and sighing, “Not another one?” every time a new installment of the “Final Destination” franchise was announced. The franchise had clearly run its course by the fourth film, and the producers wisely concluded the series with a fifth installment, exiting the stage with a decent profit and their heads held high. This sparked a search for a new high-concept idea that would allow filmmakers to creatively dispatch teenagers in gruesome ways. For the first half-hour of “Truth or Dare,” it seems like the ever-present producer Jason Blum may have finally found that idea.
The film boasts a promising premise (reminiscent of “Final Destination”): the characters are forced to participate in a “game” where they must complete various tasks, ranging from answering questions straight out of a teenage girl’s diary (“Do you have a crush on your best friend’s boyfriend?”) to being dared to kill someone. Choosing the relatively harmless “truth” isn’t always an option, so the number of participants dwindles rapidly.
Promising Concept, Poor Execution
While the concept sounds promising, the on-screen execution leaves much to be desired. For example, the “game” delivers its tasks by possessing people (their faces contorting into a creepy smile), but this initially intriguing gimmick eventually works against the film. It happens so frequently that it loses its scare factor, even with the help of dramatic orchestral cues. The dares themselves are often so absurd that they elicit eye-rolls rather than fear. For some reason, the game is obsessed with complicating the already messy love triangle between the main characters (which, by the way, is completely unconvincing).
Characters Making Terrible Decisions
However, the film’s biggest downfall is the characters’ actions, which consistently highlight their stupidity. While facing imminent danger, they repeatedly split up, engage in petty arguments, get distracted, and generally act frantic for no good reason. While characters in teen horror movies aren’t typically known for their intelligence, “Truth or Dare” takes it to a new level. Add to this the clunky dialogue and bland actors who don’t even attempt to overcome their characters’ one-dimensionality (you can probably guess the order in which they’ll meet their demise), and you can imagine how “thrilling” the viewing experience will be.
PG-13 Rating Limits the Horror
It’s also worth noting that the film is rated PG-13, which means that despite the implied brutality of certain deaths, nothing “too extreme” is shown on screen. Even cuts and stab wounds are strangely bloodless. Forget the gore-fests of “Final Destination”; modern horror movies are unwilling to alienate potential audiences – and that’s the only thing that might save “Truth or Dare” from a complete box-office failure.