On Halloween, a group eight friends venture into an abandoned house with a rumor to be haunted. Rumor has it that a game of truth or dare was played there with deaths and tragedy at its conclusion. Why not play truth or dare there just for fun? The game starts out as normal until cruel dares and brutal truths are found written on sheets of paper. If truths aren't answered or dares aren't done within a time limit, the person will die a horrific death. The game follows them even after they have left the house. If any of them wants to survive, the game has to be finished.
I watched this movie on Netflix completely thinking it was the Blumhouse film of the same name released last year. I was wrong, but I found a fun gem of a film. On the surface, Truth or Dare has a lot going against it as a made for TV movie by the SyFy Channel, populated with unknown actors. However, I found myself having a lot of fun with the film. Much of the film feels familiar, but not within the same subgenre or film. The brutal truths truly ruin lives and relationships, making them comparable to the dares. The horrific dares that increase in intensity and danger call to mind the traps in Saw and the sick game of Would You Rather. The cringeworthy gore effects are achieved with practical effects, which is part of why I had no idea it was a SyFy film, which tend to rely on CGI. The supernatural entity forcing them to continue is reminiscent of One Missed Call or The Ring. The way it communicates felt so fresh with written messages appearing first on paper and then in odd places, punctuated with some sort of supernatural movement like opening or slamming doors.
The combination of Saw or Would You Rather type grotesque tasks with a supernatural force feels fresh and fun. Some kills are broadcasted while others come out of nowhere. Heather Langenkamp makes an unexpected cameo as the only survivor of the phenomenon years ago giving wisdom to the new victims. The overall ensemble acting didn't bother me at all as it has in other SyFy features. Don't let the made for TV or SyFy label make you skip this one. I had a lot of fun with Truth or Dare, wondering at what was going to happen and cringing at the torturous dares and life ruining truths. I'm interested in seeing how the Blumhouse film of the same name and disturbingly similar concept (released a year later) matches up.
My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins
* The Lodgers (2017)
In 1920's rural Ireland, twins Rachel and Edward live in a decaying mansion on a sprawling estate. Unfortunately, what comes with this legacy are crushing debts and an odd set of rules set by ancestors to be followed to the letter. Edward seems content to follow in his parents and their parents and so on's footsteps, but Rachel wants something else.
The Lodgers has so much that I like: a gothic story, a decaying atmospheric mansion, creepy siblings, visually interesting water imagery, and a family curse. However, the execution leaves me cold. The characters are almost all completely awful. Edward is not only physically and emotionally abusive to Rachel, but he also forces her to do all the heavy lifting in their relationship. Since he's a complete and utter coward, she has to face and try to solve their financial woes and get everything from the town they need by herself. I started out relating to and feeling for Rachel and her interest in people and things outside of her home. However, she cruelly uses a disabled veteran for her own ends. I lost all sympathy for her and saw her as almost equal in cruelty to her brother. I didn't expect them to run away together or anything as trite as that, but he symbolized the world on the outside and all the things she's missing in her self imposed isolation.
The visual style is well done with disorienting moments of water dripping upwards and visions of drowned couples in water. I loved the creepy song that lays out their specific rules, but it could have been used more. The big revelation of the film is loudly broadcast throughout the film and a trope of gothic stories, so it didn't have the effect it should have had. When the consequences of the broken rules is revealed, it doesn't look as good as the rest of the visuals and it took me out of the film. While I love the subgenre, the small details, and the atmosphere, The Lodgers is a frustrating mess to watch. It has such good pieces, similar to films like The Innocents and Crimson Peak, but all together, it falls very short of those films.
My rating: 2.5/5 fishmuffins
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