Frankly, there's not a lot to be said about Blumhouse's latest cheap scare Truth or Dare, or rather, not a lot worth writing or reading. The point is, it's not a good film, and you can have a better time watching John Krasinski's A Quiet Place this weekend instead (which I recommend you do). But read on for a *slightly* more in-depth analysis, if you dare care.
Truth or Dare is a by-the-numbers teen/young adult circle-of-friends horror flick with all the clichés and none of the thrills you'd expect from a typical member of the genre. A group of college friends go on a spring break vacation to Mexico, play a game of Truth or Dare possessed by a demon named... Kaecilius, or something? Wait no, that's the villain from Doctor Strange. I don't know; it's something like that. Anyway, the game becomes a situation of life or death when the friends realize that they die if they don't complete their assigned task—either a truth or a dare.
From there, it goes about how you'd expect—no, exactly how you'd expect—with the single interesting revelation being a bizarre secret that female lead Olivia (Lucy Hale) has been hiding that relates to a trust subplot with her best friend Markie (Violett Beane), which is ultimately kind of irrelevant. The friends and others who play the game are tasked with difficult truths and dangerous dares that put their lives and friendships in jeopardy, but never is an ounce of effort spared for creativity or originality in how the story is told. Even down to the rhythm and structure of each scene, it's a mundane demonstration of how to make a mainstream horror flick.
As previously alluded to, Truth or Dare is not the least bit scary. It might—emphasis on "might"—get a jump or two out of you simply due to its overbearing jolts of cello and synth to help loud noises and rapid camera turns catch you off guard. But there's not a drop of pervading terror or atmospheric suspense. It's just "ope, there's the 'scare'," and then it's done. And whoever's idea it was to make the feature "scare" of the film be normal people with CGI-ed Joker smiles needs to be exiled from the industry. These people turn into cartoons at the exact moment they're supposed to be inducing fear.
The main cast do what they can with a flimsy script, and honestly, they aren't half-bad. But it's hardly worth noting when the characters they're playing are either unbearably stupid or mind-numbingly archetypal. Props in particular to Hale and Beane, as well as Hayden Szeto, who plays another friend, Brad.
The only reason I could think of to see this movie is that you're just that die-hard a horror fan, and live for both the good and bad of the genre. It's mildly entertaining in its failings, but never quite reaches "so bad it's good" levels of eyerolling euphoria. It's funnier than it is scary, both in ways that it means to be and ways it doesn't, but the laughs don't exactly come in droves; more like occasional nasal snorts.
Just don't bother with Truth or Dare. There are worse movies out there, sure, but those might just be more entertaining. This one's an easy pass.
https://youtu.be/Cgnk3MLw9TM&w=585