Review of 'Truth or Dare' (2014) Indie horror can be a difficult sell. There are those of us who cut our teeth in the genre when it was still essentially a homebrew industry, when huge amounts of money were made by movies produced by innovative kids with nothing more than a camera and inspiration. In recent years major studios have acknowledged the financial viability of horror movies and given us a raft of films that, whilst commercially successful, were watered-down imitations of the works we love. The colour palette changed to a sickly green-brown and violence became graphic for graphic's sake; shock value by gore and grue rather than by quality storytelling and atmosphere. Occasionally, an indie movie gets the mainstream recognition it deserves and gives its stars their break, a la the Soskas and 'American Mary'; more frequently one is marketed well and gains a mainstream audience who then find it to be derivative and boring tosh and the whole indie movement is pushed back into financial hibernation once again. It is into this market that Small Town Girl Productions releases Jessica Cameron's directorial debut 'Truth or Dare'. Whilst it's not in the same league as 'American Mary', and not much is in my opinion, it shows real promise from a fledgling talent.
Like most low-budget horror, 'Truth or Dare' works within the parameters of a simple premise; an internet stunt show called 'Truth or Dare' posts videos pertaining to show cast members playing the eponymous game resulting in orchestrated faux-violence. The show gains notoriety by blurring the lines between reality and fiction, and when the group meet up at an isolated house to film their latest segment they are joined by Derik, a crazed fan who believes that true success can only be achieved by playing the game for real.
The first thing to say about 'Truth or Dare' is that the plot is very thin in places; the opening act hits the beats you expect and characters respond according to type. As things progress, there are a number of revelations opening up some seriously interesting territory that are never really explored or additionally referenced. In fact it is easy to see the entire thing simply as an excuse for unpleasant people being made to do unpleasant things to each other by someone more unpleasant. The majority of the big reveals come via a single character who knows everyone's darkest, oldest secrets through means that are never explained beyond the 'I-am-your-biggest-fan' cliché. Still this is a low-budget indie horror and, as fans, we look past trite or wafer thin plotting to judge our chosen niche on its own merits. Despite my reservations about the convenient nature of the plot twists, I really enjoyed 'Truth or Dare'.
The most striking thing is just how gory it is. There are some really gruesome deaths, both practically and emotionally, as the film progresses and the cast are forced to more extreme lengths to survive. Hardened as I am to genre flicks, there were a couple of scenes that were genuinely hard to watch; in much the same way that 'The Human Centipede' came out of a drunken conversation Tom Six had with his friends about how to punish sex offenders, I wonder if a similar discussion didn't give rise to some of the violence conceived of by Jessica Cameron and writing partner Jonathan Higgins. I admit to finding the opening half or so a little predictable but beyond that it seems like they were trying to constantly outdo themselves, both in terms of the graphic nature of the violence and of the cruelty on show. Cameron makes use of some excellent make-up effects, creative sound design, and quick edits to you leave with the impression that you have seen more than you actually have; a combination that serves to effectively disguise budgetary constraints.
For an indie feature the actors are also excellent. Whilst the plot hints at some real emotional depth and conflict to these characters, it never really materialises and the cast do well with what they have. Cameron herself takes top billing as Jennifer and her performance is perfectly fine if unconvincing by comparison; the real stars of the show are Heather Dorff as Michelle and Devanny Pinn as Courtney who generate some real sympathy once the suffering starts. The male cast are also solid although their roles feel more truncated than their female counterparts, especially the excellent Brandon Van Vliet as Tony who is surprisingly likable given what his character is forced to admit. Special mention must also go to Ryan Kiser as superfan Derik; crazy is difficult to play and, whilst there were times when his performance was a little too manic for my taste, he does a great job of creating a wide-eyed, gleeful antagonist.
'Truth or Dare' is a really fun movie; it's gruesome, has some very unusual deaths, and great special effects. Yes, the opening scenes are predictable and yes, the plot is very thin, but the sheer extent of different ideas thrown at the screen should be applauded. I suspect that this is exactly the film that Jessica Cameron set out to make too – a nasty, fun, low-budget indie horror movie – and her direction shows a good eye and real promise. As of writing 'Truth or Dare' is yet to secure a UK distribution deal and, sadly, may prove difficult to see on these shores. This is a shame as there is a sizeable market for this kind of film and I feel that it would do well; it won't win awards for its script but in terms of the amount of on screen carnage, in terms of shock value, and in terms of showing us the first beats of an interesting new director, 'Truth or Dare' comes highly recommended.
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