Truth or Dare (2018 film)

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Truth or Dare
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJeff Wadlow
Screenplay by
Story byMichael Reisz
Produced byJason Blum
Starring
CinematographyJacques Jouffret
Edited bySean Albertson
Music byMatthew Margeson
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • April 13, 2018 (2018-04-13) (United States)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3.5 million[1]
Box office$95.3 million[2]

Truth or Dare, also known as Blumhouse's Truth or Dare,[3] is a 2018 American supernatural horror film directed and co-written (alongside Michael Reisz, Jillian Jacobs, and Chris Roach) by Jeff Wadlow. The film stars Lucy Hale, Tyler Posey, Violett Beane, Hayden Szeto, Sophia Taylor Ali, and Landon Liboiron as a group of college students who play a game of truth or dare while on vacation in Mexico, only to realize it has deadly consequences if they do not follow through on their obligations. Jason Blum produced through his Blumhouse Productions banner, and Universal Pictures distributed the film.

Released in theaters on Friday, April 13, 2018, the film received mostly negative reviews from critics, who said it was "neither inventive nor scary enough to set itself apart from the decades of dreary slashers that came before it."[4] The film was a box office success, grossing $95 million worldwide against its $3.5 million production budget.

Plot[edit]

Olivia Barron is a college student who always puts others' needs before her own. She plans to build houses with Habitat for Humanity over spring break, but her best friend, Markie Cameron, convinces her to join their friends in Mexico. At a bar, Olivia meets a man named Carter, who invites the group to party at an abandoned church. There, Carter suggests they play truth or dare. During the game, their friend Tyson Curran reveals that Olivia has a crush on Lucas Moreno, Markie's boyfriend, which she denies. Carter admits that he tricked them into playing a supernatural version of the game and warns them to do whatever the game asks or they will be killed.

Back at school, hallucinations call on Olivia to pick truth or dare. She picks "truth" and blurts out that Markie has been serially unfaithful to Lucas. The friends learn that Ronnie, another friend, was forced to kill himself after failing to complete a dare. Lucas picks "truth" and admits to having feelings for Olivia. Markie is forced to break Olivia's hand, and their closeted friend, Brad Chang, is forced to tell his father he is gay.

Tyson disbelieves the game's consequences and dies after lying during his turn. The group discovers a story online about a woman named Giselle Hammond who lit a woman on fire in Mexico while playing truth or dare. They arrange a meeting with her through social media. Giselle reveals that one of her friends, Sam Meehan, got drunk and trashed the church. When they got home, the game continued, and only she and Carter survived. Carter was dared to involve more players to give themselves more time before taking their turn again. It is then revealed that Giselle has been dared to kill Olivia and she attempts to shoot her, but Olivia's friend Penelope Amari dives in front and dies instead. Having failed her dare, Giselle is forced to kill herself.

Olivia is dared to have sex with Lucas. During sex, Lucas is forced to admit that he cares about her but loves Markie. Olivia and Lucas drive to Tijuana and meet Inez Reyes, a former nun at the church who cannot speak. By writing on paper, Inez tells them how she summoned a demon named Calux to save herself from a sadistic priest. However, Calux kept a game of Truth or Dare running and killed all her friends. She trapped Calux by ritually cutting off her tongue and sealing it in a pot. The group realize Sam must have broken the pot and released Calux, and to trap him, they need to find him.

Brad is dared to threaten his father with a gun. As he does so, he is shot and killed by an approaching officer. Olivia learns that Carter and Sam are the same person. She is dared to speak the truth. Olivia tells the group that Markie's father sexually assaulted her, and he killed himself when she told him that Markie would be better off if he were dead. Though at first angry, hurt, and contemplating suicide, Markie forgives her friend and tells her it is not her fault because her father had previously been suicidal.

Olivia, Markie, and Lucas find Sam and force him back to the ruined church. As Sam goes through the ritual to trap Calux, Lucas is dared to kill either Olivia or Markie. When he refuses, Calux possesses him and forces him to kill Sam and himself. When Markie's turn comes, Olivia tells her to refuse a dare. Calux possesses Markie, at which point Olivia forces Calux into the game by asking him to pick truth or dare. The demon is forced to tell the truth that there is no way they can make it out of the game alive with Sam dead. They will die unless they add more people to delay their next turn. Olivia uploads a video in which she briefly warns viewers about the game and its rules. She then asks "Truth or Dare", involving whoever hears the phrase into the game, delaying her and Markie's next turn.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

Initially, director Jeff Wadlow explained that he was hired to direct the film after spitballing an opening scene based on the film's title in his initial meetings with Blumhouse.[5] Subsequently, he joined with his friend Chris Roach, and his wife, Jill Jacobs, and started thinking of ideas to approach the final concept.[6]

Filming[edit]

Principal photography on the film began on June 7, 2017,[7][8] and wrapped on July 12, 2017, in Los Angeles.[9][10]

Release[edit]

The film was initially set for release on April 27, 2018. But in January 2018, the date was moved up two weeks and premiered on April 13, 2018.[11] The official trailer for the film was released on January 3, 2018.[12]

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

Truth or Dare grossed $41.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $53.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $95.3 million, against a production budget of $3.5 million.[2]

In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside Rampage and Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero, as well as the wide expansion of Isle of Dogs, and was projected to gross $12–15 million from 3,029 theaters in its opening weekend.[13] The film made $8.3 million on its first day (including $750,000 from Thursday night previews), $6.8 million on Saturday and a total of $18.7 million over the weekend, finishing third behind Rampage ($35.7 million) and fellow horror film A Quiet Place ($32.6 million).[14] It fell to 58% in its second weekend, grossing $7.8 million and finishing fifth.[15] The film continued to hold well in its third weekend, dropping 58% again to $3.3 million, finishing in seventh place.[16]

Critical response[edit]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 15% based on 162 reviews, and an average rating of 3.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Truth or Dare's slick presentation isn't enough to make this mediocre horror outing much more frightening than an average round of the real-life game."[17] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 35 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[18] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.[14]

Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com gave the film two stars out of four and wrote that "director Jeff Wadlow and his three credited co-writers don't go far enough towards either of their film's primary impulses—humanizing their immature subjects and/or making them die amusingly sadistic deaths."[19] Variety's Owen Gleiberman called it a "scare-free horror film" and wrote, "The movie isn't scary, it isn't gripping, it isn't fun, and it isn't fueled by any sort of clever compulsion. It's just a strangely arduous exercise that feels increasingly frantic and arbitrary as it goes along."[20] Edward Porter of The Times gave the film 1/5 stars, saying that it was "not so much a horror show as a soap opera with a high mortality rate."[21]

Simran Hans of The Observer gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "This tepid teen horror from Blumhouse Productions is a disappointing backwards stumble for the indie company, given its recent track record of cheap but effective genre thrills such as Split and Happy Death Day (as well as the considerably higher profile Get Out)."[22] Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph also gave the film 2/5 stars, describing it as "the kind of film that must have seemed like a good idea at the time, but its initially appealing premise... quickly falls to pieces under its own self-generated confusions."[23] Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent also gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "A few moments of ingenuity aside, Truth or Dare is lacklustre filmmaking. Its premise is so contrived that any attempts at stirring up dread or suspense are stifled at the outset."[24]

Bruce DeMara of the Toronto Star gave the film 2.5/4 stars, saying that it "isn't all that daring, although it is not without its twisted charm."[25] Benjamin Lee of The Guardian gave the film 3/5 stars, writing: "Hackneyed horror tropes persist throughout and so does some crushingly exposition-heavy dialogue... but it rattles along at a fair lick, never resting for too long before another nasty surprise."[26]

Accolades[edit]

The film was nominated at the 2018 Teen Choice Awards as Choice Drama Movie. Lucy Hale was also nominated as Choice Drama Movie Actress for her performance in this film.[27]

Canceled sequel[edit]

In April 2018, Jeff Wadlow discussed ideas of a sequel, stating, "If the movie is a success and I'm asked to come up with other good ideas, there are other stories that could be told through the filter of a supernatural game of truth or dare."[28] In February 2020, rumors emerged that Blumhouse Productions would develop a sequel.[29] In February 2024, Wadlow said that while a script for a meta sequel had been written, revolving around the actual film's cast playing themselves, the project was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[30]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Fuster, Jeremy (April 10, 2018). "'Rampage' Stomps Into Theaters in Need of Big Overseas Launch". TheWrap. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Truth or Dare (2018)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  3. ^ Mendelson, Scott (January 3, 2018). "Blumhouse Claims Ownership Over Lucy Hale's 'Truth Or Dare'". Forbes. Archived from the original on February 4, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  4. ^ Giles, Jeff (April 12, 2018). "Rampage Is Exactly What You Think It Is". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  5. ^ Schwerdtfeger, Conner (April 11, 2018). "The Bizarre Way Truth Or Dare's Director Pitched The Movie". CinemaBlend. GatewayBlend Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  6. ^ Deckelmeier, Joe (April 11, 2018). "Jeff Wadlow Interview: Truth or Dare". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  7. ^ Miska, Brad (May 24, 2017). "Full Cast Prepares For a Game of 'Truth or Dare'". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on May 29, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  8. ^ Wadlow, Jeff (June 7, 2017). "First day of photography! Lucky shirt: check 🍀 @lucyhale @tylerposey58 @nolanfunk @haydenszeto @sophiatali". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  9. ^ Hale, Lucy [@lucyhale] (July 12, 2017). "THAT IS A MF WRAP ON TRUTH OR DARE 🎥 thanks for the memories guys ! Can't wait for y'all to see this" (Tweet). Retrieved April 12, 2018 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ Highfill, Samantha (April 12, 2018). "Truth or Dare stars Tyler Posey, Lucy Hale share their spring break stories". Entertainment Weekly. Time. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  11. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 11, 2018). "Blumhouse's Truth Or Dare' Moves Up Two Weeks To Friday The 13th – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  12. ^ KimmiKillZombie (January 3, 2018). "[Trailer] Death Plays Games in TRUTH OR DARE". Nightmare on Film Street. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  13. ^ Faughnder, Ryan (April 11, 2018). "Rampage' is poised for top box-office spot as Dwayne Johnson fights video game movie curse". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 11, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  14. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 15, 2018). "The Rock Rebounds: 'Rampage' Shushes 'A Quiet Place' With $34M+ No. 1 Opening". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on May 18, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  15. ^ Busch, Anita; D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 22, 2018). "'A Quiet Place' Still Noisy With $21.7M As 'Rampage' Beats Chest, 'Super Trooper 2' Surprises – Sunday AM Update". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on May 18, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  16. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 29, 2018). "'Avengers: Infinity War' Conquering 'Force Awakens' With Record $248M-$250M Opening; Posts Record $82M Saturday". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 2, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  17. ^ "Blumhouse's Truth or Dare (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on 2019-09-25. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  18. ^ "Blumhouse's Truth or Dare Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  19. ^ Abrams, Simon (April 13, 2018). "Truth or Dare". RogerEbert.com. Ebert Digital LLC. Archived from the original on September 10, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  20. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (April 11, 2018). "Review: 'Truth or Dare'". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  21. ^ Porter, Edward (April 15, 2018). "Film review: Custody; A Gentle Creature; Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts; Western; Rampage; Truth or Dare". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 2022-02-13. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  22. ^ "Truth or Dare review – horror games fall flat". the Guardian. 2018-04-15. Archived from the original on 2022-02-13. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  23. ^ Collin, Robbie (2018-04-12). "Truth or Dare review: somehow makes a demonic drinking game as dull as contract bridge". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 2022-02-14. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  24. ^ Macnab, Geoffrey (2018-04-11). "Film reviews roundup: Truth of Dare, A Gentle Creature, Custody, The Titan". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-02-13. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  25. ^ DeMara, Bruce (2018-04-12). "Review | Blumhouse's Truth or Dare wrings some suspense out of silly, spooky concept". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Archived from the original on 2022-02-13. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  26. ^ Lee, Benjamin (2018-04-11). "Truth or Dare review – silly, spirited horror plays a fast-paced game". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  27. ^ Cohen, Jess (June 13, 2018). "Teen Choice Awards 2018: Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther and Riverdale Among Top Nominees". E! News. E!. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  28. ^ Sprague, Mike (April 16, 2018). "Will there be a sequel to Blumhouse's Truth or Dare?". JoBlo.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  29. ^ Rivera, DJ (February 21, 2020). "Truth Or Dare Sequel Reportedly In The Works At Blumhouse". WGTC.
  30. ^ Earl, William (February 21, 2024). "Why Blumhouse Scrapped a Truth or Dare Meta Sequel With Tyler Posey and Lucy Hale at the Last Minute (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved February 21, 2024.

External links[edit]

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