Truth or Dare

This horror film is unoriginal, pandering, and nondescript enough to be brushed off -- until the ending, which is so maddeningly foolish that it practically requires a warning to stay away. The premise of Truth or Dare is ridiculous, of course; it's yet another in a long line of "innocent games turned into devilish rites" genre movies. These films systematically knock off their attractive young cast members, while the gore, sex, and language are all controlled enough to ensure a teen-friendly rating. Somehow, though, that doesn't stop the movie from using child rape and other inappropriate adult-young person relationships as plot devices. It's impossible to guess exactly how the pitch meeting for this movie went, but it sure seems like someone said, "Hey, those Snapchat filters look weird ... could we make a movie about that?"

The acting, writing, and directing are all standard. The supposed surprises are badly telegraphed. Without anything genuinely eerie or new to offer, it relies almost solely on very loud noises to affect viewers. And then the ending (which won't be spoiled here) so violates everything the film has set up -- including even the most generous moviegoer's agreement to suspend disbelief -- that it has to be called out. There were audible groans and chuckles in the audience. Were the filmmakers totally out of ideas? Did they just lowball their estimate of their audience's IQ? Were they that desperate to set up a franchise? If you're lucky, you'll never be forced to ponder these questions.