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A Game Worth Playing: Blumhouse’s Truth or Dare

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The best horror films aren’t really about monsters, ghouls, or goblins. They’re about us. On its surface, Truth or Dare is a simple, by-the-books horror film. A small group of lovably rebellious twenty-somethings travels to Mexico for their last spring break (ever!!!) before life “rips them apart”.

The ensemble cast of this film works, for the most part. A handful of the characters they’re portraying tend to be vapid and kind of terrible, but what do you expect from young people in a horror film?

Lucy Hale and Violett Beane take the lead roles as Olivia and Markie, two ‘BFFs’ who will spend the first quarter of this film making your eyes roll as they spout typical best friend cliches.

On the last day of their spring break Mexico vacation, Olivia is propositioned by a random, roguishly handsome guy to join him on a trip to a mysterious location. Olivia’s friends don’t want to do this (of course), but she manages to persuade them.

After a long, creepy trek through the desert, the friends and their guide end up at an old, abandoned church. Once there, Carter (their mysterious tour guide) persuades the group to join him in a rousing game of Truth or Dare.

Naturally, chaos ensues.

Our intrepid protagonists discover, one-by-one, that this game of Truth or Dare is actually being controlled by a powerful demon, who forces them to answer intensely personal questions or, if they so choose, participate in life-threatening dares.

Lie? You die. Refuse to play? You die. Them’s the rules.

Olivia receives her first dare.

It’s a fiendishly simple premise, and the movie would have done better to let its true origins remain shadowed and unknown. Instead, the movie frequently interrupts its narrative to pack in exposition about what the game actually is, who’s controlling it, and how to stop it.

It’s a shame, because the film’s narrative is actually its biggest strength.

As I said in the opening, the best horror films aren’t about monsters, they’re about us. They hold a mirror to us, and force us to see ourselves in a different light. They make us question our morality.

Truth or Dare is essentially about the dangers of keeping secrets. As the game progresses, it forces the friends (those left alive, at least), to tell each other their deepest, darkest secrets. Things they have been hiding from each other for years. 

“Truth or Dare?”

Everyone knows what it’s like to have an unspoken secret. Everyone has watched a group of seemingly tight-knit individuals begin to unravel under the weight of lies and rumors. It’s a real world fear that has pervaded our society since the proverbial dawn of time: the fear of being revealed. 

Even though our protagonists know the game is evil, and they know that the person who’s ‘it’ has no choice but to comply, it does not soften the blow one iota. Friendships are destroyed. Trust is obliterated.

Our characters slowly find themselves, each in their turn, ostracized and alone.

I firmly believe that if Truth or Dare had focused more on the effects of the terrible game, and less on the game itself, it would have been a far more successful film. The lore, as we uncover it, is nothing earth shattering. The ‘mythos’, if you will, is nothing we haven’t seen in a hundred other horror films before. So why make that the focus?

The Game takes on a ghoulish face.

Jaws and Alien taught us that the best monster is the one you barely see. Perhaps that works for metaphors too. The less we know about the game, the more we can focus on the characters.

For this reason, the film sort of falls apart in its third act. As the already a little too long movie switches gears into a ‘race against time’ to kill the game before it kills them, we lose the charm the movie may not even have known it had.

What started as a surprisingly effective and even, at times, emotionally involving morality story devolves into a typical beat-the-clock thriller.

Now, that being said, Truth or Dare does live up to its most basic expectation: it is a bloody good time.

One way, or another, it’s gonna find you.

The performances are all good enough to keep us more than involved, I cared about the characters, the effects were good enough to be scary, and plot moved along at a quick-enough pace.

Truth or Dare really wants to be more than an average, jump-scare laden horror flick, and in some ways it succeeds. It features solid acting, writing, and effects. But it just doesn’t quite live up to its own potential. Which is a shame, because I truly believe it easily could have.

Despite its shortcomings, I feel like Truth or Dare may very well be a game worth paying for.

See it for yourselves, share this review, and comment your thoughts!

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New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

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Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

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‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

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Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

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How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

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Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

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