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REVIEW: Don’t Dismiss Syfy’s ‘Truth or Dare’

Published

7 years ago

September 29, 2017

A party game gets nasty when a supernatural force takes its turn in the effective and partly unsettling Truth or Dare which will air on Syfy, yes Syfy on October 8.

Don’t be quick to dismiss this little film because of the venue, there’s plenty to like in its just under 90-minute runtime.

At first you’ll notice some character tropes being pursued but are never fleshed-out, filmmakers seemingly know you have met these characters before so why bother?

But this is a good thing because the movie wastes no time in getting to the good stuff.

Here’s the setup: A group of eight college students rent a house rumored to be haunted. The token soothsayer tells the group they are there to see if things “really go bump in the night” because the ghost that haunts the house was the loser of an evil game of truth or dare in the late 80’s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoP0QokQNH0

Drinking alcohol from red Solo cups and gathered in the parlor, the group decides to repeat history and play the game on their own. Because how cool would that be?

At first, girls are dared to kiss, which they do, but things turn frighteningly awkward when one of the questions reveals a secret. The player initially lies which sets off a phantom text to everyone’s cellphone calling her out.

Distraught they look through the rest of cards, now written with an incorporeal hand to discover dares asking them to do violent things to themselves or each other, or face the consequences.

“Do the dare or the dare does you” it reads.

That is immediately put into play when one unlucky friend is tasked to put his hands on a red-hot stovetop.

He ignores it, but supernatural forces create circumstances in which he lands palm-first on the active surface element, causing his hand to peel away like taffy.

Another card asks that one of the girls then eat the burnt flesh left behind on the stove. Repulsed the girl refuses but the house eventually gets its way by shutting them in and blocking their cellphone signals. Even windows are impervious to their attempts at breaking out.

Everyone gets a turn, each request more dangerous, an added time limit gets things claustrophobic.

There aren’t just dares to do, truths are also a part of the game, with a disclaimer: “you lie you die”

A player learns this the hard way, the sacrifice finally allows the group outside the house, but the game isn’t over yet.

Truth or Dare is fun as soon as it reels you in and that’s pretty much from the get-go. I appreciated the brevity in some of the character development, the actors doing fine without a complicated backstory.

The accidents aren’t as serendipitous as in Final Destination, but some get really brutal as the movie goes on.

Original Nightmare on Elm Street alumna Heather Langenkamp makes an appearance, this time it is she who is facially scarred. Her purpose is to give exposition on what needs to happen to beat the ghost at its own game.

Her cameo left me yearning to see this understated actress in other projects.

Bloody, cringeworthy and fast-paced and body parts as collateral, the final 30-minutes of Truth or Dare is not for the squeamish. Director Nick Simon knows how to trigger viewers to watch with their eyes-through-their-fingers, and let’s just say novices to the genre are going to have a rough time in the final bloody reel.

Double-dipping into past genre storylines with characters to spare, Truth or Dare still satisfies thanks to good acting, piano wire tension and the conscious desire to find out how it all ends.

No spoilers here, but the finale is unusually intelligent for this type of genre, leaving open the wonderful possibility of a sequel or hopefully a successful franchise.

Truth or Dare is set to premiere on SyFy, October 8th 9 pm/8 pm central.

Truth or Dare stars Cassandra Scerbo, Brytni Sarpy, Mason Dye, Harvey Guillen, Alexxis Lemire, Luke Baines, Ricardo Hoyos, Christina Masterson and Heather Langenkamp.

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Jake Gyllenhaal’s Thriller ‘Presumed Innocent’ Series Gets Early Release Date

Published

26 mins ago

April 26, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Jake Gyllenhaal’s limited series Presumed Innocent is dropping on AppleTV+ on June 12 instead of June 14 as originally planned. The star, whose Road House reboot has brought mixed reviews on Amazon Prime, is embracing the small screen for the first time since his appearance on Homicide: Life on the Street in 1994.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s in ‘Presumed Innocent’

Presumed Innocent is being produced by David E. Kelley, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. It is an adaptation of Scott Turow’s 1990 film in which Harrison Ford plays a lawyer doing double duty as an investigator looking for the murderer of his colleague.

These types of sexy thrillers were popular in the ’90s and usually contained twist endings. Here’s the trailer for the original:

According to Deadline, Presumed Innocent doesn’t stray far from the source material: “…the Presumed Innocent series will explore obsession, sex, politics and the power and limits of love as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.”

Up next for Gyllenhaal is the Guy Ritchie action movie titled In the Grey scheduled for release in January 2025.

Presumed Innocent is an eight-episode limited series set to stream on AppleTV+ starting June 12.

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

19 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

21 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.