Truth or Dare (2017 film)

Truth or Dare is a 2017 American supernatural horror television film co-written by Thommy Hutson and Ethan Lawrence and directed by Nick Simon. The film stars Cassie Scerbo, Brytni Sarpy, Mason Dye, Harvey Guillen, Luke Baines, Ricardo Hoyos, Alexxis Lemire, Christina Masterson, and Heather Langenkamp. The plot focuses on a group of eight college students who rent a house haunted by a vengeful spirit who lost a game of truth or dare several years earlier. The group decide to play the game and are forced to follow through or face deadly consequences. The film premiered on Syfy on October 8, 2017. It received negative reviews from critics.

Truth or Dare
Promotional poster
Written byThommy Hutson
Ethan Lawrence
Directed byNick Simon
Starring
Music byNima Fakhrara
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerPaul Hertzberg
ProducersLisa M. Hansen
Lisa Riley
Brian Tidmore
German Michael Torres
CinematographyKevin Duggin
EditorDon Money
Production companiesCineTel Films
Angel Cake Truth
DistributorSyfy
Release
Original networkSyfy
Original release
  • October 8, 2017 (2017-10-08)

Premise

For Halloween, a group of eight college friends rent a house supposedly haunted by a vengeful spirit who lost at a deadly game of truth or dare several years beforehand. When the group decide to play the game, they are forced to answer each humiliating truth honestly and act upon each increasingly alarming dare asking them to do violent acts to themselves and each other or risk death by the spirit.[1]

Plot

In 1983, Donna Boone tells her friend Johnny to jump off the roof to complete the game of Truth or Dare. He rolls off to his death before completing the dare. Horrified, Donna returns inside the house to find writing on a mirror telling her to pour acid on her head. After first covering her head in a paste of baking soda and water, she does so, completing the dare.

In the present day, a group of eight friends – Carter, Maddie, Tyler, Alex, Jessie, Addison, Holt, and Luke – go to a house Carter has rented for a Halloween outing. Carter tells the group that the house became haunted after seven teens played Truth or Dare in 1983 and all but one died horribly. He persuades everyone to play Truth or Dare. Alex is dared to make out with Maddie, which they do. Afterwards, Maddie is asked if she’s slept with Tyler, Alex’s boyfriend, and although she initially tries to lie, a mysterious group text forces her to tell the truth. Tyler’s dare is to put his hands on a hot stove and is told to 'do the dare or the dare does you', and although he attempts to quit, a chair moves by itself and trips him onto the stove, severely burning his hand.

An old-fashioned TV displays a warning that the group has 48 hours to complete three rounds of the game. They try to leave, but the doors and windows close, trapping everyone in. Jessie is dared to eat Tyler's burnt skin from the stove, and after eating one piece, the phone rings despite the wires being cut with the message for her to eat all of it. The next person dared is Holt, who is dared to grab onto exposed wiring, electrocuting himself on wires hanging from the ceiling after a chandelier broke off. To keep him alive, Carter rushes at him whilst carrying a blanket to disengage him from the wires. Luke is dared to smash his knee, which Carter eventually does. Addison is asked if she’s an addict, and she lies that she isn’t and then tries to leave the house. A mysterious force shoves her off of the porch and onto an exposed pipe, killing her.

At the hospital, the group tries telling the police what happened, but are met with skepticism. The next day, the ghost of Addison appears in Carter's dorm room and dares him to hang himself for two minutes, with a noose falling out of the ceiling. Carter attempts to leave, and the ghost and noose capture him and hang him once his time runs out. After being sent a livestream of the dare, Alex, Maddie, Tyler, and Holt race to Carter's room, but are unable to open the door in time. The four friends see a message that Round Two is beginning. Meanwhile, Alex's research into the haunted history of the house leads her to Donna Boone, the lone survivor of Truth or Dare back in 1983. Donna tells them that the ‘demon’ running the game feeds on fear and pain, and that they will have to finish the game inside the house in order to survive. She also suggests sharing their dares to outsmart the demon.

In his bedroom, Luke receives a dare to rob a gas station, and a gun appears supernaturally on his bed. He pulls up at the gas station with Jessie on the passenger seat and attempts the robbery, but the cashier ends up killing Luke with a shotgun. Shocked, Jessie calls Alex to tell her that Luke was shot during the robbery, and Alex tells her to meet back at the house. Once Jessie returns, the group heads back to the house and Tyler receives a dare to drink a liquid poison. He shares the dare with everyone and they all first chug soda, then drink the poison and vomit it up. Maddie then receives a dare to pull two teeth out. With the help of Tyler, the two complete the dare. Alex then receives a dare to play three rounds of Russian roulette, with Alex surviving the first two and Tyler taking round three from Maddie, fatally shooting himself in the head.

Holt then receives a dare to be run over by a car, and confesses to the others that he once paralyzed someone in a hit-and-run accident, but escaped without being disciplined. Jessie tries to start the car to run over Holt’s foot, but is unable to, and when Holt opens the hood to fix the starter, the hood slams on his hand and time runs out. The car, driving itself, pulls him in reverse until he falls, then runs him over, crushing him to death.

Heading back into the house, Alex realizes that the spirit is punishing them for their obsessions and sins. Jessie is dared to chain herself to a pipe in the cellar, but runs out of time and is devoured by a huge swarm of cockroaches. Then Round Three begins. Maddie receives a phone call instructing her and Alex to remove seven living body parts. Between them, they remove an eyelash, some hair, a fingernail, an earlobe, a finger, and a toe, then Alex chops off Maddie's foot with a cleaver. After completing the dare, they head to the hospital, but a message appears on the car’s GPS with Alex's final dare – "kill her". Maddie begs Alex to kill her, and Alex slams the car into a tree. After the screen cuts to black after hearing the crash, someone’s gasps are heard, indicating at least one survivor.

Cast

Production

Scerbo was cast in the role of Alex after several auditions.[2] She described the character as "smart, quick and driven."[3] Langenkamp was approached to play the supporting role of Donna. She had to have a life cast of her face made prior to filming and decided with the writer of the film, Hutson, that her character did jigsaw puzzles as a means to cope with the loneliness caused from her disfigurement.[4]

Release

The film premiered on Syfy on October 8, 2017.[5]

As of August 2020, the film is estimated to have grossed $6,871 from DVD and Blu-ray sales.[6]

Reception

The film received negative reviews from critics. It has a 0% fresh rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on five reviews.[7] Joey Keogh of Wicked Horror wrote that the film "is too safe to really commit to the darkness and instead leaves one wondering why it really needs to exist in the first place."

Timothy Rawles[8] of iHorror argued that the film shouldn't be dismissed, praising its acting, direction, and special effects. "Truth or Dare is fun as soon as it reels you in and that's pretty much from the get-go," he wrote.

References
  1. Moore, Debi (September 21, 2017). "Exclusive Trailer Debut for Nick Simon's Truth or Dare". Dread Central. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  2. Spiegel, Janel. "Interview: Cassie Scerbo (Truth or Dare)". Horrornews.net. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  3. McNeely, Kelli Marchman. "An Interview With Cassandra Scerbo About Her Role In 'Truth Or Dare' Ahead Of Its Premiere On Syfy". Horror Fuel. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  4. Spiegel, Janel. "Interview: Heather Langenkamp (Truth or Dare)". Horrornews.net. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  5. Rawles, Timothy (September 22, 2017). "Heather Langenkamp Returns in 'Truth or Dare'". iHorror.com. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  6. "Truth or Dare (2017)". The Numbers. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  7. "Truth or Dare (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  8. Rawles, Timothy (September 29, 2017). "Don't Dismiss Syfy's 'Truth or Dare'". iHorror.com. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
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