'Truth or Die' DVD Review

Engaging and suspenseful, though not terribly memorable.

At an end-of-term bash, a group of drunken college students ends up playing a game of truth or dare. When geeky Felix admits the "truth" that he has a crush on Gemma, Gemma's jerky boyfriend Chris punches him in the face, humiliating him. Months later, Chris and Gemma (now broken up) and three others from the party -- Paul, Eleanor and Luke -- receive invitations to Felix's birthday party. Rather than being suspicious (as they would be if they realized they were in a horror movie), they're more than happy to travel to Felix's lavish family estate in the countryside for what they assume will be a wild blowout. But when they arrive, they're directed to a cabin in the woods (uh-oh) behind the mansion, where Felix's suave older brother Justin meets them. But pleasantries soon give way to something darker as the group realizes that Felix is nowhere to be found, and Justin has a bone to pick with them.

Truth or Die is a tense, unpredictable thriller whose plot doesn't follow the traditional trajectory of most of its ilk -- for better or worse. As prototypical fodder for a cinematic killer, the main characters are shallow and unlikable, so it's hard to root for them or to celebrate when some of the ones most deserving a painful death don't meet that fate -- thus betraying the understood morality of genre fare. The "feel bad" ending puts a damper on what is otherwise an engrossing tale that mixes the typical "cabin in the woods" horror setup with a Saw-like revenge game scenario. It's well acted and well paced, although it doesn't provide any of the "wow" moments that will make it memorable for years to come.

The DVD

Special features include a featurette.

Movie: C+
DVD: D

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