Truth or Dare (2013)

After taking some time off to work on my book project, it was time to get back at it with a review of a film I grabbed at Family Video. This is a no-budget entry from earlier in the decade: 2013s Truth or Dare.

Plot/ Six college kids find Internet stardom when they make "Truth or Dare" videos with a violent twist. It is all fun and games until their number one fan decides he wants to play by his own rules.

I know that this one is going to be extremely polarizing because it lacks many of the elements that have saturated the horror genre over the past few years. However, this one has everything a viewer would want if the enjoy micro-budgeted gorefests. For me, I love low budget horror and watching what can happen when people who love the genre are involved. The effects are bloody and at times over the top, the idea is interesting, and there are enough psychological aspects inside to draw you in. Of course, some of the performances are uneven and there are some pacing issues, but those aspects are expected when one considers the small budget. In the end, this was a fun movie to watch and kept me entertained on a snowy night. If you love no-budget horror, give this one a shot.

No Tell Motel (2012)

I cannot believe that this is post number 1,000 here at The Ringmaster's Realm. It seems like only yesterday that I started this blog to help me fight through some writers block, wow, time does fly. I was pretty excited earlier when I received a signed Truth or Dare movie poster in the mail from the guys at Horror Movies Uncut, so much so that I decided to bump my evening horror flick up earlier in the day. Unfortunately, the movie I chose, No Tell Motel, did not garner the same excitement. 

Plot/ Dirty little secrets are exposed when five friends become stranded at an abandoned motel haunted by a dark secret of its own.

I am not sure where to begin with this cliched low budget entry.  I will admit that I loved the initial scenes and hoped that it would follow suit from it. Yes, it was very cliche, but at times cliche can work. Unfortunately, it goes downhill from there. The acting is OK, the characters suck and have no chemistry (although that too could be the acting), there is no atmosphere, and the storyline and cinematography add so much confusion to the movie that it drags it down (a lot). There is really nothing here that works, as it feels like there are two or three ideas fighting for screen time and none truly rise from the shadows. In the end, this was one of the least memorable flicks that I have picked up at Family Video in some time. Unless you have nothing else available, stay away!