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| Would You Rather? |
Desperate to help her ailing brother, a young woman unknowingly agrees to compete in a deadly game of "Would You Rather," hosted by a sadistic aristocrat.
Review
To be honest, you pretty much know what you're getting here. Play a game of "Would You Rather" for very high stakes. Having a reasonable setup (and one that gets done and dusted quickly) - we are introduced to Iris, whose brother is terminally ill. She can't afford the healthcare, and here brothers doctor introduces her to Shepard Lambrick - a man with the wealth and connections to solve all of her problems. Arriving at an undisclosed location, we find a group of people all there for the same reason. Would You Rather.
So the setup is simple. We're all going to sit around this table doing diabolical things to each other, last man standing, for the entertainment of a gentleman with a screw so loose we may never find it again.
So from around fifteen minutes in, the film runs very much as a stage play - and the enjoyment must then hinge on the acting and screenplay.
And it doesn't disappoint.
The cast is headed by Brittany Snow (Pitch Perfect) as Iris, and her foil Lambrick played by horror fan fave, Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator) and they do a stellar job. The supporting cast is also solid to excellent with standouts from Jonny Coyne (Nightcrawler) as Bevans, Lambrick's strong arm, and Eddie Steeples (My Name Is Earl) as Cal - one of the other competitors. The screenplay is delicious. Written by Steffen Schlachtenhaufen the dialogue is witty, tense, and disturbing. It moves at pace, and for a "one room" film nevers drags or feels stale.
Obviously there are some rather nasty would you rathers, and each is handled well. The first was the weakest in both execution and execution, but challenge to challenge gets both stronger, and harder to watch - and with such good performances, impacting.
If you like horror, a well put together film, and something gritty - but not over gory - I can't recommend this enough. It's almost enough just to see Jeffrey Combs playing a rich, batshit insane figure this time, instead of his usual batshit insane figure.
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