Would You Rather (2013)

Running Time: 93 minutes

Release Date: February 8, 2013

Review by: Stacey

On a whim I decided to check out Would You Rather as I have been slacking on making content for my precious blog here.  Sorry!  BUT, I have been lending my horror reviews to an amazing horror movie website, Horror Movies Uncut.  I'll make a separate post about that in the next few hours.  Onto the film at hand.

We all remember and have at one time played the game "Would You Rather", where a dilemma is posed in the form of a question.  You have two options: both could be good or both could be bad.  Refusing to answer is not a choice.  David Guy Levy's Would You Rather took the popular party game to deadly heights.  I went into this film mostly blind except for a short brief description in the info: "Eight strangers are lured to a dinner party where they are forced to play a twisted game in this shocker."  An entire movie based on this game?  I was ready for either a snooze fest or something rife with over-the-top, cheap gore.  What I got was a fun, thrilling indie horror with a diverse cast and a few crazy twists.

Iris, played by Brittany Snow, is struggling to pay for her brother Raleigh's medical treatment for his leukemia.  Things are looking bleak for both until she meets a philanthropic billionaire, Shepard Lambrick, played by the ever so creepy Jeffrey Combs.  Lambrick invites Iris to a "charity dinner" at his house where she, along with others, will compete in a game where the winner will have all medical expenses paid for by his charity foundation.  This has bad idea written all over it.

  

Not too slow and not all over the place with action, Would You Rather was paced well and had you captivated from beginning to end.  The cast had some recognizable names from Snow and Combs, to John Heard, Sasha Grey and even Robb Wells (Trailer Park Boys).  Each gave believable and fairly solid performances.  I'm a fan of Jeffrey Combs and his combination of charming and creepy as Lambrick was on point.  I was pleasantly surprised at Sasha Grey's acting in her role as Amy.  I wasn't surprised that she was cast as the "wild card".  As for Brittany Snow, you really felt for her and her efforts to ensure the well being of her brother.  She carried this movie very well.  

The gore was minimal but effective and a lot of time was spent on one particular "choice" in the first half but instead of dragging on, it really helped develop the characters (despite the lack of backstory with the rest of the players) and introduce you to the severity of their situation.  Once you were in the second part of the film, there was no turning back and only two REAL options:  life or death.  Part Saw, part Cheap Thrills, Levy's Would You Rather forces you to consider the value one puts on human life and to what extent you would go for yourself or the one you love.  Not to mention the fact that you begin to question your own decision making skills when presented with less than pleasant choices.

What I'm trying to say is Would You Rather isn't perfect but it's a fun indie horror flick that deserves to be watched. 

5/10 minutes to make your choice

Would You Rather trailer: