TRUTH OR DARE? A CRITICAL MADNESS is a 1986 slasher film directed by Tim Ritter. Its first twenty minutes or so began as a segment in an anthology called “Twisted Illusion” released the year before. It is… not good. The plot holes are… huge. The acting is… a disaster. The direction… I can’t even tell you what the hell was going on there. What I’m trying to say is that this was very nearly the worst movie I have ever personally suggested for Bad Movie Monday, and I’ve suggested a lot of howlers. Which, of course, means it was the BEST movie I ever suggested. So prepare yourselves if you decide to ever watch this for yourselves. This was a hell of a ride.
Quick Recap! When COVID shut down everything in early 2020, I started an online bad movie night get-together with some friends that we eventually dubbed “Bad Movie Monday”. The premise was simple: We’d torture each other every Monday with the worst trash we could find, tell a few jokes, cheer each other up, and in the process maybe discover some weird obscure cinema that we might never have seen any other way. This series of reviews will feature highlights of those night so you can all share in the fun and maybe get some ideas for your own movie night.
Despite the fact that this is terrible by every possible measure we use to critique cinema, I kind of like this movie. It’s Elijah Wood’s favorite horror movie, and I think he’s onto something. It’s got this really weird surreal tone where it’s not quite funny but not quite serious, and it has a really interesting central performance by John Brace as a severely disturbed man who goes on a rampage or murder and self-mutilation after he finds out his wife is cheating on him. It’s reminiscent of Eric Freeman as Ricky in Silent Night, Deadly Night 2. Where the guy’s acting isn’t “good” but at the same time it’s perfect for the movie and you couldn’t imagine anyone in the world doing a better job. To be honest, it’s actually kind of brilliant. John Brace was exactly the actor this film needed. Without him this would be a WHOLE lot less watchable and entertaining. It’s kind of a shame he never really did anything else. I honestly think he’s really good in the part.
In fact, most of the movie is pretty decently acted for what it is. I watched it again the other night and I didn’t see anything stand out as particularly horrendous. There’s a lot of inexperience on display for sure, but everyone’s giving it their all. That’s what counts. It’s also not badly written either. There’s some “realness” here that feels very raw at times. It’s not the most solid of scripts, but it seems to come from a genuine place. I can respect that.
So what’s the back of the VHS box say?
Meet Mike Strauber. He plays a deadly game. He plays Truth or Dare with everyone… even himself.
Truth or Dare, a child’s game turned into a psychotic, twisted game of self-destruction. This non-stop psycho-thriller will assault you personally. Mike Strauber, played brilliantly by John Brace, formerly of the Burt Reynolds Playhouse, brings you to the edge of your seat with passionate understanding coupled with unbridled hatred. If anyone ever asks you to play Truth or Dare… tell them you’ve seen the movie.
Well, they are right about one thing. This WILL assault you personally. I saw this for the first time in 1986 or 1987 when I was thirteen and even back then I was like “WHAT THE HELL IS THIS????” Over time I’ve matured of course, and I’m not as judgemental as I once was, but this is still a very very very strange movie.
Alright! Onto my favorite part of the review: 10 thoughts that ran through my head as I watched the movie.
#1 This movie is a rollercoaster of tonal shifts. It goes from serious to goofy to action to comedic and back to serious again in less time than it took you to read this sentence. I think director Tim Ritter might secretly be a genius.
#2 Gratuittities! Thank God! Boobs bring so much joy and cheer to a bad movie. It makes me smile.
#3 The plot of this movie is eerily similar to Silent Night Deadly Night 2 at times, except this film was made a full year before the Silent Night sequel came out.
#4 The soundtrack budget only had enough money for two repetitive themes and one song, and by the end of this movie they will be etched into your brain. You’ll hear “Nee-Nee-Nee-Noo-Noo-Noo-Noo-Noo-Nee-Nee-Nee-Noo-Noo-Noo-Noo-Noo…” in your fucking sleep.
#5 Some scenes are weirdly *almost* effective. It’s like they’re effective by accident.
#6 One of the Detectives investigating our killer is dressed like the shittiest and most violent off-brand Super Mario Brother, and I can’t stop laughing.
#7 You know, with tighter editing, this would be a lot better. There’s a lot of fat that could have been trimmed here.
#8 Car chases and gunfights? If you ever watch this you may be pleasantly surprised!
#9 Yes. FINALLY! A bad dummy falling from a (not so great) height.
#10 Most of the people who are killed in this movie would have lived if they’d done something to save themselves like, for example, take a small step out of the way of the car, gun, knife, machete, mace, nunchakus, or chainsaw that Mike was using.
#11 This isn’t one of the ten thoughts I had during the movie, which is why it’s number eleven, but I just read that A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys played Mike as a kid in flashbacks. Along with the Elijah Wood connection, that’s TWO super-famous people associated with this utterly obscure film. Mind blown!
I haven’t seen it on any streaming services, but the film is still available on DVD if you look around for it. Check it out if you can!