Would You Rather

Demented underrated horror movie about a group of people play a game of Would You Rather to try to win money. I've only seen once before and even then it disturbed me; very effective treat I'd say! Delectable twisted game that is shocking and fairly entertaining!

"Would You Rather," is a decent, low budget. thriller about desperate people put in horrible situations for the entertainment of a wealthy sadist.

Brittany Snow is a decent actress, but this definitely wasn't her best effort. The movie plot was OK, and I did appreciate that they didn't just go with the usual copy "Saw" plot that most of these movies use. That being said, the things that happen in this movie are just a bit lacking in creativity. The script was pretty lame, and there was generally a lot more needed to build some suspense and really make it memorable on any real level. Ex pornstar Sasha Grey is in this movie. She looks beautiful, but again the script was just way too lean to see if she could really act (I give her a pass on the bad reviews of "The Girlfriend Experience" because it was a Soderbergh movie, and I hate his movies anyway).

All in all, I give it all a 5. To me Brittany Snow and Jeffrey Combs are good enough actor that could have made it decent with a good script, and a bit better writing. The twist at the end was pretty standard and not surprising at all. It's decent if you have nothing else to watch.

Sadistic wealthy people always spell trouble for the downtrodden or down on their luck. 13 Tzameti, Hard Target and Hostel are all good examples of the wealthy torturing and killing the less fortunate for the purpose of their own entertainment.

The latest such cinematic example is Would You Rather. Starring Brittany Snow (Pitch Perfect), Sasha Grey (my personal hard drive), Robb Wells (Hobo with a Shotgun), and John Heard (Home Alone), Would You Rather gathers a group of strangers for a wealthy aristocrat, played by Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator) who pits his guests against each other in sadistic games where they have to choose between two options – each of which can either cause pain or death to themselves or another guest.

So guests are put in awkward positions of having to decide whether to electrocute themselves or someone else or whether to whip a guest or stab another. Attempt to leave the game and you will be shot. Take too long to decide on the lesser of the two options and you will be killed. The goal is to become the last person standing and the reward differs on the needs of each individual.

The main character to which the movie focuses around the table is Iris (Snow). She agrees to be part of the unrevealed game in an effort to provide for her ailing brother. She is the first to be tested with an offer to eat portions of a steak in return for $1,000 (being a vegetarian, it was a tough decision). But as the evening draws further, Iris and the others will be forced to make decisions inflicting unspeakable pain towards the other participants.

Stealing the movie is Combs. He commands a presence at the top of the table and his evil is believable in large thanks to his charismatic and demented portrayal of sadistic Shepard Lambrick.

The movie doesn't offer a lot of 'What would you do in the same situation'? There is little hope or much choice as the game progresses. Still, the script by Steffen Schlachtenhaufen (Primal) is interesting enough in various character developments.

Not likely to make many Top 10 lists by year's end, Would You Rather still offers valued entertainment and a few good self-inflicted wounds along the way.

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And as confusing as that may sound, I stand by it firmly.

Would You Rather's main plot lines have been done time and time again... Helpless protagonist struggles with own morals after being thrust into a lose-lose situation.

Been there. Seen that.

But that being said, Would You Rather is an extremely well made movie in the realm of cinematography, character development, and pacing. No cheap thrills or gore-for-the-sake-of-gore here -- which in itself is always refreshing when it comes to modern horror movies.

There were a few unique twists and turns, but not enough to call it a strikingly original feature.

I would still recommend this as a watch, if only on a day you can't find anything decidedly better and really need to get your horror fix. Not entirely unsatisfying, but not as effective as it would have been if only a bit of originality were at play.

This is is the problem with these kinds of movies; you can only make it as good as you can. What I mean is, a doctor inviting patients over to his 20 million dollar mansion for a chance to win money, only to have it be a trap and a torture-fest, can only be so good, right?

Yeah, because it would pretty much never happen. Give the script to Martin Scorsese and even he will only be able to do so much. The plot to this movie is paper thin, unquestionably. These kinds of horror movies are such an unreasonable stretch that it makes you roll you eyes. Even paranormal horror movies are usually more lenient to the viewers eyes because they, the viewer, can be like, "well, maybe all this stuff is possible."

But for what this movie is, it's pretty entertaining. Even though you don't know practically anything about the characters, the "would you rather" scenes are pretty damn intense. And throughout the game you find yourself putting your feet in their shoes. Even though it's a cheesy movie, it kept me entertained and curious. I don't usually go for these types of films but I won't lie when I say that I wasn't bored watching the movie, and that I also thought it had a strong atmosphere to it. 6/10.