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9/10
Situational Snowballing..and NO, NOT the sexual kind!
20 November 2013
The mastermind that gave us the 2006 cult classic "Special Dead" and 2007's Rattle Basket, has come back to deliver yet another blow to the indie film psyche...Only this time, the knockout was inevitable!! When I saw this I was attempting to multi-task, but the first scene alone thwarted that idea pretty damn quick, therefore keeping me glued to the screen for the entire hour and a half. Very few movies have the ability to do that to me anymore, but with this one, I actually caught myself doing double takes and out loud saying "Seriously, Really and OH COME ON!" quite frequently, as it's literally one horrible thing after another for these poor kids.

Thomas L. Phillips has put together a film that almost defies genre. Some would probably classify it as a horror, myself, I found it was so much more than that. This film not only brings a healthy body count and a good amount of blood spilling to the table, but it also keeps the watcher on their toes by adding the key elements of a variety of genres, including but not limited to; Comedy, Thriller, Horror, Action...and Baywatch. This film is a rarity in the fact that the entire cast did such an amazing job and was so tightly knit that if you replaced any one of them at any point, a lot of the effect this movie has would have been lost.

I have to go out of my way to tip my hat to both Sasha Ramos and Erin Cline as their ability to go from portraying the dread, stress and emotional instability their characters were enduring, to snapping out of it to quickly pull off a momentary banter of back and forth wit that can only be matched by the likes of Kevin Smith. I truly hope to see them receive an award or some sort of official acknowledgment towards their performance, and I hope to see them in more upcoming pictures in the future. I strongly suggest checking this flick out if you get the chance, weather it's at a festival or weather you get the DVD, as there's something for everyone here, no matter what your respective genre may be.

In closing, the best description of what to expect with this one...I dunno....If films could interact with each other, think of what the outcome would be if there was a drunken debaucherous night behind closed doors with Clerks, Very Bad Things and Dead Hooker in a Trunk...while Scream and Thelma and Louise video taped it for later use VIA blackmail.

P.S. - If you're wondering why I only gave it a 9, it's because I never give out 10's, giving something a 10 seems too fake and too doctored.

--Don
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Truth or Dare (II) (2013)
9/10
What will it be....Truth?.....or Dare?
24 October 2013
Truth...or Dare... Answer with Care... The Devil Makes Due No Matter What You Share...

As we all know "Truth or Dare" is one of the most recognizable monikers in history...a game that dates all the way back to the 1700's. Throughout the centuries this game has taken many different forms and with each form, a landmark has been forged to signify the evolutionary changes of the time period along the way...and I think it's safe to say that Director/Producer/Actress Jessica Cameron has set the newest stone in the game's evolutionary path.

The story follows six friends known as the Truth or Daredevils, whom find themselves as internet celebrities when a bunch of filmed for YouTube "Truth or Dare" videos are going viral...only thing is, when their latest dare is revealed to be faked...one certain hardcore fan takes it upon himself to right what he sees as a wrong done by the team and play by his own rules which do not include any "staged" incidents...

This is when the movie takes a completely different twist than what you would expect out of an indie film of this ilk. The truths that come out during the course of the movie are literally just as bad if not worse than some of the dares completed. This movie not only f**ks with your mind psychologically making you do double takes and shake your head in a mixture of disbelief and disgust while saying to yourself "You gotta be kidding me...really?!" but it also hits you right afterward with a good dose of blood and gore in situations that will churn even the most iron of stomachs. Being at the Vegas PollyGrind screening that I was, there's a certain scene that seems to be the staple for walk-outs and gross-outs alike. So if you're one of the lucky first hundred that get the treat filled Vomit bag...Make sure to enjoy the treats at the beginning of the film, as they, along with the rest of the contents of your stomach may very well find a home in the bottom of the nicely decorated bag you once ate from.

Why a 9 and not a 10 you ask? Well that's mainly because to see a 10 usually sets off the alarms that a review has been submitted biased. Me, I enjoyed this film from beginning to end, as I love my psychologically disturbing films just as much as I love my torture gore movies...and Truth or Dare delivers a blissful combination of both. I am an opinionated curmudgeon of a man, and ALWAYS have something negative to say about where an indie horror flick could have tightened up this or that, but for once I was left speechless at the end, every end was tied up, every artery perfectly severed....it was easily the best indie horror film I have seen in the past 5 years.

Jessica Cameron and Jonathan Higgins have written and developed a film which in MY opinion has re-set the bar as far as indie, hell even mainstream horror goes for the years to come. The entire cast: Jessica Cameron, Ryan Kiser, Devanny Pinn, Heather Dorff, Brandon Van Vliet, Shelby Stehlin and Grae Drake deserve a standing ovation and a projectile vomit or two for the fantastic performances they all gave, which make the film as genuine as it is.

The future of TRUE horror and visual unease now have an identity, and that identity is Jessica Cameron and Jonathan Higgins.
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No Spoilers BUT!!
31 October 2011
I have no intentions of posting here any content of the film at all, but, it was well slow starting at first...getting a feel for the characters and the completely different style plot took some time, but yes in the end well half way to the end there was a pay off effects and visual wise....When I saw The Human Centipede (First Sequence) I really enjoyed the movie itself, but watching it after seeing all the reviews on how "wrong" it was and there being next to no blood, and it basically being one hell of a psychological horror, I was happy with the movie, but disappointed because of the hype....with this installment, The Visuals and pure "wrong" that goes on ON SCREEN were exactly what I was hoping for, but the story line lagged if it was even there in the first place.....I think Mr. Six should REALLY take his time with his next installment....as he NAILED IT with storyline and production on the first one, and nailed it with the visuals on the second....Take a good amount of time man, and combine the two for the DEFINITIVE "Final Sequence"....This movie really has a potential to it if the proper ratios of one and two are used right!
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