Jessica Cameron's Truth or Dare: Uncomprimising Filmmaking at it's best

This is a continuation of the previous post in that I was fortunate enough to go to the Los Angeles premiere of Jessica Cameron's directorial debut Truth or Dare. This was hosted by the RIP Horror Film Festival at Cal State Long Beach and was featured as their premiere feature film for Saturday Night. And I must say that it goes down as one of my all time favorite screenings I've ever been to.

There are certain factors that make a screening memorable. And for me a big one is having the filmmakers actually watch the movie with you. At mount super fabulous this does not happen much but it's the second time that I've found myself viewing a movie with Jessica Cameron and crew. The first being Silent Night which I covered in the previous post. Or with Tarantino's True Romance in 35mm or even just this past friday and Spike  Lee showing up for the 'Old Boy' screening but I'm saving that for a later post cause it was freakin' awesome.

Where was I?

Oh yeah,

TRUTH OR DARE!!!

First off, I can't imagine how difficult this movie must

have been to shoot cause it's bloody as hell, like damn,

and seriously twisted.

The film follows a group of friends who find themselves

to be internet sensations after posting a viral video while

playing the game Truth or Dare. They then make a

series of follow up videos thus creating a fan base and

thus also creating fan fanatics.

These first two scenes set up what will be the remainder

of the film in which a crazed fan played

amazingly by Ryan Kiser puts the group through

his own twisted game of Truth or Dare.

I don't want to give out any spoilers about what transpires here but one does have to wonder what twisted mind even came up with this stuff?? A very simple premise taken to extreme levels of uncompromising filmmaking to a degree that I really wish my peers would take with their own projects.

There are A LOT of other movies that came up for me while watching this but the main three were:

1. TROMA!!! for sure, and you can see A LOT of uncompromising elements in this and to a degree that it goes beyond just being exploitive and violence for violence sake which certainly is a theme here but that it actually makes a statement on our current culture and it's obsession with celebrity and sex and what people will do to achieve fame.

I couldn't help but be reminded of Toxie IV and 

what an amazing artistic statement the diaper mafia really is. 

Here is one of thee best making of documentaries ever:

2. Our protagonist really reminds me of Chop Top from Texas Chainsaw II in that there is a real comedic element to that character. At the screening it was awesome to hear the audience reaction to this and feeling very much like I did in that Silent Night screening. 

3. Natural Born Killers

 

This of course being in my top 3 movies of all time and being ahead of it's time and where the masses were heading in their viewing habits. I shall let the great Dennis Leary paint the picture from a scene that did not even make it into the directors cut.

 

 Jessica Cameron has managed to make a movie that for those of you lucky enough to get a viewing will not soon forget and for me sets the bar of what can be accomplished when you have the heart and passion to accomplish it.