Would You Rather, a diabolically clever take on the torture porn sub-genre, tells the story of Iris (Brittany Snow, “Prom Night” and TV’s “American Dreams”). It seems she has a brother in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant and it’s up to her to get the funds necessary for it as both her parents died in an unmentioned accident. Unfortunately, she has just endured a terrible interview to be a waitress as a bar and her other job prospects are slim to none. While visiting the doctor to hear about her brother’s worsening condition, she meets a man named Mr. Lambrick (Jeffrey Combs of “Re-Animator,” the underrated and underseen “Parasomnia,” and “Feardotcom”) who offers her a chance to save her brother. The catch: She must come to his mansion that night and participate in a game. If she wins, he will take care of her brother’s medical bills and provide her with enough money to go back to school herself. She never asks and he never reveals what happens if she doesn’t win but since this is a horror movie, what do you think happens?
Once at the mansion, Iris meets the other guests/players. They include a single mother (former porn star Sasha Grey), a recovering alcoholic (John Heard of “Home Alone” fame), and a wheelchair-bound old lady (June Squibb, “About Schmidt”), among others. The players soon discover that they will be playing the title game, this time with a deadly twist and if they try and recuse themselves from the game, they are promptly shot in the head by Mr. Lambrick’s trusty butler and former MI-6 agent Bevans (Bob Hoskins lookalike Jonny Coyne).
Would You Rather is another entry in the “People will do anything to survive” type of horror film. Like any other entry in this rather infamous sub-genre, success or failure would seem to be predicated a lot on the creativity of the various torture scenarios. Alas, while Would You Rather is, to be honest, kind of lacking in this area, the film still manages to be riveting. The challenges that makeup the game are kind of bland for seasoned horror fans and range from stabbing someone or stabbing onself, electrocuting self or another, etc. Needless to say, they aren’t that original and actually are the biggest area of concern for the film.
Otherwise though,
Would You Rather contains uniformly good to great performances and solid enough dialogue that it more than holds your attention. Jeffrey Combs is a deliriously nutball delight as the enigmatic Mr. Lambrick, a man of such untold wealth and power that he holds no concern that the surviving player will ever go to the police and ruin his fun or that they even could as one imagines that he has the police on the take as well. As the film’s lead, Brittany Snow acquits herself quite well, garnering the viewer’s sympathy and getting us to cheer for her to overcome the odds and win the game. A surprising asset is Sasha Grey as probably the most take-no-prisoners kill or be killed of the players. Her perpetually bitchy face fits the role perfectly as one look of “Fuck you” (and she undoubtedly would...) aimed at the other players tells all.
In the end,
Would You Rather is more than worth your time if you are a fan of any of the aforementioned actors or the genre because those in the mood for something that mixes a classic childhood game with modern horror cinema will find a lot to like.
Grade: B+
And just because...
