The 2010s were something of the golden age of “premise” horror movies; that is, horror films based on some kind of premise or concept, like, “what if a wealthy weirdo made poor people play a sadistic, lethal version of a children’s game?” (the premise for today’s movie, 2011’s Would You Rather).  Conceptual horror has always been around, but the last decade was rife with movies that involved putting everyday people into bizarre and terrifying situations.  Just think of the Saw franchise (2004-2023), or Happy Death Day (2017), or Escape Room (2019).  I could be noticing a pattern that’s not really there, but it sure seems like these kinds of flicks were being made a lot ten-to-fifteen years ago.

These movies are often fun, even and especially if they’re gory, because we imagine ourselves in these lethal, morally-compromised situations.  That is the strength of Would You Rather:  it has you playing the deadly game along with the characters.

The weakness is that you pretty much know the heroine, Iris, is going to win the titular game and survive.  That is always the challenge with such films:  in writing a protagonist that we care about, the character is immediately wreathed in plot armor.  It’s a difficult conundrum, and the only way to break it is to kill off the character, or perhaps to contrive some scenario in which the main character shares the victory, or effectively escapes the game.

Okay, so maybe death isn’t the only way, but otherwise, you know that character is going to survive.  And Iris (spoiler alert) does.  Ah, but the destination is not the point, really, it’s the journey, young one.  Such is the mystical screenwriting wisdom of Master Portly.

And, boy, what a journey it is!  Iris is caring for her sickly younger brother, who has some manner of condition that will kill him if he cannot get an organ transplant and lots of expensive medical treatment.  Iris is introduced to wealthy philanthropist Shepard Lambrick of the Lambrick Foundation, who offers to pay for her brother’s treatments and obtain a bone marrow donor if she participates in a dinner game.

Naturally, there are other contestants, who all think they are settling in for a life-changing evening.  However, it becomes apparent very quickly that Lambrick takes a sick interest in preying on his guests’ weaknesses.  For example, he offers a former alcoholic $50,000 to drink a decanter of brandy, and gives Iris $10,000 to eat meat upon discovering she is a lifelong vegetarian.  Both relent, trading their principles for cold, hard cash.

The intensity soon ratchets up, however, when the contestants begin a game of “Would You Rather.”  The premise is simple:  the players have an option, with between 15-to-30-seconds to make their decision.  Both options are often unappealing and/or potentially fatal, but players must go with the option they choose.  If they don’t, or try to opt out of the game, they are unceremoniously shot through the head.

The first round involves electrocuting either one’s self or another guest, and it starts to reveal the characteristics of the partygoers.  A deadly calculus begins, as some guests attempt to work together, while others come to the conclusion that the only way to win—and to get out alive—is to destroy their opponents.

The intensity ramps up from there.  Without giving away the rest of the game—hey, oh!—suffice it to say that Iris sacrifices everything—her principles, her dignity, and her innocence—to win.  She leaves the game a changed person, and not just because of the trauma.  A final twist, however, illustrates that Iris’s sacrifices were in vain, and she emerges a profoundly transformed and broken woman.

The film itself is tense, but never edge-of-your-seat tense.  There were a few scenes in which I found myself saying, “I couldn’t do it!”—and I don’t mean in the moral sense; I mean, I couldn’t put myself through the trials these people endured.

It’s an okay film.  It’s not a hard recommendation from me, but if you like these kinds of concept or premise films, it’s a pretty good one.  It’s also refreshing watching anything from before roughly 2015, in the days before wokeness was a full-blown cancer, but instead was a clump of obnoxious cells that hadn’t quite infested the entire body politic.  I can’t remember the last time I saw a movie with so many white people.  That doesn’t make it better or worse, I’m just noting with interest the contrast with films today.

But I digress.  Would You Rather is good for an evening of distraction, and makes for fun discussion with others.  I could see it being a fun flick to watch with friends to discuss the moral dilemmas—as well as the insane challenges portrayed.