Six young people wake up in an abandoned factory. The one thing they all have in common is that they once applied to appear on a TV show called Are You Scared?, where they would face their worst fears on prime-time television. Little do they know that this isn’t actually a show, at least not for regular television, but that a deranged lunatic who wants to play his sadistic games with the participants has kidnapped them. One by one, they face horrific fates in games designed to be a race against the clock. Complete the task within the time limit and you pass the test…
Much of the premise above is certainly familiar from other films. Perhaps the strongest connection is to the hugely popular Saw films, and it is probably that successful wave that the filmmakers have chosen to ride here. A killer who cleverly prepares his traps and challenges his victims to a game. A game in which their lives are at stake and where there is a theoretical chance of survival if they can just solve the painful tasks.
Groups of people waking up in labyrinths and so on is nothing new either. Surely no one has forgotten the exceptionally effective Cube, which really took the whole concept to its extreme. The difference here is that the characters, and especially the viewer, figure out their common denominator fairly quickly. I also think I can see certain similarities to the action movie Speed, at least when it comes to the killer’s intentions and motives.
So, how is it executed? Well, the acting isn’t exactly something to cheer about. No one is truly awful acting-wise and don’t reach full-on turkey territory. They can all keep a straight face reasonably well, but the lines they deliver are rarely, if ever, believable. On top of that, the script is downright stupid in many places. The characters lack motivation, and it simply doesn’t feel as though people would really behave that way in such a situation.
That said, I would argue that the basic idea behind the film is absolutely excellent. Incorporating a docu-soap, or reality show as it seems to be called nowadays, into the story feels just as timely as it did a few years ago, when My Little Eye was new and relevant. That was a film I thought received unfairly poor reviews from many quarters, so there, I had to get that off my chest!
But enough about that. The question is whether a good idea is enough to keep you entertained for the scant hour and a half or so that the film runs. I actually think it is, but the film can’t deliver more than a bit of entertainment. Naturally, you should also try to avoid comparing it too much to its “big brother,” Saw, which is obviously much better, but this one certainly has its moments!
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