Truth or Dare?: A Critical Madness (1986)

Director: Tim Ritter

Writer: Tim Ritter

Composers: Johnny Britt, Ken Karlson

Starring: John Brace, Mary Fanaro, Bruce Gold, A.J. McLean, Christopher Bontempo, Jon Creamer, Christine Duff, Jennifer Duff, Prescilla Duff, Kerry Ellen Walker, D.C. 'Dash' Goff, Rick Paige, Mona Jones

More info: IMDb

Tagline: June 1, 1986.  It's time to play...Truth or Dare?

Plot: Mike Strauber catches his wife Sharon in bed with his best friend Jerry. He gets mad and takes off to embark on an adventure of murder and self-mutilation in demented games of truth or dare.

My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again?  Yes.

80s slasher requirements: blood?  Check.  Fun kills?  Check.  Titties?  Check.  OK, everything's here.   It starts off really slow in taking way too much time to let us know that Mike (Brace) is super bummed out that his wife is cheating on him.  It picks up once he picks up the floosie and takes her camping.  From there it's a fun ride.  The acting is over the top (big plus in this case), Mike kills a lot of people including a baby (another plus) and it's actually pretty funny although not enough to consider this a comedy.  It's definitely a horror picture but fuck did I laugh a few times and it wasn't unintentionally.  Ritter knew what he was doing.  It's a low budget picture but Ritter gets a lot of mileage out of what he had to work with. There's a little bit of HALLOWEEN (1978) in that the killer's name is Mike and he wears a mask that he made out of copper in the metal shop at the mental institution!  That's where the comparisons begin and end.   One running gag that I loved was how Mike somehow has unexpected and wild weapons.  His first day back at the mental hospital he busts out a huge hunting knife and a hand grenade.  Once he escapes he's somehow acquired a sub machine gun and later pulls a drive-by chainsaw to kid!  AWESOME!!!  This guy's got some imagination.  The opening goes on way too long but once it gets going, it's a hoot...all the way to the very end, including the cheesy as shit ballad during the end credits called "Critical Madness" (that ends before the credits do).  You need to watch this wackiness.