Summary
- The cursed game of Truth or Dare forces players to keep playing or face death.
- The demon Calax, tied to the game, possesses players and limits options to break the curse.
- In the bleak ending, the protagonist sacrifices millions to save only herself and a friend.
The Truth or Dare ending explores the origin of the cursed game and how the players attempt to break the curse. The movie comes from Blumhouse Productions, the horror movie juggernaut company behind hit franchises like Paranormal Activity and standalone hits like The Black Phone. 2018’s Truth or Dare follows a group of college students on spring break who get roped into a dangerous version of the titular game by a stranger. When they return home, the friends realize the game won’t let them stop playing — and if they don’t, they die.
Olivia (Lucy Hale) and her friends must figure out a way to break the curse while continuing to play. Throughout Truth or Dare, the mystery of the cursed game reveals itself. Not only are the basic but deadly rules of the game explained, but Olivia discovers the source of the curse and how to break it. However, the ending of Truth or Dare goes somewhat unexpectedly, changing everything viewers thought they knew about the main characters and their possible fates.
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The Truth Or Dare Curse Explained
The Players Have To Play Correctly Or Die
|
Character |
Cause Of Death |
|---|---|
|
Ronnie |
Broken neck |
|
Tyson |
Jamming a pen in his eye |
|
Penelope Amari |
Shot by Giselle |
|
Giselle |
Shoots herself in the head |
|
Brad |
Shot by police |
|
Sam |
Stabbed by Lucas |
|
Lucas |
Slits his own throat |
The game’s rules are established early in the movie, with Carter explaining to Olivia thata person dies if they refuse to tell the truth, accept a dare, or refuse to play. However, one other rule comes later — if two people in a row choose truth, the next person has to choose dare. This rule comes from the group that initially started playing the game. It turns out that Carter’s real name is Sam, and he and his friends were the group who started playing Truth or Dare after stumbling upon the Rosarito Mission Church in Mexico.
This group’s Truth or Dare game is cursed after Sam trashes the church and breaks a pot that contains a trickster demon named Calax. In the movie’s mythology, demons can possess people, places, objects, or ideas. In this case, Calax possesses the game. When Sam’s group of friends all die until it is just him and a girl named Giselle (Aurora Perrineau), he’s dared to bring new people into the game. He finds Olivia and her friends. Sam, claiming his name is Carter, brings them to the church and inducts them into the game.
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Once they each take a turn, they’re in. Even after they leave the church, the game follows them, forcing them to continue to play in the same order as in the church. Old players stay in the game, although it’s unclear when Sam takes his turn since he disappears until the ending.
The demonic entity that possessed the game is intelligent, and Olivia quickly realizes there’s no way to outsmart Calax. Plus, the game forces each of its players to take their turn using torturous visions. Olivia sees “Truth or Dare?” written in various places, but it escalates to Lucas (Tyler Posey) seeing the question burned into his arm. Calax also sends messages through electronic devices. Giselle receives a dare in the film’s opening when the cashier at a rest stop answers the phone. The fact that the game can pass through electronics is key to understanding the ending.