Blumhouse’s new entry blends comedy and horror once again and creates a film with an interesting premise but doesn’t have the characters or scares to make it a great horror movie.

On their last spring break trip together, Olivia (Lucy Hale) and her friends (Tyler Posey, Violett Beane, Hayden Szeto) go to Mexico for nights of drinking and partying. On their last night, Olivia meets Carter (Landon Liboiron), who takes all of them to a secluded area to play a little game of Truth or Dare. While a harmless game in past, once they return home evil spirits begin to take the game to a lethal level. Now while trying to figure what is happening to them, they have to play the game otherwise their game will end for good.

Truth or Dare is an odd addition to Blumhouse’s solid lineup of films. With film’s like Get Out and Happy Death Day, the film company was starting to stray away from the norms of horror films and bringing new life to the genre. With Truth or Dare, however, it feels like a jump straight back to 80s slasher films and for some that might be a great thing but it makes the film feel a little more generic.

The characters are literally tropes that have been overused and overdone with the genre and only break away from them in short moments. The performances are fine and Hale definitely has the charismatic personality to carry the film, but they’re not anything special or memorable. Some are even so annoying that audiences will be happy to see them go. Their relationships with one another also feel a little forced and viewers will not pay much attention to them.

The film also is much more of a comedy than a horror movie and lacks any real scares. It has very clear influences from genre (Final Destination, The Ring), but doesn’t utilize any of their scares to add some real horror elements to the film. It does have creepy moments though, especially when the film’s iconic smiling face comes to deliver a cryptic dilemma. It’s an effect that slickly comes in when viewers least expect it and never gets old.

Truth or Dare’s plot is actually pretty interesting and fresh. There are plenty of twists and turns and new findings that will make audiences be attached to the story even if they don’t feel the same way about the characters. It is a constantly evolving plot that raises the stakes with every new layer that is added. It starts off a little slow, but ramps up the pace to a thrilling conclusion.

While Blumhouse’s new film isn’t full of frights or favorable characters, Truth or Dare still makes viewers want to play along and creates a fun and engrossing story with a fresh premise.