Dare You To Remember: A Horror Story That Leaves You Feeling Mournful

Debutant Writer/Director Ali Wells knows her craft. Not only does she dab into the overexposed genre of horror, but also skilfully manages to let her short stand out in its category. Spooky, with almost no jump scares, Dare You To Remember is edgy, enkindling and soul-stirring.

Clara (Eva Hatzicostas), Jase (Luca Simpfendorfer), Dale (Zac Kerr), Victoria (Laura Wilcox) & Ari (Callum Smith) are out in the woods at night, camping. There’s a deathly silence that is broken only by the popping of the burning wood. The sound design is nearly perfect with composer Chris Vozz, who elevates the storyline with a befitting background score that doesn’t upstage the narration. Surrounded by the lit campfire, the group share banter as the night progresses. The nightly hues of midnight blues are well used to add subtexts to the cinematography (Kirk Mihelakos) and as the film progresses, one begins to sense the unforeseen doom.

There’s an unmistakable tenderness in Clara and Jase’s face that is balanced with the slightly impish grin Victoria and Dale wear, while Ari remains on edge; and rightfully so. The cast is wonderful, not only because they have very well written characters to fall back on, but also because they share an organic chemistry that makes watching them in this ensemble entirely pleasurable. As often evidenced in multi-starrers, there’s always the risk of being upstaged in terms of writing or directing, but in Dare You To Remember , care has been taken to ensure that each character adds a pivotal point to the storytelling.

The film follows a cyclic narrative, and, so, as the timeline unfolds, it’s only natural to feel the despair as the group begins to question the very nature of their conversation. A night of friendly banter soon turns into a reality check that none want to face, much less the audience, and yet, it is to the credit of Wells and her cast that the comeuppance is simply wholesome even if sad.

Dare You To Remember manages to just get it right. While deftly circumnavigating through all the hallmarks of the horror genre, it manages to not fall for the clichéd footnotes of horror filmmaking. Wells and her crew, instead, manage to pull off something even better, a blend of horror with tragedy. Perhaps slightly reminiscent of Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Bly Manor for some, the film nonetheless stands tall on its own. For a first timer, Wells not only shines in her craft, but also proves to be more than a novice. As Victoria nudges her reluctant partner in the film to consider horror as an art form, Wells not only imbibes it, but also goes ahead to make a film that becomes a testament of it.

A wonderful addition to your must-watch-list from the horror category, Dare You To Remember is spooky, eerily narrated and very well written!