Tubi Tuesday: True Fiction (2020)

“True Fiction” is an engaging and suspenseful psychological horror film that will rattle you and take you places you’re not expecting.

If you could work with someone you admire, that would be the opportunity of a lifetime, wouldn’t it? However, would it be worth it if you had to sacrifice your sanity in the process?

Written and directed by Braden Croft, True Fiction follows struggling writer Avery Malone (Sara Garcia), who lands a job as a personal assistant to her favorite horror writer, Caleb Conrad (John Cassini).

When she meets her intensely private and elusive new boss, he explains that he wants to study fear. Conrad needs help getting his creative juices flowing and wants to use Avery as a test subject. He explains that his next novel will be a collaborative effort between them. Avery sees this as the opportunity of a lifetime.

At first, Caleb administers standard psychological tests and a lie detector. However, this is just the beginning. Caleb wants to see what makes Avery tick. To accomplish his goal, he goes to extreme measures.

Everything starts to spiral out of control, culminating in a shocking twist.

True Fiction is a gripping, intense, and suspenseful psychological horror movie.

Set in an isolated cabin in the woods in the dead of winter, the film stirs up innate fears of isolation and pokes at the paranoid recesses of the mind.

Croft does a great job of pushing viewers out of their comfort zone. One perfect example is when Avery is placed in a sensory deprivation mask. We see from Avery’s point of view as she wakes up still wearing the mask. The screen goes dark, and we can only hear Avery’s distress.

The film causes viewers to question reality and invites us into Avery’s mind as Conrad mercilessly toys with her psyche. The dream sequences are incorporated seamlessly, blurring the border of reality.

Garcia and Cassini deliver strong performances, which contribute to the film’s intensity. Garcia comes off as genuinely terrified and distraught, while Cassini comes off as somewhat psychotic.

The setting, direction, and acting create a creepy, chilly, and intense film.

If you’re looking for a good psychological horror film to mess with your head for a little over 90 minutes, I recommend it.