Nerve Trailer Shows Internet Dare Games Go Deadly

Peer pressure's a b*tch, isn't it?

By Ben Bussey /

Lionsgate

I'm sure we all remember that ridiculous 'neknominate' thing back in 2014, when strangers online were daring one another to drink various hideous, often genuinely lethal cocktails, and participants played along purely to save face? Well, upcoming thriller Nerve, starring Emma Roberts and Dave Franco, looks to take a similar conceit, and push it to the logical extreme.

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Check out the trailer below - although be warned, it seems like it could be pretty spoiler-heavy.

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From Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost (directors behind Catfish and Paranormal Activity 3&4), Nerve casts Roberts as your standard good girl who, anxious to show that she has a wild side, takes part in an online game in which watchers dare players to do whatever they say for their viewing pleasure. Follow the dares to the letter, and there are potentially huge sums of money to be won; chicken out, you lose it all.

But while it all seems like harmless fun at first, things gradually take a more twisted turn. Obviously.

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It's an intriguing premise, and the trailer brings to mind David Fincher's The Game in the way that the whole city seems to be actively participating in proceedings. The core concept of doing increasing harsh challenges for money was explored not too long ago in horror movies Would You Rather and (the excellent) Cheap Thrills, but this looks somewhat more teen-friendly; and above all else, it looks to be making some very clear statements about the destructive potential of online bullying.

Look out for Nerve in cinemas from 27th July.

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