Taboo 2003 Horror Movie Review

A not-so-innocent parlor game turns deadly in Taboo, a straight-to-video murder mystery that’s better than you might expect. It begins on a proverbial dark and stormy night, when six preppy college pals reunite for an all-night ordeal of unexpected mayhem, prompted by the anonymous delivery of five cards bearing labels of shame (prostitute, infidel, homosexual, rapist, hypocrite)... but who fits these accusatory identities, and who sent the damning cards in the first place? One by one, the friends (including Terminator 3‘s Nick Stahl and American Pie‘s Eddie Kaye Thomas) fall prey to the killer among them, who psychotically holds a closely guarded secret. This sordid material begs for the relief of black comedy, but director Max Makowski takes it far too seriously. Fortunately, the surprise twist is clever enough to sustain the mystery, and the talented young cast (especially January Jones, as the prime suspect) makes the most of a deeply cynical screenplay. —Jeff Shannon