Overview
A night of dares spirals into chaos as desperation meets dark humor.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- sardonic
- provocative
- claustrophobic
- late night viewing
- dark comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a gleefully nasty, darkly hilarious, tightly involving descent into escalating dares and ethical degradation.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Colin and Violet repeatedly increase the rewards and boundaries of their challenges throughout the evening.
Craig's job loss and threatened eviction make the couple's money impossible for him to dismiss.
The film treats degrading dares, greed, and interpersonal betrayal with gleefully nasty humor.
Colin and Violet use their money to watch Craig and Vince violate personal boundaries for cash.
Films like Cheap Thrills, and why
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
shared dark comedy, escalating moral degradation, and wealthy strangers turning desperation into a cruel game
Would You Rather
shared blackly comic social satire, coercive dares, and ethical boundaries collapsing under pressure
Indecent Proposal
shared wealthy-provocateur premise, transactional morality, and suspense built around money and desperation
The Most Dangerous Game
shared misanthropic thriller tone, challenge-based suspense, and ordinary people pushed toward violence
Movie Details
- Director
- E.L. Katz
- Release Date
- 2013-03-08
- Runtime
- 88 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (468)
Cast
- Pat Healy
- Ethan Embry
- Sara Paxton
- David Koechner
- Amanda Fuller
- Laura Covelli
- Elissa Dowling
- Todd Farmer
- Eric Neil Gutierrez
- Sam Ketcherside
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Shudder Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV channel, ARROW
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Cheap Thrills about?
- A desperate mechanic accepts a rich couple’s cash dares, only to discover that every easy payday makes the next moral line harder to resist.
- What is Cheap Thrills like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Cheap Thrills as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Cheap Thrills violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Cheap Thrills as brutal.
- What did critics think of Cheap Thrills?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a gleefully nasty, darkly hilarious, tightly involving descent into escalating dares and ethical degradation.
- Which films are like Cheap Thrills?
- Films with a similar feel include The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Would You Rather, Indecent Proposal, and The Most Dangerous Game.
- How long is Cheap Thrills?
- Cheap Thrills runs 88 minutes.
- Where can I watch Cheap Thrills?
- In United States, Cheap Thrills streams on Shudder Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV channel, ARROW.
