#AMFAD All My Friends Are Dead

Do you like to consume brainrot content? Well then go ahead and watch this movie. I hated most of it, no spoilers but the ending sucked, the reveal during/post the credits is not something that should be done. All the characters were unlikable, the only one that deserved my pity was Aaron. The only thing that comes close to making me smile is the joke about a birth certificate. I really hate how this movie is split in time periods, makes following the story (if we can call it that) really confusing. Do not watch the trailer as it spoils a major part of the movie. Worst part of this? Jojo Siwa.

On the verge of a major music festival, a group of friends get together to travel there only to get stranded along the way and are forced to stay at a house until it's repaired, but as they spend the time fixing their social media games are unaware a masked killer is hunting them one by one.

Overall, this was a decent if somewhat troubling modern slasher effort. Among the better features here is the film's strong attempts at managing a fun connection between the group and the Seven Deadly Sins. The concept itself is handled well enough with the initial massacre taking place decades earlier and featuring the earlier girl as a previous target that turns the new group into equally-obvious victims involving her as a source of the rampage based on how they drove her to kill herself featuring enough interplay with the group to make everything known as they wait around. That this leads into a solid series of brutal and graphic death scenes featuring the torture-porn aesthetic of the trapped victim forced into a specific situation that ties their chosen sin into a streaming experience that includes a gruesome death at the end. With the setup taking place in the lighted dungeon using tricks to complete the connection with Deadly Sins and making everything come together quite clearly, there's a lot to like here in some regards. There are some really hard problems to overcome with this one. The main stumbling block is the most obvious and egregious one in the utterly annoying and aggravating characters that we're forced to follow throughout the running time. This one again decides to follow the trend of modern slasher or genre films going with characters utterly obsessed with being social media famous which means everything they do is dependent on how many likes or follows it will get them, spend the entirety of the running time glued to their phones, or complaining about anything not going their way even if there's nothing that can be done about it. Given that we're introduced to them on their phones getting away from a prank gone wrong, concerned with making sure their clothing is perfect, or furiously texting the others trying to make sure they get likes on their posts, it never gets better after dropping them onto us as massively irritating teens that keeps going throughout the film. It never gets better and keeps this one from truly getting any kind of genuine sympathy for the group. The other factor here is the generally lackluster and somewhat underwhelming pace that takes forever to get going. The group spends a large section of time continuing their inane social media uplinks or other personal indiscretions mentioned above that it feels far longer than it should with the slashing starting at around the hour mark. This could've been far more expedient to get to the killing with everything going on but the focus on displaying the group of moronic and irritating social media-obsessed figures that are far stupider than they appear leaving it open for one of the more infuriating and just terrible endings in the genre where it continues on far past it's usefulness to feel like overkill. Planting everything up the way it does with the kind of piling on plot points that aren't necessary simply to pull off a lame twist and setup for a sequel that won't be that interesting causes this to be even more problematic, and in general, leaves this one with a lot of flaws.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

Not too shabby. Adding energy to the generic formula while being little more than an ode to 80's horror. What makes it work though is the energy picking up in the second to latter half of the film, some hilarious kills coupled with the type of characters you can't help but hope will meet a grisly end and a conclusion that's surprisingly effective. Predictable? Yes. But it's elevated by a team both in front of and behind the camera that genuinely put in the work and with an ending leaving room for a sequel, I actually wouldn't mind another go around to see what else they have up their sleeves..

#AMFAD All My Friends Are Dead had a seemingly fun premise, combining a modern slasher concept with a talented director. The story follows a group of teenagers who rent an Airbnb to attend a big music festival, only to be threatened by a masked killer. The film hints multiple times that the group's past plays a role in why they are being targeted, with the murders loosely based on the seven deadly sins. I usually enjoy these kinds of movies, even though such "dumb slashers" are often flawed and not very good. However, they are usually entertaining and a fun way to pass the time. With Marcus Dunstan as the director, known for movies like The Collector series and the underrated horror thriller The Neighbor, I was intrigued to watch this film. Unfortunately, the result was more disappointing than I expected.

The characters are absolutely unlikable, which is not uncommon for this subgenre. However, the audience needs to connect with the cast on some level to create tension. Without that connection, you do not care when a character dies and cannot root for them. Sometimes, in such cases, you can root for the killer instead, but even that was difficult here. The masked killer lacked depth, and while the motive was clear, the villain was not interesting or memorable enough to root for. The mask itself, a modern slasher design with LED lights, did not stand out or leave a lasting impression.

The acting was subpar, though I would not have minded that too much, especially for a low-budget slasher. The movie is marketed heavily around JoJo Siwa, with her name prominently displayed on the cover. However, she has a very minor role, so if you are watching solely for her, you will likely feel let down.

Despite its terrible characters, uneven script, and predictability, the movie was entertaining. I do not regret watching it, and I can understand why others might hate it. That said, you can still have a decent amount of fun with it despite all its flaws. Overall, it is a slightly below-average slasher for genre fans and might be suitable for watching with a group of friends, especially if you are barely paying attention and laughing at the characters' absurd decisions. While I hoped this movie would offer much more, it fell short of my expectations. Still, in my eyes, it is a watchable flick. [5.4/10]

Sure, it's not the best horror ever, but nonetheless, in a non pretentious way, pretty enjoyable. There's the well known premise of a bunch of college kids stranded in a remote villa, and then a masked killer starts hovering round the house and slashing one by one, up until (of course) a last one standing. They did put in a few nice plot twists, like the identity of the killer that I (stupidly) hadn't seen coming at all, and another surprising one in the end, keeping you on the edge of your chair until the credits start rolling.

The acting is just so, so, but in this kind of movie: who cares?! All characters are equally unsympathetic, so you couldn't care less what happens to them. Which is quite a lot, since they didn't hold back on the violence and gore, with pretty original killings, it's definitely not for the tender hearted.

If you want deep dialogues and impressive cinematography, you'd better skip this one; but if you're in for some 80 minutes of pleasant old school slasher fun, you won't be disappointed!