Among Friends

Among Friends is a new movie about a group of friends who get together for a dinner party which turns into a violent, horrific and ultimately hilarious ordeal. Bernadette (Alyssa Lobit) organises a 1980's themed murder mystery for her BFFs, who unsuspectingly arrive in anticipation of nothing more than a playful evening of cocktails, drugs and the possibility of hopping into bed together. What they don't realise is that Bernadette has a bone to pick with each one of them, and before long the party becomes a trial, with their deliciously manic host serving as judge, jury and executioner.

Featuring cameos from the likes of Kane Hodder and Michael Biehn, in addition to being the directorial debut of Danielle Harris (Rob Zombie's Halloween, Hatchet I-III), Among Friends certainly comes with a genre pedigree. The writing, construction and shoot of the film was overseen by an almost entirely female crew. Elements of The Perfect Host (2010) and The Last Supper (1995) are combined with a unique and energetic method of delivery. Harris' direction is sharp, frenetic and delightfully sinister and the performances from Lobit, Brianne Davis, Jennifer Blanc-Biehn and AJ Bowen are particularly noteworthy.

A Day-Glo descent into Hell, Among Friends is a brilliantly funny, acerbic examination of friendships, lies and betrayal. Gory, gleeful and gorgeous, it manages to consistently digress from stereotype, creating a very unique feature in the process. It's as if the Breakfast Club had a get together twenty years later at the Firefly homestead from House of 1000 Corpses. Incredibly enjoyable, this movie has a lot of heart, and a lot of blood to go with it.

Back when I was around 10-12 years old, in the glorious early nineties that was, I had two celebrity crushes. The first one was Christina Ricci, based on her inimitably stoic performance of Wednesday in "The Addams Family", and the other one was Danielle Harris, based on her appearances in the "Halloween" sequels 4 and 5 (which I actually wasn't yet allowed to watch) and the Bruce Willis vehicle "The Last Boy Scout". I was completely mad about little Jamie Lloyd in her eerie jester costume, and that cherubic yet mysterious face always remained printed in my pre-adolescent mind. Then we didn't hear or see anything remarkable from Danielle Harris for about fifteen years, until she made a phenomenal horror comeback in Rob Zombie's "Halloween"; ironically enough the remake of the original of the franchise that made her famous. I'm very happy that, since 2007, Danielle became a very frequent and reliable horror leading lady/scream queen. She starred in a handful of really entertaining movies ("Hatchet II", "Stake Land", "Blood Night") as well as in a couple of disappointing duds ("Shiver", "Camp Dread"), and in 2012 she brought her career to the next level by making her debut as a director with "Among Friends". In all honesty I have to say that, based on the plot description or encountered reviews, I probably never would have bothered to seek out this film if it weren't for the fact that Danielle Harris directed it. "Among Friends" objectively looks and sounds like a mundane and conventional slasher, and it really is just that. No wait, I'm mistaken… In a mundane and conventional slasher, most of the characters still get killed in a gory fashion, whereas in "Among Friends" the vast majority of them only get wounded. A six-headed group of friends meet up at Bernadette's house, in a fancy rented limousine, supposedly for a murder-themed game night. Before they are properly installed, though, it turns out that their hostess has a much more sadistic and realistic game in mind. They all wake up tied up and semi-paralyzed around the dinner table and get confronted with a whole lot of intrigues, hidden affairs, betrayal and dark secrets. There's a little bit of torture and mayhem to enjoy (for example half of a scalping), but the blood hunger of rabid horror junkies will definitely not be stilled. Most of the film is uninteresting drivel and bickering between unlikable characters you don't care for anyway. Danielle Harris' direction is competent, but she doesn't really put her mark. The performances vary from average to poor, and the proudly announced cameo appearances (Michael Biehn, Danielle Harris herself) are barely noticeable. Only Kane Hodder has a remotely fun supportive part as the limo driver. I hope Harris will take another shot at directing a horror movie, this time with a slightly better script.

Casting is everything. You can have a decent script, effects, etc. But a weak actress and a first time director are a bad combination. I am a fan of AJ Bowen and Brianne Davis is a real beauty and a decent actress but other than that this is a real miss.

I am admittedly a die-hard fan of Danielle Harris, and so I was very hopeful that this film would be enjoyable, but in the end Among Friends completely exceeded even my highest expectations. A lifetime in front of the camera in the ambiance of horror has certainly paid off behind the camera, and it was clear that this film drew inspiration from the classics without sacrificing any originality.

From the onset, there is a very throwback feel to Among Friends as we are introduced to the characters through jumpy transitions between quickly paced shots and still images. To circumvent the limitations of a low budget, the film takes on the backdrop of the 1980s via an 80's themed party to avoid the anachronism of the occasional cell phone or modern car. All the while, there is plenty of gore and random humor to string everything together perfectly, and the characters are surprisingly well developed despite the shirt run time.

I cannot recommend this movie highly enough; it is original, loaded with cameos, and very rewatchable.

I'll give it props for the truth bumps and the bits of psych facts (bystander effect, anyone?) Apart from that it's all just nope in it's purest sense.

First, this all happened because of a "psychotic" psychiatrist. I mean, I get that this was in the early 10s, when the world was still fine tuning social media and whatever but what in the Hannibal Lecter, Saw with a dash of Cruel Intentions, Mean Girls, American Pie and Sorority Row all rolled into one?!

I just, I feel like that bit about the "psychotic" psychiatrist wasn't well researched enough. It's like saying that all people with mental disorders can be summed up in one word. So many questions are in my mind because of that character, like I want to know what set her up to be this self-righteous yet blunt messiah.

And what's with the 80s theme? It's like it was only there to justify corny torture.

I was expecting it to be a whodunnit wherein "friends" drop the scam and reveal their true colors just to clear their names.

It would have made a difference if it focused on how well does one know their friend; like letting people take a step back, make the haze go away and let them see things as they really are. Like Bernadette should just be in the shadows, taking care to not bring attention to herself, a voice that taunts or haunts each person. In turn, they'll be so unsettled, they'll eventually turn on each other.