Among Friends

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.

"Among Friends" is the directorial debut of scream queen Danielle Harris and if that isn't enough to spark your interest take a look at some of the other super talented people involved. Alyssa Lobit penned this little gem and is slowly proving that she's a rock star screen writer headed for the top. Lobit also stars in the film and carries herself well amongst a troop of indie horror veterans. The film also stars horror genre icon Kane Hodder, Christopher Backus, Jennifer Blanc, Dana Daurey, Brianne Davis, Chris Meyer, and of course the great A.J. Bowen. A.J. Bowen is swiftly becoming a horror genre icon himself. I can't believe how many truly awesome films Bowen has starred in over the last five years or so. "Among Friends" is probably best described as "Misery" meets "The Breakfast Club." The film kicks off with what appears to be a tight knit group of friends attending a retro eighties party. The group is taken hostage by an insane and apparently jilted Bernadette that wants to show them the error of their ways. It doesn't take long before the secrets and lies binding the group together begin to tear it apart (literally).

I really liked this film for a lot of different reasons but the truth is there's not much here that we haven't seen before. Harris does a very solid job in her first time behind the camera. There are several instances in the film where one of the characters has drug induced delusions. Harris is especially impressive in these moments as she is able to set those scenes apart from the story we're watching and then pull us back at just the right moment. Although the film is decent in all aspects it never really seems to decide where it wants to go or even how far. This is very evident in the films last twenty minutes which make little sense and almost completely stomp out any fire we had burning here. The production value here is unfavorable and I say that having just had a similar retro eighties party for my daughters sweet sixteen. Honestly the party cost us a couple thousand dollars and would have made twice the set produced in this film. I have to nitpick a little bit that's just my nature but let me counter that by saying my two girl's ages 16 and 11 absolutely loved this film, so what do I know. Through it all the film tries hard to stay interesting, bloody, and pure fun. It's not a great film but it's a great start and hopefully we'll get more of Harris behind and in front of the camera. I give this film 6/10 and recommend it to all off-beat horror fans. Let me know what you thought about this group of friends and there dirty little secrets.

AMONG FRIENDS is a twisted horror about a dinner party gone wrong. Set against an 80s backdrop, good times take a dark turn when one in the group hijacks the evening in the name of Integrity. Through an attempt to help the others come clean about secret betrayals against one another, it's revealed who's willing to cut through the bone to expose the truth. This feature directorial debut of Scream Queen Danielle Harris stars Christopher Backus, Jennifer Blanc, AJ Bowen, Dana Daurey, Brianne Davis, Kane Hodder, Kamala Jones, Alyssa Lobit and Chris Meyer.

This movie is horrible. First of all there is a disconnect. The people in the film are all dressed like they are going to the prom, but they look like they are about to hit 40!

No real nudity, which is important to this genre. Acting sucks, writing sucks, directing sucks. It's a boring mess.

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.

I haven't read the rest of the reviews but how does this rate 4.5?

As one reviewer said, it's The Breakfast Club in the House of 1000 Corpses...and I'd add Come Back To The Five And Dime, Jimmy Dean.

Bernadette, a lovely psychotic psychologist, plans a party murder mystery party for her friends...and then drugs them so they can't move. From there, she exposes their lies and hypocrisies. Sure, the fact that she's engaged in deception to know all that she knows and has her own hypocrisies doesn't make sense...that's why she's psychotic. In the course of the night, she shows the hidden videos of the "friends" cheating on each other, raping each other and spying on each other, while keeping their secrets. Throw in some mushrooms and general trippiness and what's not to like?

The rock solid script takes you through the various sins with some excellent group dynamics and ensemble acting. Towards the end, Jules (the blond bombshell who's tripping) goes into a full blown hallucination which throws out an even more unsettling vibe with a gasp-inducing consequence.

Everyone is spot on in their roles. Bernadette plays her insanity with a subtleness and restraint that could have thrown the movie off the rails. This provides the perfect contrast in the rare moments when she does flip out. Jules, too, shines in her role and brings depth to her party-girl persona. When I first saw her, I thought she was too pretty bring off the role but she fearlessly takes on the drug trip aspect and sells it brilliantly.

All in all, it starts up quick and maintains its pace providing an amazing ride!