#AMFAD: ALL MY FRIENDS ARE DEAD movie poster | ©2024 Cineverse

Rating: Not Rated
Stars: Jade Pettyjohn, Jennifer Ens, Ali Fumiko Whitney, Michaela Russell, Julian Haig, Justin Derickson, Cardi Wong. Jack Doupe-Smith, JoJo Siwa
Writers: Josh Sims & Jessica Sarah Flaum, story by John Baldecchi, Jessica Sarah Flaum, Josh Sims
Director: Marcus Dunstan
Distributor: Cineverse
Release Date: August 2, 2024 (theatrical, digital, VOD)

#AMFAD: ALL MY FRIENDS ARE DEAD is one of those slashers that throws a few notable genre plots into a blender. Fortunately, the end result is pretty good in terms of what the filmmakers are going for, even if we do have to accept that most of the characters are of questionable intelligence.

The primary inspiration here in terms of the plot is 1995’s SE7EN, with a serial killer staging murders based around the seven deadly sins (pride, greed, wrath, lust, gluttony, envy, sloth). There are also elements of I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, SCREAM, UNFRIENDED, and any number of movies where a bunch of oblivious friends come together in an isolated house.

In 2003 or 2004 (#AMFAD declares each of these years at different times), a music festival called Karmapalooza was made infamous because a serial killer, well, see above. Twenty years later, no suspect has yet been identified.

It is now 2023 or 2024 (again, the film cites each at different times), and Karmapalooza is being brought back. Newscasters and police detective Daniels (Pete Graham) all express their hopes that the killer doesn’t come back, too. Well …

We know from a prologue that a lovely, vital young woman, Collette (JoJo Siwa), died in what looks like a suicide. She is mourned in voiceover by a friend.

Then we’re introduced to our central social group. Sarah (Jade Pettyjohn), who only met the others a few years ago at college, is the relative newcomer. The rest have known each other since at least high school. These include queen bee/ruthless social influencer Mona (Jennifer Ens), would-be social influencer Liv (Ali Fumiko Whitney), sexual conquistador L.B. (Julian Haig), avid drug user Guy (Jack Doupe-Smith), slacker Will (Justin Derickson), and barely acknowledged Aaron (Cardi Wong), who has a desperate crush on Sarah.

Due to poor planning, even though Karmapalooza is a gigantic, weekend-long event, the septet hasn’t arranged for lodgings. When their van blows a tire on the road, a helpful cop (Michaela Russell) gets them a tow truck, and they are able to secure an Airbnb booking.

When our protagonists arrive at the house, they find Seven Deadly Sins shot glasses waiting for them on the living room table, accompanied by a note signed SDSK. Everybody agrees this is a prank played by the unknown homeowner.

At this point, the audience will know that we are being cued that a) yes, #AMFAD: ALL MY FRIENDS ARE DEAD is intended as dark, bloody comedy, and b) these characters are meant to be disposable idiots.

As written by Josh Sims & Jessica Sarah Flaum, based on a story they crafted with John Baldecchi, the humor is fortunately never too broad. We get the jokes, but we don’t feel poked in the ribs. We also get a flurry of plot twists, some of which we really don’t see coming.

Director Marcus Dunstan (a SAW franchise veteran) goes for the gore in such an over-the-top way that, again, it’s meant to be amusing to the target audience. There is commendable thought given to the killer’s mask, and if we don’t exactly get jump scares, we at least get reasonable tension in not knowing who is going to pop out from where when.

Dunstan also gets extremely capable performances from his cast, with everybody being in the moment enough that we buy that certain things don’t occur to them.

There are a couple of editorial hiccups, mostly notable through the inconsistency about which year it is meant to be in both flashbacks and present. It’s not a dire flaw, but it’s the kind of thing that could have been fixed in post-production.

#AMFAD: ALL MY FRIENDS ARE DEAD is confident enough that it will please its intended audience that it advertises its sequel (plus has a couple of key scenes) during the end credits. The movie is by no means trying to reinvent the wheel, but it succeeds within its ambitions.

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Article: Movie Review: #AMFAD: ALL MY FRIENDS ARE DEAD

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