"ALL MY FRIENDS ARE DEAD" Is A Clever And Bloody Take On The Generational Slasher Film (REVIEW)
Influencer culture isn’t a new trend, but it is hard to argue that technological innovations over the last two decades have ushered in a kind of influencing that is far more aggressive than ever before. The psychology of influencers hinges on the simple notion that the biggest motivator is the opinions and perspectives of other people whom we admire and aspire towards. It also preys on our most vapid and narcissistic tendencies as a species to manipulate others for the sake of an individual’s gain. It’s not all bad to be sure, but it certainly is rife with grifters and fraudsters who only care about themselves. Social media certainly has a role in all of this, as does the FOMO culture of broadcasting our lives for the world to see, sometimes in such a curated way that it almost doesn’t feel real. This desire for “likes” and to “live your best life on social media” are at the center of Cineverse’s latest slasher, All My Friends Are Dead #AMFAD. Directed by Marcus Dunstan and starring Jade Pettyjohn and Jojo Siwa, does “#AMFAD” deliver bloody mayhem or is it all just for “the gram”?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
A group of college friends rent an Airbnb for the biggest music festival of the year. A weekend of partying quickly takes a turn, as the group is murdered one by one, according to their sin.
HOW IS IT?
There is no better way to get rid of some FOMO than watching a movie about dying on the way to a music festival, and that’s exactly what “All My Friends Are Dead” (“#AMFAD” for short) delivers. Combing tropes from 90s slashers and Director Marcus Dunstan’s filmography, “#AMFAD” aims to capture the tongue-in-cheek tone of self-aware comedies while also lambasting social media clout chasing to the tune of some gruesome and creative kills. If that sounds like a lot to juggle, it can be at times, but the good news is that “#AMFAD” sticks the landing by taking expectations and taking them for a ride in the best possible way avoiding what could’ve been just another cliché millennial slasher.
The group of friends in “#AMFAD” are like exaggerated versions of people you either know, knew, or have come across at some point in your young life. Vapid, self-concerned, and hiding their density under snappy dialogue are just some of the characteristics of this group and you’re buckled up with them to go to an EDM music festival. The problem is; they don’t make it, and end up in an Airbnb that hides deadly secrets for them all. Without going into spoiler territory what you get is a revenge-laced slasher movie that finds interesting ways to challenge what you think will happen, and the motives of those involved. The group is well-acted and led by Jade Pettyjohn in the lead role of Sarah. Sarah’s innocence is well-played as the newbie in the group who seems to be caught up in their bullshit by proxy, and the more time she spends with them the more she (and we) realize just how awful this group of so-called “friends” actually are to each other. “#AMFAD” certainly has something to say about how social media has turned a lot of us into little narcissists and how that can erode the irl friendships that we form. It isn’t offering up anything deeper than calling out bad behavior, and some characters and situations feel too Lifetime-adjacent. Still, by the end, it wraps these bullet points in a nice bloody bow.
Where “#AMFAD” struggles some is with the script and budget restraints. Some of the dialogue in the first half of the film feels forced and disingenuous which may be on-brand for their personas, but it doesn’t have the same effect as a viewer. At times it can feel like an older generation is trying to write from the perspective of the one below them, but it does smooth itself out after the mid-way point. The same goes for some of the humor, which doesn’t always land, but when it does it’s worth a chuckle. On the effects side, it's a situation where you wish the production team had a little more money because some great setups are held back slightly by the need to augment digitally. We can’t fault the film for this, and to the credit of all involved, the kills are the second stars in this show. We don’t know how much influence Dunstan had on the ideation, but it does feel like his twisted brand of trap-oriented gloopiness was being channeled directly or indirectly. Even with more table-stakes kills like decapitations “#AMFAD” delivers something just a bit more unique than the average slasher to spice things up. Some of the humor and delivery won’t work for everyone, but slasher fans who enjoy seeing creative deaths happen to beautiful and despicable people should be first in line for this one!
LAST RITES
“#AMFAD” is a gore-studded slasher for the Coachella generation that channels the toxicity of social media into a blood-soaked 90 minutes. With surprising twists on old tropes and despite some uneven scripting, “#AMFAD” is a film to pump your firsts for!
THE GORY DETAILS
Directed By
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Where can you watch it?
CINEVERSE will release All My Friends Are Dead #AMFAD in select theaters and on PVOD on August 2, 2024!
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