‘All My Friends Are Dead’ Review
Stars: Jade Pettyjohn, JoJo Siwa, Jennifer Ens, Justin Derickson, Ali Fumiko Whitney, Julian Haig, Cardi Wong, Peter Giles, Jack Doupe-Smith | Written by Josh Sims, Jessica Sarah Flaum, John Baldecchi | Directed by Marcus Dunstan
Sarah (Jade Pettyjohn) and her aspiring influencer friends spend the night in a holiday rental on their way to a music festival, but unbeknownst to them they’re being watched on hidden cameras. Their weekend of partying suddenly takes a disturbingly gruesome turn when an uninvited guest arrives with one mission in mind… to make these sinners pay for their wrongdoings. One by one, they are hunted down. Alone and afraid, with no followers to save them, they are brutally bumped off at the hands of a masked murderer. When a former friend’s (JoJo Siwa) dark past comes to light, can Sarah and her few remaining friends stop the crazed killer before they too meet their bloody demise?
Horror maestro Marcus Dunstan (Saw IV, The Collector) turns his talents to the slasher genre once again, only this time bringing with him a more post-modern, “Scream” style take on the genre and throwing in biting satire on social media culture at the same time!
Of course, like other films of this ilk, All My Friends are Dead (or #AMFAD for short – though the hashtag fits PERFECTLY with the movie’s theme), features a number of unlikeable characters – most of whom are exaggerated stereotypes, making it hard for viewers to empathise with them and therefore their predicament. Whilst this approach underscores the satire, which effectively critiques the vanity and superficiality of influencer culture, showcasing how these flaws contribute to the character’s downfall, it also makes the audience root for the villain – cheering them on as they slaughter the vacuous cast of wannabes, one by one.
And how does our killer despatch his victims? Each murder ties symbolically to the seven deadly sins, invoking comparisons to classic thrillers like Se7en, but with a distinctly modern twist. However whilst the sin-themed killings are visually creative, the plot is essentially your traditional stalk and slash horror, with little changes to the long-running format – even down to the final girl.
Speaking of which, one of the film’s only likeable characters is Sarah, #AMFAD‘s final girl. Jade Pettyjohn brings the ONLY nuanced performance of the film, giving her character an emotional depth, the antithesis of the film’s social media “darlings” who rejects the shallow values of her peers. Yes, it’s a cliched “not like the other girls” heroine but it works wholeheartedly thanks to Pattyjohn.
In terms of the film’s kills (something long-time Dunstan fans will know are typically highlights of his genre work) akin to some of his previous work, Dunstan priorities style over substance in the film’s more gruesome moment, to more of an extreme than a lot of his previous work – with rapid editing and visual techniques that can feel jarring and detract from the on-screen action, for example, the use of a DJ-style scratch/rewind sting accompanying a slight pause of the film during the #AMFAD‘s first kill scene. Yet, in the context of the ADHD-style social media era of short attention spans, in which this film lives, as well as its characters, the increasingly over-the-top style works.
All My Friends are Dead is an entertaining, yet uneven, addition to the slasher genre. Its commentary on social media and clout-chasing culture adds a fresh perspective to proceedings, but all-too-familiar story beats, genre cliches and unlikeable characters ultimately hold the film back. Though if you like your horror gruesome, or enjoyed Dunstan’s previous work, you’ll probably get a kick out of this.
*** 3/5
All My Friends are Dead is out now on digital from 101 Films.
