AMFAD All My Friends Are Dead (2024)

AMFAD All My Friends Are Dead is a riotous slasher that mixes together plot elements from several previous horror films.

It takes the Generation Z characters and darkly comedic tone of Bodies Bodies Bodies, the plotline of Seven, and the “group of people are killed by someone who knows their dark secret” storyline from numerous genre movies (I Know What You Did Last Summer, Unfriended, etc.), and mixes it all together.

Sarah (Jade Pettyjohn) and her toxic, social media-obsessed friends are headed to an annual summer music festival. Twenty years earlier, the area was targeted by an unidentified serial killer who targeted victims based on the seven deadly sins (pride, envy, wrath, sloth, avarice, gluttony, and lust). The perpetrator was never caught.

The group rents an Airbnb and settles in for a weekend of debauchery. They should be safe. It’s not like they’re trapped in a house during a hurricane or lost in the woods without phone coverage. But they aren’t.

A killer wearing a black hood begins to kill the friends one by one. This movie doesn’t skimp on the gore. Like the massacre twenty years earlier, the friends are each targeted for committing a deadly sin. Sarah learns that her buddies were involved in a cover up involving the death of an old friend named Colette (JoJo Siwa).

Are they being stalked by the killer from twenty years ago, or is this the work of a copycat? Sarah is the only one who wasn’t involved in Colette’s demise. Is the killer going to target her, too?

Pettyjohn seems to be having a blast with her first major horror role. She has the opportunity to play different sides of Sarah, who isn’t as shallow or simple-minded as her friends. Pettyjohn delivers a versatile performance.

The other main standout is Jennifer Ens as Mona, a ravishingly beautiful but ruthless social media influencer. Mona is conceited and shallow, but she’s also surprisingly tough, surviving for far longer than I expected.

Ens delivers a funny, entertaining performance. This appears to be her first significant role in a feature film. Hopefully it won’t be the last. I would certainly like to see more of her.

AMFAD is capably directed by Marcus Dunstan, who wrote (but didn’t direct) several of the Saw movies, including the upcoming Saw XI. The Saw movies are rarely funny (not intentionally at least), so a horror comedy like this seems a bit of a departure for him.

Dunstan mentioned in an interview that he took the job because he was intrigued by the script’s twist ending. Speaking of which…

An intriguing ending

all my friends are dead movie review — Photo: Cineverse

AMFAD ends with an unusual series of twists. Compared to the rest of the movie, which feels like it was assembled of spare parts from other films, the ending is quite surprising and novel.

Maybe this is becoming a tradition for Generation Z slashers. Bodies Bodies Bodies is also known for having a unique twist. The plot turn in AMFAD is totally different, though. This movie features an actual flesh and blood killer.

After an escalating series of surprises in the movie’s last moments, AMFAD concludes with a final revelation that paves the way for a heavily implied sequel. Of course, it’s way too early to tell whether this is the start of a new series. But, considering how quickly low-budget horror movies like X and Terrifier became established franchises, it’s certainly plausible.

Rating

Although it doesn’t feature much originality until the final act, AMFAD is an entertaining addition to the social media slasher pantheon. A promising young cast and a witty script help save this movie from being just another mediocre slasher flick.

Rating from 1 (avoid at all costs) to 10 (masterpiece): 7