‘All My Friends Are Dead’ Review

If you like campy horror movies, you’ll find something to enjoy in All My Friends Are Dead. Directed by Marcus Dunstan, the film stars Jade Pettyjohn as Sarah, a girl going on a trip with her “friends.” But for all their social media follower counts, Sarah would rather be off the grid. They’re all together after the death of their friend Colette (JoJo Siwa) and when their car breaks down, the group have to go and stay at an Airbnb until it is fixed.

This premise is not very different from most slasher films, but what works for All My Friends Are Dead is that it recognizes that it isn’t that unique. The kills begin as plays on the Seven Deadly Sins, think Kevin Spacey‘s murderous persona in the David Fincher filmSe7en. Just when I wanted to poke fun at the fact that it wasn’t an original way of killing someone, the movie itself says as much. Shot with the energy of slasher films from the 80s but with the modern flare of iPhones playing a huge part of the story, the movie gives a new generation a way to look at slasher films. Horror as a genre can say a lot and what All My Friends Are Dead is saying about social media and connectivity does get a bit lost by the end of the film, when all its secrets start to spill out. Sarah as a main character is not, however, this film’s downfall.

‘All My Friends Are Dead’ Proves Pettyjohn Is a New Horror Darling

I loved Pettyjohn since she starred in the Karyn Kusama film Destroyer, but it was surprising to see how good she is at playing the sendup of a “final girl.” In our modern sensibilities, we can watch old slasher movies and spot them straight away. Even if we didn’t know that Jamie Lee Curtis was the blueprint of them in Halloween, we now can watch that movie and see the makings of her “final girl” persona.

From the moment we meet Pettyjohn in the movie, she has that feel to her. You know through all of it that if anyone was going to make it out of this situation alive, it’s her. And not in an “oh this is obvious” way or even in a spoiler way. She just is the only character we meet who has any kind of head on her shoulder. Pettyjohn’s portrayal of Sarah is up there among some of the best horror performances and it is a driving force throughout All My Friends Are Dead.

‘All My Friends Are Dead’ Has a New Kind of ‘Scream’ Vibe

Maybe it is the social media addiction of these characters or just the way that Dunstan filmed it to make it feel like it was shot on an iPhone, but something about this movie feels like a new Scream-esque franchise. Whether this is a one-and-done slasher film or one with the potential for more is still up in the air by the film’s end, but I do like the idea of continuing this story. Each of Sarah’s so-called “friends” is more vapid than the next. It doesn’t make their deaths any less sad, but it is that sick sort of satisfaction that comes with slasher movies when you don’t necessarily care for the people you’re watching as they eventually meet their untimely demise.

Seeing as these influencers are all taken out in absolutely horrendous ways is hard to watch, but it also is just how the genre works. I do wish we got to play more with the seven deadly sins aspect of it all because they do admit to other killers doing that and while we didn’t see it happening in this movie, I wouldn’t be mad if that branched off into a new kind of franchise for these characters. What I think is just so fun about All My Friends Are Dead as a slasher is that it doesn’t take itself overly seriously. And it still manages a twist that will have you wanting more stories from this universe. So if you’re in the mood for a good slasher flick that doesn’t try and reinvent the genre, then All My Friends Are Dead is a perfect fit!

REVIEW

#AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead (2024)

All My Friends Are Dead isn’t the most inventive of horror movies, but it is still fun when it counts.

Pros

• The film is campy fun that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
• Jade Pettyjohn gives an excellent performance that fully embodies the horror final girl.
• The way everything is constructed recalls the best parts of horror classics like Scream.

Cons

• The film would have benefited from playing around more with its premise.
• Whatever is trying to be said about social media does get lost by the end.

All My Friends Are Dead is available to stream on VOD in the U.S.

WATCH ON VOD