Having written four of the Saw films, and directed The Collector, Marcus Dunstan is a reliable name in horror. Having established himself in the more grisly and grimy arena of genre cinema, his latest horror sees him tackle the more light-hearted slasher, #AMFAD: All My Friends are Dead.
This is not the first time that Dunstan has stepped outside of his gore origins, with 2022’s Unhuman his first attempt. Unfortunately that film failed to land quite as intended, but #AMFAD: All My Friends are Dead demonstrates a greater promise. The plot finds a group of friends holed up in an AirBnB after their transportation to a music festival breaks down. As they begin trying to make the best of the sudden alteration to their plans, they find themselves being picked off one-by-one by the infamous and elusive Seven Deadly Sins Killer, or SDSK, in a plethora of gross-out ways.
As much as Dunstan has tried to leave the aesthetic of his earlier films behind, #AMFAD: All My Friends are Dead still houses much of the director’s signature DNA. The deaths are sufficiently dark, dastardly, and ingenious enough to rival Saw, which makes sense considering Dunstan’s ties to the franchise. As messed up as these kills are, the other elements of the film are more bubblegum pop in nature. #AMFAD: All My Friends are Dead is full of colour, the young cast of characters clad in costumes featuring all of the rainbow. More than that though, #AMFAD: All My Friends are Dead is unafraid to set its horror in well-lit environments.
Dunstan wastes no time in revealing certain story components that other films would keep hidden to the very end. In exposing themselves so early, these revelations help push the viewer down new avenues as they try to account for who, or what, exactly is hunting them down. Slashers are at their best when they embrace aspects of the whodunnit theme, and Dunstan gleefully plays around with the format. He also spends rather more time than traditional slashers setting up the group dynamics. Whilst not particularly complex, there is enough information about most for them to be more than the deadly sin that is bestowed upon them by the killer. The interpretation of these sins is another interesting puzzle piece as the reasons for some characters’ assignments aren’t immediately obvious. Some make perfect sense, but others feel somewhat shoehorned in to fit the concept.
The youthful cast are all clearly having a blast; the pretty young things all inhabit their privileged characters wonderfully. Although dressed immaculately and portrayed as fun lovers, this group is hard to fully connect with. Having time to set up dynamics should afford the opportunity for the audience to bond with certain characters, but they are instead held off at arm’s length. This, like so many slashers before it, is nothing new, but it perpetuates the core cast being nothing more than fodder. Even the potential final girl, Sarah (Jade Pettyjohn), isn’t given much development. Once the murdering begins, the plot starts to unravel, but a fun reveal during the final act is enough to bring it back onto steady ground by the finale.
#AMFAD: All My Friends are Dead still struggles to reach Dunstan’s early height of The Collector, but does prove that the director is capable of adapting to the times. His latest film is a social media generation friendly slasher with some fun kills and thrills. By no means perfect, Dunstan’s ability to change-up both his style and slasher convention ensures that, for the right crowd, #AMFAD: All My Friends are Dead will be a blast.
#AMFAD: All My Friends are Dead
Summary
A final act swerve saves #AMFAD: All My Friends are Dead from slasher movie mediocrity, and proves that Marcus Dunstan is more than his torture and trauma films of yesteryear.
#AMFAD: All My Friends are Dead was reviewed at TriBeCa 2024. In select US theaters, on demand and on digital 2nd August.
