Among Friends (2012) Reviews

• Fantasy Sequence, Jules

  paul-day-clone2017-06-30

  I haven't read the rest of the reviews but how does this rate 4.5? As one reviewer said, it's The Breakfast Club in the House of 1000 Corpses...and I'd add Come Back To The Five And Dime, Jimmy Dean. Bernadette, a lovely psychotic psychologist, plans a party murder mystery party for her friends...and then drugs them so they can't move. From there, she exposes their lies and hypocrisies. Sure, the fact that she's engaged in deception to know all that she knows and has her own hypocrisies doesn't make sense...that's why she's psychotic. In the course of the night, she shows the hidden videos of the "friends" cheating on each other, raping each other and spying on each other, while keeping their secrets. Throw in some mushrooms and general trippiness and what's not to like? The rock solid script takes you through the various sins with some excellent group dynamics and ensemble acting. Towards the end, Jules (the blond bombshell who's tripping) goes into a full blown hallucination which throws out an even more unsettling vibe with a gasp-inducing consequence. Everyone is spot on in their roles. Bernadette plays her insanity with a subtleness and restraint that could have thrown the movie off the rails. This provides the perfect contrast in the rare moments when she does flip out. Jules, too, shines in her role and brings depth to her party-girl persona. When I first saw her, I thought she was too pretty bring off the role but she fearlessly takes on the drug trip aspect and sells it brilliantly. All in all, it starts up quick and maintains its pace providing an amazing ride!

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• Incredibly enjoyable, this movie has a lot of heart, and a lot of blood to go with it.

  cjmccracken2012-12-01

  Among Friends is a new movie about a group of friends who get together for a dinner party which turns into a violent, horrific and ultimately hilarious ordeal. Bernadette (Alyssa Lobit) organises a 1980's themed murder mystery for her BFFs, who unsuspectingly arrive in anticipation of nothing more than a playful evening of cocktails, drugs and the possibility of hopping into bed together. What they don't realise is that Bernadette has a bone to pick with each one of them, and before long the party becomes a trial, with their deliciously manic host serving as judge, jury and executioner. Featuring cameos from the likes of Kane Hodder and Michael Biehn, in addition to being the directorial debut of Danielle Harris (Rob Zombie's Halloween, Hatchet I-III), Among Friends certainly comes with a genre pedigree. The writing, construction and shoot of the film was overseen by an almost entirely female crew. Elements of The Perfect Host (2010) and The Last Supper (1995) are combined with a unique and energetic method of delivery. Harris' direction is sharp, frenetic and delightfully sinister and the performances from Lobit, Brianne Davis, Jennifer Blanc-Biehn and AJ Bowen are particularly noteworthy. A Day-Glo descent into Hell, Among Friends is a brilliantly funny, acerbic examination of friendships, lies and betrayal. Gory, gleeful and gorgeous, it manages to consistently digress from stereotype, creating a very unique feature in the process. It's as if the Breakfast Club had a get together twenty years later at the Firefly homestead from House of 1000 Corpses. Incredibly enjoyable, this movie has a lot of heart, and a lot of blood to go with it.

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• If you aren't pretentious, then you'll love it!

  ihearthorrorfilm2013-09-03

  OMG… OMG… and a one more OMG! Do not let the ridiculously mediocre rating on IMDb turn you away because Among Friends rocked my socks off! I had high expectations of this film because the entire crew and cast are hardcore horror film contributors, including the lovely Danielle Harris who directed it… But then… I started it. The first few scenes had me completely worried. I even got up and started doing chores, which is never a good sign. And then all of a sudden, about 20 minutes in, I dropped what I was doing, sat on the couch and didn't move my eyes until it was completely over… even sat through the entire end credits! The fact that I enjoyed Among Friends so much proves that I am a sick individual, but I can't deny how much fun this brutal little indie is. It's funny, gory, violent and very sinister. It's kind of like a campy version of You're Next, which coincidentally, co-stars the very same dude, AJ Bowen. And let me just add how awesome Mr. Bowen is. He has been in some excellent horror film, all of which I definitely will add reviews for in the near future. Anyhoo, Among Friends is a awesome low-budget horror film that is mainly targeted at the "Ladies who Love Horror." The bulk of the cast are female horror veterans that are all very fantastic and you should check out the entire crew/casts IMDb profiles because there are soooo many horror connections, it's pretty incredible. Loved, loved, loved this one! Please like me on Facebook! You can read more of my reviews and get info on the latest movies in horror: http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Heart-Horror/338327476286206

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• Good movie, terrible ending!

  TheContorted2014-01-27

  Among Friends has some great things going for it. The story is interesting, the actors (for the most part) do a great job, and some of the directorial decisions make this a fun ride. The movie does borrow from a handful of other movies. Saw, Would you Rather, and Deranged being among them. But the movie distinguishes itself and is better than some of the movies it shares similarities with. However, as much fun as I had with Among Friends and as invested as I was with the characters and their situation, the ending kills this movie. Simply because there is no conclusion. The movie just ends. There's no reason for a film maker to not create an ending for their movie. As the viewers we've invested the time into getting to know the characters and anticipate how the story unfolds. It's the writer and director's job to make sure that the story has a satisfactory conclusion. Not always happy, not always straightforward, but an ending that makes me glad I invested the time into watching the movie. Among friends doesn't have this. I just felt frustrated, cheated, and completely unsatisfied. In conclusion, I can't recommend this movie. It's frustrating how much potential was displayed and then squandered.

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• Uninteresting slasher movie without real story, except the final 15 minutes when a real plot seems to emerge

  JvH482013-04-14

  I saw this film at the Imagine film festival 2013 in Amsterdam. The synopsis on the festival website sounded very interesting. And it started alright, when the characters were introduced one by one, as a natural side effect of loading them all in a limo, hired to collect and bring them to the house where the party was. Cocktails were served, and everyone was prepared to have an enjoyable evening, with a possible extension of sleeping with one of the old friends. When the host announces an "evening of integrity", no one suspects anything yet, not seeming to feel even a bit of uneasiness. It starts normally too, like a whodunit game. Couples are sent out to the various rooms to find clues for the mystery that has to be solved. Nothing out of the ordinary yet. While visiting the respective bedrooms, old memories and old bonds are refreshed. Everyone is prepared for an enjoyable evening with a diner among old friends, an additional game to pass the evening, and a conclusion in some of the bedrooms. The atmosphere changes dramatically after the cocktails. The hostess is a psychiatrist, obviously having access to drugs. Only she is still standing, while all others awake one by one and find themselves tied to their chairs. Plus there is Lily, who we see on the video screen lying in a bathtub, seemingly dead but without further details about her fate. The hostess has a remote control unit and shows pictures and video's about past and present events, and makes very clear that there are several axes to grind. From that moment on, it turns into an uninteresting blood&gore (or torture porn) movie, where several people are wounded without a real purpose other than causing pain, only to settle an ancient account. This takes 2/3 of the running time, and I cannot find any merits in it. We have to wait until the last 15 minutes to witness something interesting again. It has to do with Lily, who was forced to have sex with some of those present, while several others saw or heard it happening but did nothing to stop it. Of course, those involved all say they are "sorry", but that makes it even worse. I will not reveal more, if only to prevent spoilers. All in all, this film was not enjoyable to watch, for me that is, since I always try to evade torture porn movies. The plot is original and could have been exploited much better. The beginning and ending are perfect, but the hour in between is hardly bearable to watch, because of the fact that there is no reason (that we know of at that time) for all the pain caused. In hindsight we get the message that there was indeed a real purpose, but that is too late. In other words, the scenario is unbalanced and should spread the information flow more evenly over the running time. The festival visitors gave this film the last-but-one place (40th out of 41) with average score 5.3.

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