Among Friends (2012)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Crappy film

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Bernadette (Alyssa Lobit) a psychologist throws a party for a group of friends, a theme party where they have to solve a murder. The movie becomes one of those everyone sitting around a table, secrets being revealed, and people being tortured type film. This one attempts to "go deep" by turning "inaction" into a horrible deed deserving punishment, although I think "Seinfeld" did it better.With the exception of Jules (Brianne Davis) on mushrooms, the film was a bit boring as we watched films of wrong doings etc. This type of film works better as a forced game or a brutal "truth or dare."Makes for a decent rental. Not on my keeper list.Guide: F-bomb, sex, rape. No nudity.

Back when I was around 10-12 years old, in the glorious early nineties that was, I had two celebrity crushes. The first one was Christina Ricci, based on her inimitably stoic performance of Wednesday in "The Addams Family", and the other one was Danielle Harris, based on her appearances in the "Halloween" sequels 4 and 5 (which I actually wasn't yet allowed to watch) and the Bruce Willis vehicle "The Last Boy Scout". I was completely mad about little Jamie Lloyd in her eerie jester costume, and that cherubic yet mysterious face always remained printed in my pre-adolescent mind. Then we didn't hear or see anything remarkable from Danielle Harris for about fifteen years, until she made a phenomenal horror comeback in Rob Zombie's "Halloween"; ironically enough the remake of the original of the franchise that made her famous. I'm very happy that, since 2007, Danielle became a very frequent and reliable horror leading lady/scream queen. She starred in a handful of really entertaining movies ("Hatchet II", "Stake Land", "Blood Night") as well as in a couple of disappointing duds ("Shiver", "Camp Dread"), and in 2012 she brought her career to the next level by making her debut as a director with "Among Friends". In all honesty I have to say that, based on the plot description or encountered reviews, I probably never would have bothered to seek out this film if it weren't for the fact that Danielle Harris directed it. "Among Friends" objectively looks and sounds like a mundane and conventional slasher, and it really is just that. No wait, I'm mistaken… In a mundane and conventional slasher, most of the characters still get killed in a gory fashion, whereas in "Among Friends" the vast majority of them only get wounded. A six-headed group of friends meet up at Bernadette's house, in a fancy rented limousine, supposedly for a murder-themed game night. Before they are properly installed, though, it turns out that their hostess has a much more sadistic and realistic game in mind. They all wake up tied up and semi-paralyzed around the dinner table and get confronted with a whole lot of intrigues, hidden affairs, betrayal and dark secrets. There's a little bit of torture and mayhem to enjoy (for example half of a scalping), but the blood hunger of rabid horror junkies will definitely not be stilled. Most of the film is uninteresting drivel and bickering between unlikable characters you don't care for anyway. Danielle Harris' direction is competent, but she doesn't really put her mark. The performances vary from average to poor, and the proudly announced cameo appearances (Michael Biehn, Danielle Harris herself) are barely noticeable. Only Kane Hodder has a remotely fun supportive part as the limo driver. I hope Harris will take another shot at directing a horror movie, this time with a slightly better script.

"The directorial debut of Danielle Harris, best known as a scream queen for her multiple horror film roles, four of them in the Halloween series:in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) as Jamie Lloyd, and in the new versions of Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009) as Annie Brackett."REVIEW: The movie got some really bad reviews which is totally unfair since it's a really fun-to-watch movie with witty script, comic elements and extreme gore. For a low-budget movie "Among Friends" is enjoyable, sinister, cocky and destined to achieve a cult status for horror fans, so sit back, get your pop corn, a group of friends and enjoy!7.5/10 (it's a pity IMDb doesn't give you the number.5 option)

When a Marcus, Melanie, Adam, Jules, Sara, and Bernadette (Christopher Backus, Jennifer Blanc, AJ Bowen, Brianne Davis, Kamala Jones, Alyssa Lobit) get together for an 80s prom themed party, they have no idea what's in store for them. When arriving to the party, they are told that they are going to be taking part in a Whodunit game. Noticing that one of their friends is missing, they assume it's all a part of the game. But things quickly begin to change when one member of the group takes the game to a whole new, and bloody level by causing secrets to be revealed and the friends to turn on one another.The film is the directorial debut of horror Scream Queen actress, Danielle Harris of Halloween 4 and 5, as well as Rob Zombie's two Halloween films and many other horror flicks. For her first time directing Harris does an extremely well-done job. She has a vision only a horror vet can see and it's evident she has a love for 80s horror films. While many may look at the film and call it "stupid" or "bad acting", in all actuality it's not. This is very much a homage to 80s horror through and through. We are given some brutal and bloody situations, as well as some very over-the-top performances by its cast. The villain especially gives this off by giving the evil performance with random outbursts, but also can be intimidating by how calm they are during the torture scenes or watching the characters panic. While some may not get into the story, fans of 80s slasher films like Happy Birthday to Me or April Fools Day will find some enjoyment in it. The film also features some great cameos by known horror stars such as Kane Hodder of the late Friday the 13th films and the Hatchet trilogy, as well as a cameo by the director herself in a very big nod to her early Halloween days that will please fans. The film isn't exactly a slasher and sometimes pales because of it, but it has a slasher feel to it. The characters aren't exactly the most likable either, but it's comical watching these characters interact with each other.So if you're a fan of cheesy, over-the-top 80s horror, or a big Danielle Harris fan, I definitely recommend it.