Review: All Your Friends Are Dead

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet

All Your Friends Are Dead
Directed by Ricky Glore and Nicholas Hiance
NKY Films, SRS Cinema
92 minutes; 2023
www.thenky.com/
www.srscinema.com/
www.rickyglore.com

It can be really interesting to see a debut directorial effort (which tends to be in the horror genre), but double the pleasure, double the fun because this is true for both of those who helmed this slasher project.

Ricky Glore

Mixing a few subgenres, such as masked killer, cabin in the woods, and social anxiety, the story wraps around the lead character, Matt Wilbee (co-director Ricky Glore), who is suffering from a severe case of depression. Once a star athlete in high school, he’s now let himself “go,” including having a drinking problem (in the first 7 minutes, he drinks more than I have in 7 years). Though working in a lowly position in a bar cleaning up, he is about to be homeless thanks to drinking his money away.

Despite his present destitute status, Matt was once part of an exclusive group in high school known as The Pack, who he has not been in contact with in years. Deciding to end his life, he inadvertently assembles The Pack one last time in a secluded campground around Bellevue, Kentucky (the filming location), where they last met around graduation, consisting of the imaginatively named perky Sarah Sunnrae (Eileen Earnest), bully Derek Pummel (Jason Ervin), now rich, buff and obnoxiously narcissistic Greg Neighsayer (Patrick M. Johnston), gay Larry Cochran (Chance Kilgour), and Larry’s lonely bestie, Lorie Blotter (Kira L. Wilson). Another good name for The Pack might be The Fodder.

Kira L. Wilson, Chance Kilgour, Patrick M. Johnston

Whereas the first Act introduces the protagonist, the second fills the viewer in on The Pack, and what a pack they are. There is no problem in distinguishing one personality from another, they are all their own beings, be it good or bad. There is also a truer level of angst between them and Matt, as well as between each other. Sparks fly (not necessarily the fun kind) as they stake their egos on their presentations.

I also enjoyed the certain level of meta going on, with discussions about how this would be the ideal setting for a slasher film, which of course this becomes in the third Act when the masked killer comes a-callin’.

Eileen Earnest

There are some nice red herrings to who is behind the mask. Honestly, I figured it out early on, but it was still worth sitting through the film to confirm. Lots of nice slice and dicing going on, with both decent practical effects and over the top CGI (as usual, mostly the splatter).

This is a dry comedy (with some out-loud laughs), dealing with both dialogue and characterizations. The actors give some credence to the parts they play, though sometimes reach a bit over the top. However, Glore seems to be in his element, ranging from sympathetic depression to maniacal.

Of course, as with most slashers – especially micro-budget ones – the instruments of death tend to be long and sharp albeit sometimes gas-fed. Speaking of budgets, the overall tone of the film is not quite minimalist, but definitely has a low-key flair that suits it well. You can tell they got every penny out of their budget. What I like about that is that the film – particularly the story – does not try to be more than it is; in other words, it does not pretend to be artsy or have too deep a meaning, but is out there for the fun of it, as well as getting experience for both first-time directors.

While the release is fun to watch, despite the somewhat depressing life of Matt, it is also worth sitting through the credits for a few reasons that I will not give away. Just ask yourself, “What hath Marvel started?!”

Fans of limited run special edition horror movies will have the opportunity to pre-order the film at the SRS Cinema’s Website (see eAddress above). The disc will include extras, such as a “Making Of” featurette, a commentary by the Director and Producers, the film’s trailer, and a host of other SRS trailers.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Painkillers

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2019

Images from the Internet

 

                                                               

Painkillers

Directed by Roxy Shih

Kew Media Group / Title Media / Lone Suspect

83 minutes, 2019

https://kewmedia.com/film/catalogue/new/

www.facebook.com/painkillersmovie2019/

 

How deep is your emotional pain? Does it turn into something physical? While this theme was used in David Cronenberg’s The Brood (1979), here it takes a deeper, yet also bloody turn.

 

Adam Huss

In the prologue, Misha Barton has “Drew Barrymore” cameo, shared with the great Maria Olsen who steals the scene, of course. After that we get introduced to the main characters, and their issues. After a tragic loss, surgeon John (Adam Huss) has to not only readjust to life with his wife, Chloe (Madeline Zima), but he now finds he is in constant physical pain. Apparently, the only temporary cure for this agony is to drink fresh blood. No, he’s not a vampire in the classic sense, and why blood affects him this way is never really addressed, but it is taken on face value. I’m okay with that, as it’s a genre film.

 

The other two main characters are John’s boss at the hospital, Gail (Debra Wilson, of “MADtv”), and Herb (Grant Bowler), who is in a similar situation as John but has nefarious ends in mind (not hard to figure that out within one minute of his introduction).

 

Madeline Zima

There are two positions that the film posits: first, will John reset his moral compass to obtain the fresh blood needed to ease his pain. As his body shakes in agony, he becomes distant from Chloe, who is also dealing with the same tragedy as John that started the whole blood thing, but she feels like she’s doing it on her own. This second, human emotional touch is different than most genre films, in that it lets the drama be more inclusive to those around the main character, something you don’t see very often.

 

There is some blood and squeamish knife cuttings here and there, but generally, this is more a dramatic story of a man and his family/friends struggling with some of the same issues in both direct and indirect ways. Because of this the pacing is a bit slow, but the tension definitely builds as the film rolls on.

 

One of the smart side-topics is the whole “Dexter” vigilante motif, when discussing the sources of the elixir of life. I can see a bunch of friends getting together after a viewing and having a “what would you do?” conversation about actions taken by the characters, perhaps over a game of Scruples.

 

Debra Wilson

The acting is top notch, with all the leads turning in solid performances, though Bowler’s character is too easy to read too early in the story, even if the means and motivations are not yet present.

 

I would be tempted call this more of a thriller than horror, even with the blood drinking, as it’s easy to substitute the cravings for blood to other addictions, especially in the medical field, and there is some play with that in the story. Again, this is a smart move.

 

Despite the high angst level throughout, there is a feeling of trying to balance a life or lives with a new normal. Taiwanese director Roxy Shih shows compassion for her characters, though I found the ending a bit unrealistic (no spoiler alerts). For only a second feature, she has done an admirable job.