A bunch of overzealous college friends/social media influencers plan on having a debauchery-heavy weekend at an Airbnb until a killer starts targeting them according to the seven deadly sins from the Bible.
An overstuffed slasher comedy (but with some relevant satire). AMFAD belongs to the pantheon of teen slasher comedies, a subgenre that revamped the Scream franchise and could be seen in other contemporary projects like Bodies Bodies Bodies. Sadly, AMFAD doesn’t match the standards of these recent hits, as it’s primarily bogged down by some hammy acting and formulaic genre tropes. Following Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None template, each of the teenagers starts getting killed one by one. Memories of Se7en are also bound to pop up as the mysterious figure tracking them down styles themselves as the “Seven Deadly Sins” killer. It’s not a very unique premise but Josh Sims and Jessica Sarah Flaum’s screenplay does try to creatively include the sins as and when necessary. A subplot on Internet bullying and broken friendships also adds some depth. But by the end of it all, you’re left confused if you’re supposed to enjoy AMFAD as a stylish B-movie or an actual satire. Regardless, the found-footage style Tiktok-ization of the slasher genre still makes it an entertaining one-time watch.
A memorable lead with a hard-to-stand supporting cast. Jade Pettyjohn does most of the heavy lifting, leading the young ensemble, and her character’s morally grey motives do keep you intrigued till the very end. The Little Fires Everywhere actress has the makings of a badass scream queen, matching the likes of Jenna Ortega or Anya Taylor-Joy. Whether she’s crying in frustration or drawing a wicked smile, she does hold your attention. But in portraying a clique of attention-crazed, conventionally beautiful social media influencers, the rest of the cast indulges in some cringe-inducing tomfoolery. One can argue that being annoying is the point of their characters but even satire can be tastefully done without getting on the audience’s nerves. Dancer and media personality JoJo Siwa, who has a sizeable fanbase of her own, is also unfortunately wasted as a crowd-pulling name on the poster. While her character adds a serious dimension to the story, it also comes off as just an extended cameo.
Director Marcus Dunstan aces the hacking and slashing of it all. The writer of numerous Saw films and director of The Collector franchise, Dunstan is no stranger to the slasher genre. While AMFAD allows him to almost parody the over-the-top violence and gore he’s so accustomed to, the slasher comedy also has some creatively original kills. For the sake of spoilers, it’s best not to get into the grisly details. But once the annoying teenage banter of the protagonists comes to a standstill and the Seven Sins killer starts taking them down, an uncomfortable sadistic shock is bound to be felt after every kill. If you thought Saw needed a glammed-up teen influencer version, AMFAD might just be the film for you.
The satire in this blood-splattered take on attention-hungry influencers might not always work, but the creative kills make it engaging enough.
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