KnotMissPriceless Why so much hype?

Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Derrick Gibbons An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

acidburn-10 I heard about this through an online review on YouTube which was very positive and given the fact that it was directed by one of my all-time fave scream queens Danielle Harris, who has entertained us for years with some brilliant turns in (Halloween 4, 5, Hatchet 2, 3 & Bloody Hatchet); even in crap she always does a decent turn. Now with her solo directional effort "Among Friends" that despite having almost no budget, she managed to turn in a very decent slasher movie.The plot focuses on a group of 20 something's who attend a murder mystery dinner party hosted by one of their friends, but things take a sudden turn for the worst when they are drugged and tied up and forced to watch all their past mistakes on hidden camera, and end up going through hell and torture by their twisted hostess as the night goes on.This is a very good movie, the set up is very interesting and the performances are also really good, it was nice to see everyone involved making an effort. The build up was pulled off effectively as we see at first the group having fun with the party games, then sitting down to the dinner table where the real fun is to be had, wasn't rushed it allowed us a decent amount of time to get to know the characters and the fact that everything mostly takes place in one room, never gets boring, in fact you never lose interest as each secret is unfolded, adds more suspense and drama.Okay there is one or two shortcomings to this, but that's mainly down to budgeting reasons, like firstly the movie doesn't have a great look to it, looks kinda cheap at times and the ending which was so annoying as we didn't get to see their fates and should have went on a bit longer. But besides that, it's still a great watch.Alyssa Lobit who plays the hostess Bernie does a stand up job, conveying true menace and authority to her twisted role, the fact that she also wrote the script shows she has definite talent. She loved every minute of it and it shows, you never know what's she gonna do next, which was thrilling and well and truly steals the show. Brianne Davis was also another standout; she was very funny, especially in her tripping out scene, where we get awesome cameos from Danielle Harris and Michael Biehn, which was awesome. Kamala Jones also gives a very noble turn as Sara , and also the cameo by Kane Hodder was also another fun moment in this.All in all a very decent flick that may lack scares, but doesn't lack fun.

TheContorted 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.

kylegaze36 Danielle Harris directorial debut was a great first film.I have followed Danielles entire career from the time she was a baby girl till now so obviously Im biased because she has a special place in my heart.This film is as true to people today as it can get .Lying,cheating,backstabbing you cant trust anyone even your best friends and when you watch this film it will show you what your friends can really think of you and the actions they will take without your knowledge.Going behind closed doors with hidden cameras best friends find out what they truly think of one another.After watching this film you'll really start to wonder what people actually think of you if your one of those people whom it matters to this will be a huge shock to your system.Me personally im just proud of my dear Danielle she is a beautiful girl and a wonderful director.

JvH48 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.