Fresh off the success of the Netflix hit Find Me Falling, Ali Fumiko Whitney is taking on the horror genre with All My Friends are Dead.
A Netflix original romantic comedy, Find Me Falling—in which Whitney stars opposite Harry Connick Jr. and Agni Scott—has been the No. 1 movie on the streamer’s Global Top 10 Movies chart since it debuted on July 19.
Also known as #AMFAD, All My Friends are Dead opens in select theaters Friday and is available for purchase or rent on digital streaming via premium video on demand.
“The premise is we’re a bunch of college friends going to a music festival and we get stranded and have to detour and stay at an Airbnb,” Whitney told me in a recent Zoom conversation. “One by one, we begin to get killed off by a slasher that we have a surprise connection to. We’re each supposed to get killed based upon the seventh deadly sin that we represent within the group.”
The cast for All My Friends are Dead includes Jojo Siwa and Jade Pettyjohn. Whitney plays Liv, who she describes as “an insecure, wannabe influencer with a heart of gold who really just wants everyone to like her. She is willing to do whatever it takes to get to the top—and that ends up getting her in a lot of trouble.”
While All My Friends are Dead is classified as a horror movie, Whitney said it has a lighthearted Scream movie vibe at times.
“It’s got some jump scares and it’s got a lot of gore, but I will say it’s a horror slasher film that really doesn’t take itself too seriously,” Whitney said. “It’s really fun.”
Whitney Says Squeamish People May Need To Close Their Eyes Watching #AMFAD
Ali Fumiko Whitney said while All My Friends are Dead has the same tone as Scream, viewers have to remember that Scream is a gory movie, too. One thing All My Friends are Dead isn’t is a parody of the horror movie classic, she noted.
“We’ve been getting a lot of comparisons to Scream and some people said, “Is it like Scary Movie?” It’s not meant to be a parody but it is similar to Scream in that there’s just some really epic scenes where I think people who love slashers are going to be like, ‘Oh yeah, that was awesome!’” Whitney said.
And that awesomeness, of course, involves lots of blood, guts and gore.
“For people who get squeamish and don’t like gore, I’ll say just close your eyes during those parts because it’s not the main focus of the film until maybe the end,” Whitney said.
However, Whitney pointed out, if her mom can stomach all the gore in the movie, she’s confident viewers will be able to as well.
“Listen, my mom sat through it when it premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and I don’t think she’s ever watched a horror movie in her life,” Whitney enthused. “She was able to keep her eyes open throughout the whole film and it was a lot of fun.”
All My Friends are Dead is playing in select theaters and is available for digital purchase or rental via premium video on demand.
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