All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006) User Reviews

All the boys love Mandy Lane. But why?

[andrabem · 5/10 · 20 September 2008]

Before renting "All the boys love Mandy Lane", I saw its trailer in the YouTube to check it out. Good cameras, interesting story and there were some good reviews in IMDb. Well, maybe I was in for a surprise. You never know. So I took the risk and rented the film. But in the first moments of the film, I noticed that this one was not different at all - it was just another brick in the wall.

To begin with, apart from the differences of sex and looks there's nothing to really differentiate the characters in this film. Other films are able to provide simple characters (even if one-dimensional ones) with whom we can identify with. This film gives us a very superficial glimpse of the characters, their relationships, conflicts.. What we see in "All the boys love Mandy Lane" is just a bunch of stereotyped American teenagers like we've seen so many times before.

And how is Mandy Lane? Mandy Lane, as portrayed by Amber Heard, is just your typical high school girl. There are many girls like her - in any high school there are dozens of Mandy Lanes. Amber Heard has nothing really distinctive about her. She's pretty, that's all. Then, why do all the boys love Mandy Lane? This is a film, that's why.

That said, let's go to the film. As you well know, all the guys are mad about Mandy Lane. The boys (with the help of the girls) prepare a party. Mandy Lane is invited to this party. The party is to take place in an isolated ranch. No one had succeeded till now in scoring Mandy. The objective of this party is to ease things out. A girl in the group wants to make it with a guy, there are rivalries, frustrations, and last but not least, there's someone that loves Mandy so much that he/she is ready to kill for her. But make no mistake, anyone will guess from the beginning who the killer is, but prepare yourself for a wild twist that will put everything upside down.

If the script had managed to give us flesh and body characters and describe in more detail the relationship among the characters (their emotions, their conflicts...), this film could have been a memorable slasher teen flick. Had the film been done in the right way, there would be in it a growing sense of fear, of encirclement. Conflicts, fights, suspicion, and death advancing on and on.. outside just the empty fields... but the film is unable to build up the suspense.

"All the boys love Mandy Lane" is just a passable entertainment and nothing more. If you want to see a film with more substance try "High Tension" (Haute Tension), a very good french slasher flick.

A Decent Slasher Film

[Uriah43 · 6/10 · 31 January 2014]

"Mandy Lane" (Amber Heard) is the most beautiful and desired person at her high school and all of the guys lust after her. But while she is nice to everyone she only has one person she considers a friend and he is the social outcast named "Emmet" (Michael Welch). Then one day she surprisingly accepts an invitation to go to a pool party at the house of another student named "Dylan" (Adam Powell) with one provision-that Emmet is allowed to go too. Since Dylan is obsessed with Mandy he reluctantly agrees. Once there Dylan tries to get Mandy to take off her clothes and Emmet interferes. Dylan punches Emmet who then goes onto the roof to get away from the crowd. Eventually Dylan goes up to the roof to try to get Emmet down. Since Dylan is quite drunk Emmet convinces him that Mandy would be very impressed if he jumped from the roof into the pool. Dylan does and bangs his head on the concrete which kills him instantly. Everybody, including Mandy, rightfully blames Emmet. Because of this Mandy decides to start hanging out with some of the more popular students and eventually accepts a weekend invitation out in the country with 3 guys and 2 other girls. What Mandy doesn't know is that the intent of the vacation is to drink and have sex and she is the primary target of the guys. But things begin to take a turn for the worse once they get out there. Anyway, rather than reveal the rest of the story and possibly ruin the film for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this was a decent slasher film for the most part. Although some scenes were definitely slow it had more depth than most films of this type. It also had 3 very attractive actresses in Whitney Able (as "Chloe"), Melissa Price ("Marlin") and the aforementioned Amber Heard. The ending is also quite wicked. All things considered then I rate this movie as slightly above average.

A Nutshell Review: All The Boys Love Mandy Lane

[DICK STEEL · 7/10 · 25 September 2008]

All the boys love Mandy Lane, and the way she is portrayed by Amber Heard, who wouldn't? She's blonde, she's demure, she's so hot that the camera in the movie's introduction to the character, lingered on her T&As. She's a fine athlete though we don't really get to know what kind of graaes she's getting. Every boy in school wants to talk to her, and every one of them wants to get into her pants, earning bragging rights to be the first amongst everyone else to have conquered probably the last bastion of virginity in school. People would do silly things like dying for her too.

In typical slasher flick formula, a group of students, Mandy included, organized themselves for a getaway in a secluded ranch, where a ranch hand Garth (Anson Mount) provides that element of question as to who amongst the group will be the hunter, and who will fall as prey. Like how the formula warns against decadent teenage lifestyles, such as the unwritten rules of having the non-virgin being dispatched first and the likes, you're constantly kept guessing as everyone in the group, save for our goody-two-shoes Mandy, get sloshed in a flood of sin, with the smoking of weed, snorting of coke, being highly sexually charged and active, and downing alcohol as if it was water.

It does take quite a while for the first person to fall, and you probably won't feel much for the characters that had to kick the bucket in the most violent of deaths, which get shown quite graphically, only to pull back at the last minute through visual tricks and edits the filmmakers use. But for slasher flick fans, it's a long ride to get to this stage, and frankly speaking given that the characters all don't appeal to you (i.e. you couldn't care less if they live or die), the movie does seem to coast along the tried and tested, until its last act.

Surprisingly, the narrative decided to reveal its boogeyman quite early on in the film, which provided some perplexing questions. Again for those familiar with the genre, there'll always be a thought niggling in your mind in disbelief that the plot would be so straight forward. Granted as mentioned, the payload comes at the finale, which I thought had two meanings, depending on which concept you subscribe to. First, following reality that the most perverse amongst us tend to be the one most disconnected, and second, punishment coming from someone who doesn't see eye to eye on immoral lifestyles, and want to put a deadly stop to it.

I did see the revelation coming, but for the longest time had decided not to believe my gut feeling in the hopes that it would develop into something that will genuinely blow my mind. It's not perfect, but it did have its moments with the following of recent trends in the slasher genre that bad guys don't have to necessarily finish last. Nothing fanciful here, but it still worked to a certain degree. And kudos to both the casting director in putting Amber Heard in the titular role, and for the actress to pull off one of the more memorable lead characters in such a genre flick.

When beautiful, mysterious and innocent Mandy Lane is invited by a couple of kids to an isolated ranch, the kids mysteriously disappear one by one.

[bakooi-1 · 6/10 · 30 May 2008]

A frustrating experience, because so many elements are just right. Amber Heard is absolutely perfect in the title role, with a well-balanced mix of class, innocence, beauty and a great sense of mystery, which is absolutely essential to this film. You always feel that there's more to her than meets the eye, and so the film does indeed succeed in holding your interest. Darren Genet's cinematography applies many subtle effects to create an atmosphere of wonder and suspense. A feeling which is strengthened by a soundtrack, consisting mostly of melancholic adaptations of sometimes almost unrecognizable classics.

As a psychological thriller this might have made a very effective movie, but unfortunately there is a pointless prologue which explains too much of what we are about to witness. 'Mandy Lane' gives the impression of an intelligent psychological drama, which the production company felt wouldn't be a commercial success, and was therefore turned into a rather mediocre - and minor - gorefest for the yahoo-crowd. This could have been - and probably should have been - one of this year's best films, but it's ruined by extreme violence and a rather silly finale.

Mandy laid ...

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 10 October 2007]

... that is how much the Boys love Mandy Lane. But of course this is not another teen ... I mean romantic movie. Nope this is a horror movie. A slasher to be precise. Now slashers do live with two premises: Either a great twist or original killings. In this case, you kinda have both.

At that is what makes this movie worthwhile watching. Of course it is aimed more at the teen/twen audience, but what slasher isn't. The really illogical things that do happen, stay at a minimum, which is a good thing and the actors fit the bill(their roles), no more, no less than that. If you don't like slashers at all, you should of course stay away from this movie!

Better than your average slasher-horror

[grantss · 6/10 · 31 December 2020]

Better than your average slasher-horror, which doesn't say much. Is a bit deeper than normal in that it has a serious drama angle, in that it tackles the subject of obsession. All this is secondary to the slasher theme, unfortunately. However, a good, unexpected twist at the end lifts this from mediocre to decent.

Really Didn't Want to Like It, But....

[lizaio1 · 6/10 · 10 July 2018]

I'll start off by saying the bar was set pretty low for this flick. While I love horror, slasher horror is one of my least favorite types. What made this film for me (along with several other reviewers) is the cinematography. It's a real visual treat - pretty in parts, gritty and terrifying in parts, with a "we're stuck in the middle of dry, dead earth" type of despair to it.

I didn't want to think Amber Heard did a good job. I don't think the role of Mandy Lane required much but a really beautiful girl (which she is), but her delivery and execution is spot on. Michael Welch held his own and all the supporting kids were believable.

When the killings start, it's pretty obvious who is doing it. The first murder is particularly brutal. The "twist" is not much of a twist, but it's well executed.

I had a lot of problems with the dialog, but then, I have a lot of problems listening to teenagers talk in real life. So I'm betting the dialog was pretty standard and not as cringe-worthy as I thought. I'm not familiar with the writer (Jacob Forman) and originally decided to watch this movie because I mistakenly thought Jonathan Levine wrote it. He directed it, but I like his writing (The Wackness, Warm Bodies).

Certain parts drag - I get that we need to build that droning, neverending party feeling but I wish there was a way to do that without a droning, neverending party. There is a lot of violence but it's....muffled. I don't know how else to describe it. It's effective because taking the edge out of it makes it seem more real.

If you like horror movies, you might like this. If you like slasher movies, you will probably like it.

Why doesn't IMDb have a Zero rating for trash like this?

[mhorg2018 · 1/10 · 1 October 2014]

For a while I wondered why this, made in 2006, took until 2013 to be seen. Because simply put, it's trash. Boring, over long, mostly poorly acted, I couldn't figure out why anyone would Love Mandy Lane. This doesn't work as a satire, it doesn't work as a slasher film, it just doesn't work. Poorly written and directed, with some very lame camera shots, there's a dearth of imagination and lack of decent effects in this. Nothing done is original in any way. The best part of it (and I think he should leave this of his resume) is Anson Mount (Cullen Bohannen from Hell on Wheels). This is just one terrible movie. I'm not going to recap the story because there may be someone out there who won't heed the warnings of those who suffered through this and may want to watch it anyone. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

Unique Take on the Slasher

[lord-of-the-lez · 7/10 · 23 July 2018]

This is a really nice, interesting, unique take on the slasher film genre. Most of the movie feels like a basic cookie-cutter slasher formula and the initial plot reveals are obvious, but the last 15 minutes of the film will give you all the twists and turns to make the prior slow, predictable plot completely worth it.

Also, the cinematography is gorgeous. This is one of the more beautiful slasher films I've seen. I also give kudos to the soundtrack and the acting.

If you want a slasher that combines familiar character archetypes and plot beats with a different spin in the end, I'd say give this a watch.

Mandy Lame

[Superunknovvn · 5/10 · 23 August 2008]

Yeah, I'll admit it. My headline is lamer than this movie could ever be. Truth be told, "All The Boys Love Mandy Lane" isn't a complete catastrophe. In fact it starts off quite promising. The cinematography is nice, the music and sound effects are effective and the characters are introduced and played well by the actors and actresses. Unfortunately, as soon as they arrive at the country house where the all the "horror" ensues the movie loses direction and gets boring.

Most of the time "Mandy Lane" seems like a nostalgic hymn to the wild and careless life of young people. That's all nice and dandy for a while but as the movie drags on and you're neither scared nor thrilled you start wondering what the point is. It's almost as if director Jonathan Levine had wanted to remake "The Virgin Suicides" with a few lame killings thrown in instead of suicides.

After a fairly acceptable twist the movie drags on even longer. It just won't end until it finally does, leaving you baffled as to whoever thought this would make a good ending. If it's true what a friend told me, that this script had been rewritten 18 (!) times, then, Jesus Christ, I don't wanna know what the first draft looked like. The result is unfortunate, since direction and cinematography are quite good, as mentioned above. With a better script this movie might actually have become something special. However, as it is "Mandy Lane" is an anti-climatic rehash of 80s slasher flicks that have been done before and better.

More bemusing than thrilling

[thekarmicnomad · 5/10 · 23 September 2008]

This film is definitely unusual. Not a lot really happens, there is a massive amount of time spent getting to know the characters and most of the action is condensed into the last half hour. I am all up for characterisation but there really isn't an awful lot to the characters, and they partake on a whole load of mundane yet embarrassing behaviour. For instance in one scene the girls are talking, one whips down her trousers to sit on the toilet and her friend starts ribbing her about her pubic hair. The film carries on in this general manner, although not graphic or titillating or offensive this snap shot into the lives of over-sexed American teens is just kind of embarrassing to watch (especially with relatives). The camera hovers at breast height for the majority of the film especially when Mandy is running or jumping which is great!, but again makes you feel a bit guilty you are watching so avidly (maybe it is an English thing).

The film gets plus points for...

Good production but not overly glossy.

The gore has been kept down but the murders still make you wince.

Stays inside the classic 90 minute barrier.

Keeps you guessing, you will work out the ending ahead of time but not before mixing it up with lots of other theories.

Over all it is an okay film, takes a while to heat up then burns out fast. No notable moments of horror genius, but no really terrible movie blunders either.

A solid horror, just don't expect too much.

A real surprise to the slasher genre

[dschmeding · 8/10 · 24 June 2008]

Wow, I didn't expect much from this movie considering that its story sounded pretty mediocre. But it didn't take long to realize that "All the boys love Mandy Lane" is far from the typical Slasher Movie and that is because its in all ways superior done... biggest plus is the stunning visuals and cinematography that captures you in a strange dreamlike feeling throughout the movie and is well supported by the use of music which is kind of cynical and used very little but effective. Seeing that this is the first feature film production of Producer Levine I have to lift my thumbs way up for this one! So what do you get... Mandy Lane is a beautiful but rather distanced girl and most boys in her school are after her. After a friend of her dares another guy who is after her to impress Mandy by jumping from a roof ending in a serious accident Mandy distances from him and gives in to join a couple of cool guys and girls on a weekend stay at a land house. You pretty much know whats coming when you got a bunch of teenagers in a house far from other people, so soon the first ones start to disappear. What makes this movie work is the in-depth depiction of the characters, most having their issues behind the mask they wear at high school. A big part of the movie seems to look into a rather bleak and cynical youth, making it seem like a modern high school version of "Stand by me" on acid that heavily mixes with Slashers like "Scream". If you are in for some serious slashing you don't get much but there is some scenes that are incredibly harsh not so much for the blood but rather for the cynical editing and use of stop-frames and music. After all you are in for 1-2 twists in the end and to me the movie leaves a lot to your own interpretation. But all this makes it enjoyable and different. Definitely give this movie a try because it would be a shame if it got lost in the masses of redundant slasher movies... if you got a little bored with the genre like me "All the boys love Mandy Lane" is a real gem.

Awful!!!

[flicklover · 1/10 · 4 November 2018]

I really didn't want to write a review of this film but I am so angry at the 90 minutes wasted that I had to. Let's see. As supposed slasher film with no likeable characters, no suspense, nothing. Quick plot: A group of high school kids go up to a ranch to have a good time along with Mandy Lane. A goody 2 shoes beautiful girl that every guy wants. Though she is beautiful, the character is not in any way likeable or relatable. In fact none of these kids are. The premise is typical, no complaints there, but the execution is horrible. And there is a supposed twist at the end that is so boneheadly predictable that it makes the film worse.

STAY AWAY AT ALL COSTS!

EVERYTHING FOR HER (Amber Heard)!!!!

[Fernando-Rodrigues · 6/10 · 13 June 2021]

Amber looks perfect here! Overall it's just a fun teen slasher movie with the same old clichés. It's also a little bit predictable and badly edited.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie

[lunytn · 7/10 · 21 October 2019]

I like a good horror movie and a good horror movie. In my opinion this is closer on the end of the good horror movie scale. This movie was everything I needed it to be.

A Nothing Movie

[mgraziano-21346 · 1/10 · 28 January 2017]

Crap. Crap. Crap... I love stupid shitty horror movies but this had nothing to it and was nothing but a waste of time! Not scary nor creepy.. no story line.. not gory.. just boring.. don't waste your time. The movie starts off with a silly accident then the main girl decides to find new friends. They are all hopeless.. not just in their personalities but also the acting.. none of the characters are very likable and all seem rather boring. The movie is slow.. it's at least 45 minutes before anything really happens and then is a slow and boring as well as uneventful finish.. Massive dislike... Have nothing good to say about this one.. there are way better silly slasher films out there that are actually worth your time.

Stylish delight for a first time director

[UniqueParticle · 9/10 · 26 April 2020]

Awesome independent film that succeeds in the horror genre at least in my eyes, very satisfying and fair twist involved. Jonathan Levine is a pretty good director for a few films plus in the last few years Amber Heard has done something unfortunate things despite that I still will enjoy some of the projects she was in. I love the soundtrack, cinematography, grotesque kills, and some of the clothes are great!

Ugh

[Quinoa1984 · 2/10 · 8 November 2014]

A critic once said this movie is a 'thinking man's slasher flick". Sure. If you've got a bag of rocks for a brain.

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane is ugly looking, terrible characters, and when it tries to get you invested, guess what, there's nothing there to invest, except the same tired clichés and even misogyny that I could detect with the title characters treatment. And just when it was bad it got unpleasant with the round of twists in the last ten minutes it just got worse. If only a shred of character development had happened, maybe it would have something. But its an Emperor Has No Clothes thing, it has an air that more is there than could ever possibly happen that works well; sad that somehow the guy that has had a solid track record so far (I should say later as the release was reversed): the Wackness and warm bodies and especially 50/50. How this was worthy of his time and effort, I mean, in terms of directorial style here it's like a poor man's Tony Scott... which is saying a LOT.

The seventies style is a plus but doesn't save the film from boredom

[The_Void · 5/10 · 28 February 2008]

I didn't go into this film with any real expectations - most of the reviews I'd read were good but as any veteran of this site will know, the first reviews submitted for any film don't tend to be very reliable! It turns out that is the case here too, as despite a couple of good ideas; this is nothing more than another tired teen slasher flick. In 2005, Australian horror flick Wolf Creek attempted to bring back a seventies Grindhouse style to the slasher movie, and this movie does too. Ironically, they both suffer from the same major problem - that being that it's far too long before something finally happens. As the title suggests, the main player here is a young girl called Mandy Lane who, believe it or not, is fancied by all the boys at her high school. Apparently, she suddenly got hot over the summer and the film starts out with a sequence that shows how far some of the male population will go to impress her. Some time after, some of the kids at this school are going for a party at a secluded ranch and they decide to invite Mandy along...and after a while; they start being picked off one by one.

It seems obvious that director Jonathan Levine was trying to make a movie in the seventies style, and for that reason it's a real shame that this wasn't better as I'm a big fan of the stuff that this takes influence from. The director packs the film with pop songs, which is OK; but it soon gets tired and he could have chosen better also. As mentioned, the film is far too slow; after the opening sequence, it seriously is about an hour before anything of interest happens and I was already turned off long before it got to the end. The cast is obviously made up of young actors and despite the fact that all the characters in the film are completely one dimensional; they do manage to put in good performances as an ensemble. Amber Heard is good enough in the lead role...though doesn't really stand out much which is a shame considering she is the lead, and the one that the film is all about. When the killings finally do happen, they're not bad and there's some gore on display. It all boils down to the token slasher twist - and it's not a good one. It can be seen coming a mile off and there's not a lot of justification for it either. Overall, I don't rate this film much at all - it's not a complete disaster, but not far off.

Predictable

[bruce-223-978395 · 2/10 · 18 October 2015]

The "twist" is very predictable. The ending will leave you feeling robbed. None of the characters are likable but you do not really hate them either. Pretty much do not care about any of them. Mandy Lane is hot for sure but I think "like" is a mis-characterization of how all the boys feel about her.

This is another one of those contemporary slasher flicks that ends on a very dark note. If you are looking for vindication or a sense of justice where monsters are defeated by the virtuousness watch Friday 13th or Halloween.

I believe that slasher films are analogous to a persons inner struggle to defeat the demons with in themselves. The residual rage that some of us care from our childhood. In most movies from this genre the protagonist defeats this darkness and finds freedom.

In this film the darkness wins and the observer is left trapped in his own self destructive motivations.

These are not spoilers but warnings to those like myself that enjoy a good slasher film because it renews are faith in the power of will!

Be warned!

Why not?

[basilakos26 · 7/10 · 28 August 2020]

Had a great time watching Mrs.Lane. A very descent twist.

GO MANDY!!!

I Like Mandy Lane Too

[Michael_Elliott · 4 January 2014]

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006)

*** (out of 4)

After a summer break, Mandy Lane (Amber Heard) returns to high school and has completely changed into a beautiful girl. This here has every guy in the school wanting her but she stays away from them. One weekend she accepts an invitation to a small party out on an isolated farm and soon people start being killed. ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE became "the" horror film that just couldn't be seen. After making the rounds of various festivals and getting very positive reviews, this wasn't enough to get it a release and it ended up taking seven years before it would get a limited theatrical release and eventual home video release. Why this film wasn't given a better shot is beyond me because it's certainly better than a lot of the horror films that have been released between 2006 and 2013 (the year this finally got out). This is certainly a throwback to those 80's horror films where there's a mysterious killer, teens being picked off one by one and of course there's always got to be a twist at the end. I thought the film did a very good job at paying homage to those early slashers and this one here managed to what the best of those did. For starters, the entire cast and characters are likable or at least perfectly worthy of meeting their end. You've got a couple creative kills. There's plenty of blood for those who enjoy that. There's some nudity to be had. Then there's the twist that I won't give away but I thought it worked. The actors all do good work and especially Heard who is just so right for this part that the viewer will fall in love with her just like the boys are falling in love with her character. I will say that the 2.35:1 ratio wasn't really needed as the scope is rarely used to good effect. Another slight problem with the film is that the killer is let out of the bag a bit too early even though it's pretty much who you're going to guess. ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE is one horror film that lives up to the good hype that surrounded it.

Bland Horror Flick that Recycles Old Cliches

[Jared_Andrews · 5/10 · 30 July 2018]

Famous for its circuitous route to a wide theater release (it made its film festival premiere in 2006 but didn't debut in theaters until 2013), 'Mandy Lane' became stale before it ever had a chance to be fresh.

It plays to the tropes of many classic horror films, such as, a mysterious killer stalking teens at a party, characters wandering off on their own only to be killed, characters dying after having sex, characters falling down while being chased, etc. The setting and gleaming shots lit by sunlight in the background are reminiscent of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.' While it's clear that these tropes of intentionally included, it's unclear what statement they are trying to make.

Are these moments of satirical self-awareness? Are they admiring homages? The film is either playing dumb, or perhaps it's just dumb.

I lean toward believing the latter because of how the filmmakers use Mandy Lane, who is, herself, a horror movie cliche-the American virgin, who is pursued but never caught by horny high school dudes or the killer.

She never becomes more than an idea. We hardly learn anything about her, about why all the boys love her, other than because she's attractive. I suppose that's enough for these teen boy doofuses.

Mandy's character remains partially formed, which might have worked fine if not for the reveal in the third act that doesn't wind up making any sense because there's zero exposition on the motivation. Nevertheless, Amber Heard is the quintessential surrogate for Mandy Lane. She looks the part and (mostly) acts it too.

The rest of the acting is atrocious. They actors certainly play exaggerated versions of dumb drunk high school kids, who are obsessed with sex and are startlingly mean to each other. This should be easy to pull off, but somehow none of it feels believable. The worst offenses occur when the characters transition between drunk/high to stone cold sober in seconds. One guy literally smokes weed for two hours straight and still manages to become instantly sober when needed.

There is also an abundance of continuity issues and logical flaws. The teens steal a keg from a dumpy gas station but drink bottles of beer throughout the night of partying. Plenty of other instances will become obvious when watching.

In addition to these other many flaws, the film's biggest issue is that it fails to ever be scary. Sure, its kills are gory and gruesome, but those moments are nothing but plainly gross. They're too straightforward to be scary. The killer plays a role in this boring, non-scary problem too-no one will remember this killer as the next Michael Myers.

Overall, this is a bland and generic teen horror film. It's suited for an audience that isn't playing close attention and won't question any of the many issues.

Not Bad, But Not As Good As People Are Saying...

[KALE808 · 6/10 · 25 February 2008]

If you were to believe the reviews here, you'd think this was an "Exorcist"-level horror movie. "Mandy Lane" isn't bad--as someone else noted, it's got above average cinematography, editing and directing--but the story is unremarkable, even with its twist ending.

The film has a self consciously cool feeling to it that keeps it from being truly immersive. Amber Heard is interesting on screen, but seems to be kind of one note.

I liked this movie, but nihilism and music video aesthetics do not a classic make. ("Devil in the Flesh" with Rose McGowan was just as good a movie (if not better) but just lacked the higher production values. McGowan was certainly more effective than Heard.)

Not a waste of money, but hardly the masterpiece the decent-horror-movie-starved reviewers are calling it here at IMDb.

Predictable, unoriginally raw slasher

[GTeixeira · 3/10 · 29 August 2013]

Another slasher copycat in the 'Friday the 13th' vein of teenagers doing drugs, alcohol, sex and other stereotypical things while a murderer is on the loose. Shy but hot Mandy Lane (Amber Heard) is the main character, and the setting is a friend's ranch where she and other friends are enjoying weekend.

There is little to say about this film, other than that it takes the raw formula of slashers and uses it without adding anything.

I mean, successful slashers always have something added into it. 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' had the killer attack through dreams; 'Scream' poked fun at the formula; 'Halloween' (the original, of course) made do with mood rather than gore. Even 'Friday the 13th' had a then uncommon twist.

'All the Boys Love Mandy Lane' has nothing that differentiates it from the slasher formula of teen stereotypes being killed off one by one. The killers identity and the final twist are very predictable, the acting is in the typical range of terrible to bland, and the visuals are in the ultra-gritty style from recent horrors, like 'Saw' or 'I Spit on your Grave', that seems to be taking over the genre.

The soundtrack, surprisingly, is very good. It does not follow the horror cliché of suspenseful music, nor does it have bad heavy music, but actually a very good, softer one that seems almost out of place.

Another plus is the beautiful female cast (championed by Amber Heard); slasher's females tend to serve as little more than eye candy for the male viewer, and this film more than excels in that aspect. It is the only thing that warrants a recommendation in this; maybe that is what was supposed to be its differential?