WFG RATING: A-

An Alsym Films production. Directed by Thomas Angeletti. Produced by Maya Ahmed, Thomas Angeletti, Alex Johnson, Robert Morris, and  Kevin Rife. Written by Jared Richard Acker, Thomas Angeletti, and Paige Hoover. Cinematography by Thomas Angeletti and Tyler Ronk. Edited by Thomas Angeletti and Jared Richard Acker.

Stars Ashlee Lawhorn, Colleen O’Morrow, Mark Murtha, Paige Hoover, Julie Carney, Timothy J. Cox,  Kevin Rife, and Christy Carson.

A group of friends have a party like no other in this horror short from director Thomas Angeletti.

In 1957, at a local farmhouse, the matriarch of a family went crazy and she ended up killing her husband and kids with no remorse before ending her own life. Flash forward 30 years later. A group of friends hear about the now abandoned farmhouse and decide to hold a massive house party. As the party begins to rage on, the friends soon learn that this will be a night they will never forget. 

From the synopsis, one would think this would be about a ghost terrorizing a house party, especially from the cold opening set three decades earlier. The film is reminiscent of a film released in 1986, a little B-movie called Killer Party. Perhaps the film can be seen as homage to that film with its tale of a group of friends having a house party in an abandoned farmhouse where a series of murders took place. 

The cast of the film is great in this, notably Ashlee Lawhorn as the innocent Cassandra and Paige Hoover as Lisa, who serves as a ringleader of the group of friends and comes up with the idea of the party at the farmhouse. The flashback scene has some great performances by Julie Carney as the crazy mom who goes psycho while Timothy J. Cox plays her husband. The set-up is quite fun and makes the most of its low budget, even when we start seeing history repeat itself in a way.

What’s even better is that the film doesn’t suffer, if any, from any ridiculous CGI. Going with the practical, it feels like had the film was made in the period it’s set, it would be considered an instant cult classic and for 2024, this could be a true statement to this day.

Friends Forever is a must-see for those who love 80s horror, especially the B-movie era of that genre with its performances and pretty good kill scenes.