All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006)★★★★☆

I realize there will come a day when I run out of horror movies that I really like, but luckily today is not that day. This isn’t my favorite (or even in my top ten), but it’s entertaining and a step above your standard teen slasher film.

I’ll admit that it took a while for Amber Heard to grow on me (I’m not sure whether it was Zombieland or Drive Angry that finally did it), but I was already her fan by the time I first saw this movie. Of course, had the US release not been delayed seven years I imagine I would have liked her much sooner, since she kills it as Mandy Lane (pun only mildly intended).

This movie overuses suspenseful background music and I could have done with fewer gratuitous boob shots (which is saying a lot, since I love gratuitous boob shots), but overall the acting is good, the story is original, and the dialogue reasonably believable. It was also not as predictable as I had expected it to be – it kept me guessing until the very end, which is rare for most films and even more rare for slasher films.

I liked that the artsy camera angles and lighting effects were used sparingly and mostly during scenes where the group is getting high or drunk, making the effect more immersive than distracting. I also really liked the understated opening title screen and the songs chosen for the soundtrack.

All in all, as it turns out, not only do all the boys love Mandy Lane, but I do too.