All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006)

Just so everyone knows the UK Blu-Ray Is All Region,and can be played on US players.

*This does contain minor spoilers*

Mandy Lane has apparently become the most desirable girl in high school over the summer. She's definitely not like the other girls her age though. While every guy wants to do everything imaginable to her, she's turned them all down. The only guy she really gives the time of day is her best friend, Emmet. That is until a certain incident at a pool party comes between them. Now nine months later, Mandy has distanced herself from Emmet and has a group of new friends. These friends have decided to invite Mandy to a ranch out in the middle of nowhere for a few days and the guys who tag along hope to accomplish what, up to this point, has been impossible. It turns out to not all be fun and games though. When people start turning up missing, they soon realize that they're not alone and someone is taking their obsession with Mandy Lane a little too far.

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane is an interesting film, to say the least. It makes you wait a bit before the actual "horror" comes into play. In fact, the first forty minutes or so are basically filled with high school shenanigans. A bunch of kids drinking, doing drugs, having sex, and just things they're not supposed to. While the last half of the film, is pure horror. It kind of teases you at first. It gives you a little taste and then goes right back into high school mode, but after that things just start to snowball until it's just beautifully horrific in every scene.

The film is shot beautifully. For an indie film, it looks incredible. That's not to say other indie films look like garbage or anything. Mandy Lane just has vibrant colors that seem to jump off the screen. One of the things that caught my eye is the way certain scenes were shot. Unique perspectives, shots overlapping others to look like something else, the way objects in front of the camera go in and out of focus, etc. Scenes like when Bird goes to start the generator after the power goes out, Bird confronting the killer, and the car chase with Chloe being chased by the killer in her car are a few examples. It just seemed like something that was worth mentioning as you don't see too many shots, scenes, or anything in films anymore(especially horror) that you can call unique.

I think Michael Welch deserves a nod for his acting in this. It was pretty exceptional. I'd really only seen him in the Day of the Dead remake, which was awful on every level. His performance in this overshadows his performance in Day any way you look at it. His portrayal of Emmet in this in the closing moments of the film are what caught my eye. I mean, you truly believe he's psychotic. It'll definitely make me keep an eye on him with his future projects.

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane isn't your average slasher film and that's its biggest strength as it brings something fresh to the table. As I mentioned before, it takes awhile for the ball to get rolling in the horror department. If you're patient though, things do wind up paying off. If you could hold off for Wolf Creek to pick up, then I think you'll be in the clear for this. You can probably guess who the killer is within the first few minutes of the film, but the way things unfold are where the film shines. This is worth seeing for the ending alone as while it does reveal why the killer is doing what they're doing and things of that nature, it leaves a lot of things open ended. While that can either be a sink or swim kind of situation, I think it works well this time around. Mandy Lane isn't the most original horror film to come out in decades or anything, but if every horror film from now on had as much originality as this film does...then there might be hope for horror films yet.

Rating: 7/10

Buy All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006) Now

It's a crime that is this film isn't available in the US. It's head and shoulders above the usual tripe in this genre. A smart, subtle take on the slasher film with well-drawn characters and excellent cinematography and direction. See it now, any way you can!

Read Best Reviews of All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006) Here

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane is a movie with a checkered past. As legend has it, Mandy Lane was picked up by the Weinsteins and thrown on a shelf to rot. Theories abound as to why, but the presumption was that a shotgun wielding teen killer was a little too Columbine for the Weinsteins to market, schedule and release. Aside from some festival screenings Mandy Lane has never seen the light of day in the US. Thankfully here in Australia, and in the UK, Mandy suddenly arrived out of nowhere on DVD to little fanfare. Shame, Shame. This film is a rare antidote to almost every teen horror, by essentially not being a horror film at all. Maybe its an overstatement to call Mandy a drama, but she's definitely a thriller and a genuine critique of the modern teen, prone to ugliness and violence wrapped in smooth skin, blonde hair and a tan. Often these teen horrors, of which there are SO many, purport to be 'saying something' about the teen culture exhibited but actually don't and instead use the hot bods to lure in a teen audience negating the chance to make them look at themselves and possibly even consider, hey maybe I deserve to be hatched up by a slasher. Again, this is what may have made the Weinsteins cautious of Mandy, teen retribution at the end of a shotgun it is a terrifyingly REAL scenario. And here in lays a contradiction about Mandy Lane you can see the ending coming a mile off, however, instead of being disappointed, you so hope you are right. Amber Heard as Mandy does a good job with a difficult role, Mandy is not a cut and dry kinda gal. The supporting players also keep it real, no over acting in the stoner scenes. You get a sense that these actors know what it's like, no 'Whoa man' moments. It's to the credit of director Jonathan Levine for keeping it real, he's not a horror director, going on to make The Wackness (2008) and it shows, all for the good of his film. One last positive is the film's use of music. No metal here, 60's teen idols instead, more evidence that Levine is blissfully unaware of teen horror trappings.

Want All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006) Discount?

I watched the region 2 dvd I purchased via Amazon UK ($16 US including shipping) and received it in about a week (South East Florida). The movie starts slow but is very good and has an excellent ending. Amber Herd is the perfect Mandy.

Save 73% Off