It should be the best party of the year: Karmapalooza, a massive music festival. When a group of college friends score tickets to the event, they set out on a road trip, packed into a minivan stashed with all the booze and weed they need. But a vehicular mishap forces them to spend the night inside an isolated Airbnb, which seems cool enough — after all, where better to party hard than in someone else’s house? Not so fast. Being stuck indoors together causes their internal rifts and shared past to surface. Even worse, an uninvited guest joins the party and decides they need to pay for their transgressions by murdering them in extremely gory ways tied to their specific sins. 

Full of energy and sharp, biting personality, AMFAD injects a heavy dose of blood red, cannabis-flavored bubblegum into slasher horror. Directed by Saw franchise veteran Marcus Dunstan, this playful whodunit utilizes the classic franchise’s kinetic energy and brutality while mixing in giallo-minded visual flourishes and a wicked sense of humor. Led by a vibrant and young cast, including Jade Pettyjohn and Jojo Siwa, it’s a killer cinematic party.––Matt Barone

Marcus Dunstan