Beautiful Mandy Lane isn't a party girl but, when classmate Chloe invites the Texas high school student to a bash in the countryside, she reluctantly accepts. After hitching a ride with a vaguely scary older man, the teens arrive at their destination. Partying ensues, and Mandy's close pal, Emmet, keeps a watchful eye on the young males making a play for Mandy. Then two of the students are murdered.
There's a slightly nasty twist to some of the violence, with an air of school shooter menace ultimately creeping in as the group's tormentor is revealed.
– Nicolas Rapold,
New York Times,
11 Oct 2013
rotten:
While some of the kills are sufficiently clever and gnarly, "Mandy Lane" is never particularly frightening. And the twist at the end raises the wee issue of character motivation-or lack thereof.
– Christy Lemire,
RogerEbert.com,
11 Oct 2013
fresh:
"Mandy" is a sturdy little slasher film, nothing more.
– Bill Goodykoontz,
Arizona Republic,
17 Oct 2013
rotten:
Levine has fun with the genre, but he's found more interesting movies to make since. "Mandy" isn't quite dandy, but it's a cut above average.
– Tom Long,
Detroit News,
18 Oct 2013
fresh:
Too dumb for the arthouse, but too smart for the mall multiplex, the movie satisfies, paradoxically, precisely because it doesn't deliver on expectations.