Movie Notes: 'Unfriended' (2014) Will Creep You Online
I approached "Unfriended" with the weary skepticism that greets most found-footage horror films these days, particularly one that originally bore the cringe-worthy title "Cybernatural." How wonderful, then, to discover a film that transforms our daily digital lives into a canvas for genuine terror.
The movie unfolds entirely on a computer screen – a bold formal choice that could have been merely gimmicky but instead proves ingeniously effective. We watch as six teenagers, led by our protagonist Blaire, navigate the familiar territory of Skype calls and Facebook messages, their casual evening disrupted by an uninvited guest lurking in their chat room under the username "billie227."
What follows is a masterclass in digital-age tension. The teenagers, displaying that peculiar mix of tech-savvy confidence and adolescent vulnerability, initially dismiss the intruder as a mere glitch in the system. But then comes the gut punch: Blaire begins receiving messages from Laura, a classmate who took her own life exactly one year ago after suffering the cruel humiliation of a viral video. The irony is exquisite and terrible – the same digital platforms that facilitated Laura's public shame now become instruments of retribution.
The film understands something fundamental about modern life: that our computer screens have become portals to both connection and destruction, intimacy and alienation. In an age where we increasingly live our lives through pixels and keystrokes, "Unfriended" asks: what ghosts lurk in our machines, and what price do we pay for our casual cruelties in the digital age?
In a moment of fleeting victory, Ken manages to banish Laura from their midst - but like all horror movie antagonists worth their salt, she returns with the inevitability of nightfall. The scene where Ken's hand drifts toward the kitchen blender speaks volumes without a word; it's the universal gesture of someone who knows they're trapped.
What follows is a perverse inversion of that collegiate drinking game "Never Have I Ever," transformed here from innocent revelry into an instrument of revenge. Laura presides over this deadly parlor game like a vengeful goddess, extracting confessions that become death sentences. One by one, as past transgressions against her surface, the players meet their ends. The film builds its horror not from jump scares or gore, but from the crushing realization that these characters sealed their fates long ago, in moments of casual cruelty they thought nothing of at the time.
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| Pabebe Wave from Unfriended. |
Like most footage films sin
Like its spiritual ancestor "The Blair Witch Project," this film derives its terror not from elaborate special effects or traditional jump scares, but from something far more primal: the claustrophobic intimacy of handheld footage and the grainy authenticity of digital imperfection. When every frame looks like something that could have been captured on your own device, the barrier between fiction and reality becomes unsettlingly thin. The monster, whatever it may be, feels as though it could reach through your screen at any moment.
What's clever here is how the filmmakers have repurposed our daily digital landscape - the familiar territory of social media and smartphones - into something sinister. It's a welcome refresh of a subgenre that had grown tired and predictable (yes, I'm looking at you, "Paranormal Activity" franchise). Yet despite these innovative touches, the film never quite transcends its modest ambitions.
Two stars out of five.
For movie information visit Unfriended post at Cinemunch
This movie is available on available on Amazon - Unfriended or watch it on iTunes - Unfriended (2014) - Leo Gabriadze
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This is a part of Fright Cinema 2015, a list of the best horror movies handpicked in no particular order by The Wandering Klutz. It features ten (10) films every year just in time for the scariest season of the year.
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