Unfriended

Many people may scoff at the idea and premise of this film. In fact, during recent months, I've heard people do just that when they see its trailer in the theaters.

Unfriended is a horror film through the eyes of social media. Facebook, YouTube, Skype, Google, etc. are all featured here as tools to move the story along and freak the audience out.

Personally, I've been quietly excited for this one because it looked really fresh and original, and signifying the times that current teenagers live in. As a 25 year old, I still use many of the same social media outlets and can relate to their uses...although I'm guessing for the older generations that this film would warrant a "bah humbug".

In the realm of the horror genre, which I've surprisingly now seen two films in this year (the excellent It Follows and three if you count the travesty that is Hot Tub Time Machine 2) which must be some type of record for me, uniqueness and originality are incredibly hard to come by. It's part of the reason why I don't venture into the genre all that much. So suffice it to say, when I saw an entirely social media-based horror film on the horizon, I didn't scoff, I rejoiced.

In the end, my excitement was probably a little too high, fed by some highly positive reviews that I read, and I feel as if Unfriended was a bit of a let down. I enjoyed most of my time in the theater with it, although I would never need to see it again, and truth be told, some of the predictable pitfalls of having it happen on a computer monitor dulled the intensity a bit.

Seriously? That's what you're going to name your YouTube video?
"Urself" isn't even spelled correctly? Gees!

Do none of them have homework? Or parents
at home?

Unfriended certainly gets points for originality and for trying. It's truly like nothing else you've ever seen before in theaters and the familiarity of it all is what sincerely haunted me after leaving he theater. Just navigating around my computer to find images on Google, and check my Facebook afterwards had an eerie sense attached to the actions. Granted, I'm sure that will go away, but it's an odd (kind of fun) feeling that I still can't shake as I write this. That's the lasting effect of some creepy horror. The whole premise is executed well and I was actually pretty impressed with how well the movie conveyed its story through characters IM-ing one another, watching videos, etc. (including a revealing game of Never Have I Ever). Most of the social media outlets are represented well, and feel like genuine extensions of the real thing, not to mention the character interactions, complete with emojis and shortened abbreviations, help to make it seem more realistic. And, like classic Skype, the so-so/in-and-out connection is effective, although I would say it's used a little too much, especially near the end. The story itself is simple: this group of friends is being haunted by a girl that committed suicide a year ago and they had a part in her humiliation. Despite the clear fantasy nature of the premise, it's a strong reminder for today's teens that what is posted online lives online forever and in this age of cyber bullying, it acts as a scare tactic to warn kids away from participating (although never truthfully takes a huge stance on the matter).

The thing about Unfriended is that it's just not all that scary, outside of the aforementioned slight creepiness. Many of its "jump" scares are dulled by everything else that's going on in the frame and despite some disturbing sequences of violence, there isn't much that's horrifying here. Unless we are supposed to believe that a Skype/Facebook IM of "You're going to die." is terrifying. Creepy sure, but it's not going to make me wet my pants. At first I really thought, "Hey that movie did about as much as it could, given the premise." but the more I think about it, it feels like there were some missed opportunities for scares, especially given that they had the whole computer screen to work with. Also, many of the parts that could have been much scarier are numbed by a buffering wheel. I get the technique they were trying to do, but the buffer wheel became so predictable and attached to: "get ready to jump", that it lost its effectiveness. There are certainly moments where it is scary, and one death in particular was especially horrifying, but in general the film is not nearly as fingers-gripping-armrests-scary as it advertises.

You soon come to find out that these kids are pretty terrible people

Unfriended is an exciting movie-going experiment. I'd consider it a success, all things considered, as it felt refreshing and new, which is something that happens rarer than I would like it to at the movies these days. It may not live up to all its promises, or maybe just not the level that I was holding it to pre-viewing, but for a genre so over crowded with the same ol', same ol' Unfriended is something to witness.

It won't keep you up at night by any means, but it may have you thinking twice about clicking the red "x" to close out a window.

CONS:

• Not as scary as one would hope...mainly due to the format of occurring completely on a computer screen
• Despite how good of a scene it is, the Never Have I Ever game goes on entirely too long
• Some missed opportunities for scares and the buffer wheel begins to be way too strong of a foreshadowing technique
• I'm usually one of the most forgiving people when it comes to logic but honestly, where were all of these kids' parents?
• Facebook representation is a little inaccurate. I don't think that seconds after posting a video or picture you would have 20+ people (who are apparently your friends, mind you) telling you to kill yourself
• If Claire (main character) knew how to use Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, and Alt+Tab, the movie would have been 30 minutes shorter (ok maybe not that much shorter, but you get the point)
• Skype video lag is overused

PROS:

• Feels really genuine from the way characters communicate, what windows/programs they have open, how they control the mouse, etc. It feels like you're truly watching it on one of their computers
• I found it amusing that this was all happening on a Mac. I imagine Apple fanboys are screaming "blasphemy!"
• Pretty accurate portrayal of online culture and teenage culture via their online presence. Again, it feels genuine
• Does a solid job at revealing the story through various techniques. The Never Have I Ever scene was a highlight
• Despite not weighing in much on the subject, it's a good moral story about cyber bullying and what gets posted to the internet
• A really grand concept, to enact a movie out entirely through social media, but the film gets huge points for trying something new and doing a decently good job at it
• It's mostly creepy, with a few good scares, and a couple disturbing deaths
• A solid one-time view that I don't regret at all. It's a trip to the theater that is very unique

Rath's Review Score: 7/10