Unfriended Review

Director: Levan Gabriadze.

Cast: Heather Sossaman, Shelley Henning, Courtney Halverson, Moses Storm, Will Peltz, Renee Olstead, Jacob Wysocki

Certificate: 15

Running Time: 76 minutes

Synopsis: A group of friends share a Skype call on the anniversary of their friend’s suicide, only to be caught in a nightmare where secrets are exposed and the past returns to haunt them.

When a film like UNFRIENDED drops into multiplexes, we have to wonder if there is anything that can’t be turned into a film. Blumhouse don’t seem to think so, and with a track record of cheap and cheerful horrors under their belt, now they decide to lay on us what may very well be one of the gimickiest movies of all time. Gimick or not, it also happens to be a shockingly relevant and powerful horror film.

UNFRIENDED takes place completely on a character’s desktop. We see them click around their music selections, search for information, and access their social media sites. Thankfully the film uses real sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Chat Roulette. Had it gone for made up nonsense then it certainly wouldn’t speak to the audience as well as it does. We are soon thrown into a 6 way conversation on Skype, where the characters are surprised to see another, faceless, participant join their chat and claim to be their dead friend who committed suicide exactly one year ago after an online bullying campaign against her.

In its content and execution, UNFRIENDED perfectly captures the now. Online bullying is a huge issue, and the film perfectly shows how lives can seemingly be lived online. The script does well to keep the young participants online, and throws us through unsettling and jittery video calls, and clever typed messages. Seeing the lead character Blair (Henning) type something and then think again before sending it is a very 21st century form of humour.

The film is spectacularly immersive, and had me forgetting that the onscreen clock was not displaying the actual time, and also convincing me to move my arm as I wanted to take control of the screen and turn my attention away from some of the scarier moments. The Skype ringtone has always unsettled me, and now it is positively an instrument of horror.

Reportedly shot in a single take, with lots of improv, the connection between the characters and the performances themselves are brilliant. Even in the more over the top horror moments, the cast convey their characters over a webcam, more so than a lot of actors can with multiple camera set-ups. Best of all, the film really has a strong message. These ‘friends’ soon show their true colours as their lives unravel online. The internet has provided them a safe place for misdeeds, and it’s a lot of fun watching their safety net being torn from them, while also reminding us that the internet can be a dangerous tool.
UNFRIENDED gets everything right, with its punchy pacing and short running time forbidding boredom from settling in. For some, a film on a desktop will never be something they want to watch, and who can blame them? I know plenty of older people who have never spent more than an hour in front of a computer, let alone watching somebody else using one. UNFRIENDED is an unexpected terrifying success on all fronts. Socially relevant and engaging beyond belief, the simple set-up absolutely captures the isolated fear of cyber-socialising. UNFRIENDED is a horror that appeals to and chides recent generations while still focusing on being damn entertaining. Brilliant, brave, and chilling.

[usr=5]UNFRIENDED is released on 1st May.