Unfriended (2014) Review – A Gimmicky but Relevant Screenlife Slasher
Unfriended: Quick Verdict
The Verdict: A flawed but fascinating pioneer of the screenlife genre that effectively taps into the anxieties of the digital age. Unfriended succeeds as a social commentary on the devastating impact of cyber-bullying, even if the supernatural delivery feels a little run-of-the-mill. While the characters are intentionally unlikable and the dialogue is often drowned out by incessant shouting, the film makes ingenious use of its desktop interface to drip-feed information and build a sense of voyeuristic intrigue. It is a 3 star experience that paved the way for more polished efforts like Searching and Host, offering a unique, if occasionally frustrating, viewing experience. Although the scares are fairly predictable and the camera glitches can be grating, the film remains an easy watch that doesn’t demand too much of the viewer. It functions as a decent, time-capsule slasher that perfectly captures the messy, vindictive nature of teenage online interactions.
Details: Director: Leo Gabriadze | Cast: Shelley Hennig, Renee Olstead, Will Peltz, Moses Storm | Runtime: 1h 23m | Release Date: 2014
Best for: Fans of found footage and screenlife horror, as well as viewers interested in social media morality plays and tech-based thrillers.
Worth noting: To maintain authenticity, the actors were filmed in separate rooms in a house, communicating with each other via actual Skype calls while being recorded.
Where to Watch: Amazon🛒, Netflix, Vudu
Rating: 3/5 Stars
(A decent entry into the screenlife sub-genre that manages to be engaging despite its annoying characters and predictable scares.)
Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are taking a look at another screenlife horror movie – Unfriended.
Highlights
Online bullying horror
Unfriended follows the story of a group of high school friends chatting on Skype. The group recently witnessed the suicide of a fellow classmate. After an embarrassing video of her made its way to the internet, Laura Barns suffered relentless bullying, resulting in her taking her own life.
“Unfriended follows the story of a group of high school friends chatting on Skype. The group recently witnessed the suicide of a classmate after an embarrassing video led to relentless bullying.”
Since then, classmates and friends have been mourning her. While on a video chat, Bailey and her friends are repeatedly harassed over the period of a few hours by an unknown stranger. Could it have something to do with Laura? The group are soon to find out.
Much like the very similar horror Host from 2020, Unfriended is a fairly self-contained story taking place over one night with the friend group attempting to discover the identity of their chat’s intruder. At times it feels like a point and click mystery crime game.
Presenting clues and video clips to link the story together, establishing the framework of a story early, only to add layer upon layer as time goes on. Unfriended is a product of the limitations of the medium, however. Something that most screenlife horror movies tend to fall foul of. There are only so many ways to build on the story and only so many ways to create scares.
Screenlife specific issues
The medium itself is both a help and a hindrance to Unfriended. It isn’t at the core of the movie’s problems, though. That comes down to bland writing and a slightly boring story. A rather unlikable cast of characters spend a great deal of time bickering. While this goes on, we see instant messenger conversations, search engine queries and social media chats. A mysterious entity interferes with the group’s devices, interjecting into conversations and manipulating microphones like a master hacker.
Despite the novelty of it all, screenlife horror does come with its own set of issue. The presentation can get old pretty quickly and everything can start to feel a bit stale. Despite these criticisms, this is the main gimmick of what is, an otherwise, fairly bland horror. The lesser seen style of portraying events does offer some novelty and helps keep you engaged. The use of messages and web searches as story exposition works well and private instant messages between characters offers a sense of intrigue.
“The presentation can get old pretty quickly and everything can start to feel a bit stale. Despite these criticisms, this is the main gimmick of what is an otherwise fairly bland horror.”
The slow drip-feeding of information helps the story flow nicely. The rapidly degrading nature of the group’s relationship ups the tension and the fact that the group are so unlikable ends up fitting the story quite well. If nothing else, Unfriended doesn’t feel overly familiar as so many horror movies do. Still it does have a lot of issues.
Lots of issues
Unfriended is run of the mill stuff. The story is played out and you have seen this all before. It is predictable and keen to play to type. Characters are annoying, conversations are frustrating, there are plot holes everywhere and nothing makes a lot of sense. For all of its praiseworthy elements, it just doesn’t bring much new to the table. There are never any moments of serious suspense, the cast are far too unlikable to buy into their situations and they are clichéd to an almost ridiculous degree. They react how you might expect and there are no surprises.
Scares are non-existent, kills feel cheap and a bit silly and the film spends far too much time setting the scene. Scenes where the group’s relationship starts to really come apart are fun. A drinking game played during the middle sends everything into chaos offering some genuinely decent moments of story exposition. Only for the movie to then fizzle out rather anti-climactically.
It’s a bit disappointing. Whereas one might be tempted to blame the screenlife style, as mentioned above, I actually think it benefits the movie. Screenlife horror can be very effective; I mean, just look at Searching and The Collingswood Story. Unfriended is just a bit of an average movie. For everywhere it deserves praise, there is an equal area that it deserves criticism. That doesn’t take away from the fact that this is a fairly easy watch, though. It isn’t too demanding and might just scratch an itch for something different.
Decent acting but poor editing
Acting is fine. There is distinct sense that the actors here were supposed to improvise; likely given bullet points and told to react as they see fit. Shelley Hennig carries most of the drama as Blaire. She does a really decent job and is convincing. I really enjoyed Renee Olstead’s performance as Jess; her moments of fear and panic are extremely believable. It’s fun to watch her realistic and well-timed reactions to what is happening.
“Its story feels relevant, even more so today, focusing on themes of bullying and online harassment. Its lesser-used approach to horror still feels interesting and quirky.”
Will Peltz, as Adam, is a bit over the top. I think much of this is down to his character type, though. Moses Storm, as Mitch, is fine for the most part. Jacob Wysocki doesn’t have a tremendous amount to work with as his character is little more than a stereotype. He does okay, though.
Pacing is a bit mixed. The movie starts off very slowly but it really picks up toward the end before sagging again in the final ten minutes. There are some goofs here and there. All fairly noticeable and showing a distinct lack of care in production and editing — something that is all the more noteworthy given how easy this movie would be to edit.
Camera quality is a big problem. Cameras glitch out constantly and it is tremendously annoying. Obviously it is deliberate but I hated it. Sound is another issue; you are constantly being bombarded by noise. Mainly due to people shouting all the damn time. It doesn’t add anything to the film other than annoyance.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good
- The Medium: Using a computer screen as the canvas allows for clever storytelling through web searches and IM chats that feel authentic to the setting.
- Renee Olstead: Delivers a standout performance, capturing a sense of genuine panic and fear that anchors the second half of the film.
- Relevant Themes: The focus on the real-world consequences of cyber-bullying and digital footprints provides a weighty backbone to the horror.
The Bad
- Abrasive Characters: The group is so consistently unlikable and loud that it can be a chore to spend eighty minutes in their company.
- Predictable Slasher Beats: Once the supernatural element is revealed, the film follows a very standard path with few genuine surprises.
- Glitch Aesthetic: The deliberate camera glitches and “bad connection” visual effects are used so frequently they become a major annoyance.
The Ugly: The Audio Assault. The final act is a chaotic cacophony of overlapping shouting and static noise that prioritises volume over actual suspense.
Should You Watch Unfriended?
Yes, it is worth a watch as a 3 star curiosity of its time. While it isn’t as polished or as scary as later screenlife successes, it has a certain nostalgic charm for those who remember the early days of social media horror. If you can handle the abrasive characters, you will find a decent little thriller that makes for a perfect, undemanding double-bill with its superior sequel.
Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight
Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.
A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.
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