The problem with the horror genre over the last few years is that it’s lacked an imagination, either with poorly made remakes of old classics or just dead dull storylines that make you yawn rather than scream or gasp in horror.
Well now I think someone has finally found something new that could turn this tired genre of film round and give it a fresh and relevant kick up the backside to make it worth taking the time in watching again.
Unfriended is about a group of teenage friends, on the anniversary of their friends suicide, experience the nightmare of all nightmares. It starts quite innocently with 6 friends all on a Skype video call to each other when a mysterious other sits quietly on their call, but no one knows who it is. As they try to disconnect the call and figure out who this mysterious caller is things take a turn for the worse as they start to aggravate it. One by one, they start to pay for their past misdemeanours as their nasty little secrets are revealed.
The whole film is actually set online, yes online. We only get to see each character either via the Skype video call or YouTube videos. At the same time we witness Facebook messages and Facebook and Instagram posts either between themselves, when they don’t want to others to see what they are typing, or by this unknown supernatural entity that has started to haunt them and post their dirty little secrets to the world. With the nature of the world we live in today were most of our youth (and let’s face it the older generation) spend most of their lives on social media and the internet in general instead of going out into the world to experience life, this makes this film extremely relevant and one that will speak and relate to a lot of people to a certain extent.
At first, as it slowly dawns on you this is going to be the style of the film throughout you may let your mind wonder but I say you need to give it a chance; I was exactly the same, but something about the whole set up started to become intriguing and you just can’t stop watching, it sucks you in and as the story unfolds it gives you some unexpected little twists you really didn’t see coming. This needs to be applauded as most of these films are just way too predictable.
You’re never going to get Oscar winning performances from these scream teen horrors and this one is no different, it’s slightly over-acted by a fairly unremarkable cast and there is just not enough character backgrounds to truly connect with anyone of them or to even make you care for those characters and what is happening to them but can we question have we ever had that from any horror movie?
Unfriended is a fresh, intriguing, can’t look away film which will make you jump, squirm and gasp. It may even make you question are you really safe online and who exactly knows your deep dark secrets? Let’s just hope no one has video evidence of your dark secrets.
Unfriended is released in cinemas 1st May.