Review: ‘Unfriended’ breaks new ground in horror
Blaire (Shelley Hennig) and Mitch (Moses Jacob Storm). (Universal Pictures)
Marcus Goh is a Singapore television scriptwriter. He’s also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. He Tweets/Instagrams @Optimarcus and writes at marcusgohmarcusgoh.com. The views expressed are his own.
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 83 minutes (~1.5 hours)
“Unfriended” is a teen horror movie that takes place entirely on a MacBook’s screen. It follows the Skype chat of six high school friends on the anniversary of their schoolmate’s suicide. It stars Shelley Hennig (Blaire Lily), Moses Jacob Storm (Mitch Roussel), Renee Olstead (Jess Felton), Will Peltz (Adam Sewell), Jacob Wysocki (Ken Smithy), Courtney Halverson (Val Rommel), and Heather Sossaman (Laura Barns). It is rated NC-16.
For a movie that only shows a laptop monitor for its entirety, “Unfriended” is surprisingly horrifying and nailbitingly scary. Unlike other found footage movies, “Unfriended” thankfully does not have the audience contending with a shaky camera the whole time. One caveat though – you’d probably need to own a computer and be an online addict to appreciate the terror of the movie. Otherwise it’d probably seem like indecipherable gibberish to you.
Blaire. (Universal Pictures)
Highlights
Psychological horror
There is violence, of course, and there is gore (the rating being NC-16 after all). However, a good part of the horror comes from text on the screen coming from an unknown source. While that is to be expected, it’s your own expectation of the horrific images to come, and the fact that the ghost is never defined for you, that causes you to tense up and fear for what’s coming. This clever use of psychological horror ensures a brimming tension throughout movie.
Mind games between the protagonists
It’s frightening to see the number of secrets that the characters have, despite being only teenagers. It speaks to their very nature when you realise the depravity that these baby-faced protagonists are capable of. It’s not only terrifying in terms of how the ghost will haunt them, but also fearsome in knowing the dark, twisted secrets that these kids have been keeping from each other.
Clever use of today’s technology
This movie depicts the use of today’s technology in both an authentic and believable fashion, giving you a slight shiver every time you step near a laptop later. The best horror is invasive because it comes from everyday objects, and what is more pervasive than a laptop today? The use of distorted images because of poor Internet connections also helps add a sense of uneasiness when you see how their faces get deformed in a chat, and overall it’s an interesting concept that’s intelligently executed.
And an unknown, unidentified caller that you can’t remove? Bet you’d be wondering what’s behind that display pic the whole time.
Scary reveals
I have honestly never realised how terrifying a new tab or window can be when your computer is being haunted by a ghost. And although it’s just a humble click of the mouse, the fear is palpable due to the loss of control and the sense that the computer itself is possessed. This makes the revelations of new information (or the fates of the characters) even more frightening, since you never know when it’s going to happen.
Adam (Will Peltz) will…? (Universal Pictures)
Letdowns
Lack of close-ups and clarity
Though we have plenty of reaction shots on screen (six reactions, at one point), the movie still feels it could do with some better quality close-ups and a few traditional shots and edits. The small grainy pictures used work to amplify the fear of the unknown though.
billie227 wants to play a game. (Universal Pictures)
“Unfriended” is a brilliant horror film that takes a device we all take for granted, and makes it an object of terror that you’ll never see the same way again. Perhaps it’s because the domain of technology seems so antithetical to the supernatural, that causes us to be so shaken by when it is molested by the unseen.
Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? Yes! And wean yourself off computers for a while.
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Yes.
“Unfriended” opens in cinemas 30 April, 2015 (Thursday).
