Unfriended (2014) review

During a group Skype video call, six friends start receiving messages from a stranger, who seems to be using the profile of an old friend of them. The girl to whom the profile belongs had committed suicide exactly one year before, because of cyber bullying. It all looks like a prank at first, until one of the teenage friends is found dead in her room…

What’s strange about Unfriended is that it seems to be not only more effective, but also more interesting as an overall experience if watched on a computer! This is because the only thing we see in Unfriended is but a computer screen. The entire film consists of a Skype group call which takes place in real time -it is filmed all in one take, with the actors being in different rooms of the same house. We have seen this before in VHS, yet this is the first time a whole film is made using such a modern type of media. If anything, this method of filmmaking and storytelling (along with the young age of the actors) makes absolutely clear that the film’s target-group consists of a very specific generation of viewers. It also introduces a new form of found-footage horror and indeed manages to refresh this worn-out sub-genre. Given that, the film itself seems to acknowledge this as one of its pursuits, through the main character’s name, Blaire, which possibly serves as a reference to the legendary Blair Witch Project.

Truth be told, Unfriended does not truly differentiate itself from most cheap found-footage films. The script is based on the overused plot of a supernatural entity terrifying a bunch of teenagers and the cheap method of jump-scares is used a lot, although not always clumsily. The film wouldn’t stand out in any way, if it wasn’t for the concept of the computer screen and the Skype call. This is what makes the film feel quite original and unexpectedly interesting, allowing the lack of surprises to go unnoticed. Thanks to this intriguing concept, the overall illusion of realism is enhanced and the actors have the freedom to improvise, which makes their performances look impressively natural. Also, the Skype call provides some deeply creepy scary scenes…

Unfortunately, the film’s most apparent weakness is technical. A viewer who is familiar with computers easily notices the technical mistakes which give away the film’s artificiality and reduce its realistic feel. For instance, the sound of the video call is conveniently muted whenever the director needs it to. Without this sort of technical details (which are the film’s greatest flaw), Unfriended could have been a truly suspenseful, if not scary, film. Still, the praiseworthy performances and the compelling concept are responsible for a rather unsettling and certainly very interesting experience.

(2½ out of 5 spinning tops)