Unfriended

The horror genre is constantly reinvented with the times.

The found footage subgenre exploded when The Blair Witch Project appeared, leading to countless films following its footsteps with varying quality and success. The subgenre has now mutated into ‘social media’ horror with Unfriended.

Presented from the perspective of a computer screen, a group of disparate friends catch up over various social media including Facebook and Skype. All seems well until a mysterious, malevolent and threatening individual joins in.

For a film that spends its time focused on a computer screen, it’s oddly engaging. Director Levan Gabriadze effectively recreates the world of social media in a way that’s authentic (lingo and all), creating a dialogue about the effects of social media on lives and relationships in general; in particular, cyber-bullying, as well as online facades, misinformation and the fact that the internet remembers all, which is perfect horror material.

Of course, the film at its core is a slasher movie. Thus it adheres closely to such conventions with a group of hapless, thinly drawn clichéd teens, all versed in screaming and ripe for a horrible doom. The horror is fun with plenty of scares, tension and comedy enhanced by the format (pop-up ads have never been more ironic). Glitches, screen text, Skype sounds and more may become terrifying after viewing.

It’s a different and entertaining popcorn thrill at the cinema.

In cinemas 30 Apr