'Unfriended' is Clever Stylistically but Falls into Cliché Traps
Horror flick Unfriended tackles a new gimmick within the genre: social media and video chatting. This storyline is conventional and foreseeable, but some of the notions that are hurdled our way do work. With a more comprehensive narrative this style could develop into an interesting sub-genre of moviemaking.
Teenagers Blaire (Shelley Hennig), Mitch (Moses Storm), Jess (Renee Olstead), Adam (William Peltz), Ken (Jacob Wysocki) and Val (Courtney Halverson) take part in an online group chat session, until suddenly they're joined by a user known only as Billie227. The group think nothing of the unknown user believing it to be just a technical glitch, and like all teens, they carry on their conversation. Blaire begins receiving messages from someone claiming to be Laura Barns (Heather Sossaman), a classmate who killed herself exactly one year prior. As Blaire tries to expose Billie's identity, her friends are forced to confront their darkest secrets and lies.
It's premise isn't unfamiliar, although, the way it's conveyed on-screen adds a welcomed new dimension to this humdrum narrative structure. The approach director Leo Gabriadze configures the framing of the movie actually adds value to the drama being played out — rather than suppressing it and dampening the shocks and scares. Unfriended (originally called Cybernatural) exploits this online-video-chatting technique to the maximum. Last year, Elijah Wood's Open Windows used the same formula of visual storytelling, leading to an arguably more ambitious movie. Nonetheless, if you enjoyed that tale you'll likely have the same agreeable reaction to this.
At times it doesn't follow visual traits of conventional horror storytelling, however, Unfriended does fall into the modern day trap of cheaply using cliché tension builders: springing loud noises and gory cutaways to unnerve viewers. These outlandish ways of creating discomfort devalues the overall effect of the movie. But for what it lacks in horror sensibilities, it should be complimented for attempting something new. Therefore, Unfriended is a movie you should see if you can endure it.
