Social media slasher film is mildly freaky
Unfriended, the newest slasher film to hit the box office, combines social media and a group of hormonal teenagers to add a horror-spin to the world of cyber-bullying. As most horror films accomplish, Unfriended works to provide a lesson of morality – this particular lesson being the repercussions of bullying, popularity, vanity, using Facebook, and genuinely being a complete jerk in high school.
I’m not about to say the film wasn’t scary, because it was. It was freaky, and it was in the back of my mind when I was catching up with an old friend on Skype the next day. I kept imagining our conversation being interrupted by an anonymous contact and then being forced to participate in a game that would decide whether I will live to see tomorrow or not; Or just seeing the bedroom door behind my friend creak open (which would be equally traumatizing).
If a horror film doesn’t warp your reality just a little bit, then it’s not a good one. If you watch The Blair Witch Project and have it in the back of your mind the next time you go camping, then Myrick and Sanchez have done their jobs. Unfriended haunted me slightly, though it could have been done a lot better than it was.
In Unfriended, a group of high school friends are on a Skype-chat one night, when an anonymous contact, Billie227, adds itself to their conversation. The group can’t get rid of Billie227, so they continue their chat aware that someone else is listening. Eventually, the main character receives private Facebook messages from the account of a deceased classmate, Laura Barns. The person claims to be Laura Barns, and everyone begins to question their own sanity. The group is forced to play a game, and one by one are murdered on camera, though the killer is never shown. The point behind the blackmail is that Laura Barns was pushed to commit suicide when an embarrassing video was released of her and spread throughout the student body. One by one, the Laura Barns’ cyber-ghost reveals each person’s contribution to the bullying that led to her suicide. Nobody survives.
Overall, the film was similar to The Blair Witch Project, as the entire thing was done on a Skype-camera. Most of the time, the audience has absolutely no idea what is happening; conjuring imagery of a fear of the unknown (which is always a plus).
Also, the fact that the entire film was done on a computer screen is awesome and very innovative. Anything the audience saw was on a computer screen. One of the only places I’ve seen this technique done successfully was on Modern Family’s Season 6 episode titled “Connection Lost,” when the entire 30-minutes was shown on a laptop screen via Facetime chats.
What bothered me about Unfriended was that I expected a lot more. I forgave the cheesy blender scene – though I wish the directors would have utilized the Skype plot more effectively. There is so much potential for social media horror that I felt like Unfriended barely scratched the surface. Most of the scare tactics were centered around the volume in the theatre. Relying on loud crashing sounds to scare the audience is not the most creative of techniques, and ultimately takes away from the potential of the film. A good movie can scare the pants off of someone, even if it’s being viewed on a tiny screen plugged into a cheap speaker, without the perks of surround-sound.
Though Unfriended was only slightly effective, it opens the door to a new, really cool genre that could go places. After all, Facebook has always been creepy. Once you combine cyber anonymity, group chats, and the fear of the unknown, you’ve got a recipe for something sinister and beautiful.