Unfriended Successful Skype Slasher

“How do you make an effective slasher movie that takes place almost entirely over Skype?” This is a question that the cynical part of me asked for weeks leading into Unfriended, which does exactly that, including the “effective” part. Somehow, some way, the filmmakers behind this movie have managed to craft an intelligent horror movie with more to say about teenagers living in the digital age than most of its contemporaries have to say at all – and it does so in addition to being genuinely scary. Yes, it also takes place almost entirely in Skype, or at least with Skype being open. Google Chrome, iMessage, and maybe one or two other programs are also used. This is a gimmick to which it commits wholeheartedly, and it makes it work in part because of this commitment. The premise is this: On the anniversary of a classmate’s suicide, a group of teenagers find themselves haunted over Skype by someone – or something – pretending to be the deceased. Or, maybe there’s no pretending involved. Perhaps the “thing” actually is the dead girl, Laura Barns (Heather Sossaman). She had a humiliating video posted online, complete with the caption “kill yourself,” and eventually she did just that. It’s not initially clear what it wants, and it actually remains quiet for about half the film, but soon enough we learn that it’s here for revenge, and the teenagers in the chat all had something to do with Laura’s death. It has control of all of their electronics, it knows everything that goes on either on their screen or through the microphone, and it can drive people to commit unspeakable acts. Now, that’s a new take on horror movies. Part of the reason Unfriended is so successful is that this is a movie that “gets” teenagers – both in mannerisms and in the way they talk – and as a result feels authentic. It also helps that real programs and a real operating system were used; there’s nothing fake that was made up for the film. The teenagers also aren’t stupid like they often are in these sorts of movies. They try seemingly everything to get out of this situation, although it becomes clear to us before them that there’s nothing they’ll be able to do. Cyberbullying is an irredeemable crime. Bottom Line: A strong teen slasher that’s fun from start to finish, Unfriended is a horror movie with something on its mind, a gimmick that works – at least for this one film – and a strong cast. Recommendation: Horror movie fans need to see Unfriended right away. Even those who aren’t the biggest fans of the genre will appreciate its intelligence, humor, and lack of jump startles. [rating=4]