Unfriended, at heart, is a typical one-by-one mystery killer story. Ergo, it is not particularly scary. So when a horror movie is not very scary, it needs to be interesting. And boy, is it interesting. Essentially the entire running time takes place on an Apple laptop. With all the Chrome tabs, Skype windows, Spotify’s, Messenger’s, Recycle Bins, and desktop icons, I at first thought it was going to be exhausting, but then I soon remembered that I am used to all that.
It succeeds at relentlessly exploiting its killer premise and withholding information until the most effective moments. While I very much enjoyed it, it is not something I would jump at watching again, as all the characters are just terrible friends to each other. The best word to describe this movie is “nasty.” It’s a cautionary tale, a nasty movie for nasty people.
Jeff Malone is a voracious entertainment consumer and entertainment creator. He currently resides in New York City, where he is working on a Master’s in Media Studies at The New School. In addition to his pieces on TMRzoo.com and StarPulse.com, you can check out his blog (jmunney.wordpress.com), where he provides regular coverage of Community and Saturday Night Live, as well as other television, film, music, and the rest of pop culture.
