Strip away the technical understanding applied to the concept, however, and youre left with a pretty by-the-numbers story that manages to namecheck elements from such popular slasher hits as Friday The 13th and I Know What You Did Last Summer, without bringing anything that new to the computer desk. You may not be able to guess quite how the film will creatively run through its characters (on top of having a rarely used visual device at its disposal, the film boasts some ingeniously gruesome deaths), but the broad plot beats are obvious from the moment a couple decide theyll finally go all the way at prom. This doesnt damage the film as much as it would one with a more conventional presentation - the use of common tech irritations (a slow-to-download image, video noise, dropped connection) to amp up tension keeps you engaged - but it stops Unfriended feeling quite as original as those The Blair Witch Project comparisons would suggest. In fact, this isnt even the first movie to tackle cyberbulling in an overt, morally-twisted pay-back way. Earlier this year, Channel 4 aired a one-off drama starring Maisie Williams, simply titled Cyberbully, that dealt with many of the same plot points and issues as Unfriended - suicide, dark pasts and murderous intent - albeit with one key distinction; there it was real. Explanation of Unfriends malevolent force is kept to a minimum, but its clearly fantastical. And this may be one of the film's key slip-ups, stopping the chills carrying over to your own computer use after viewing; while it allows the characters to affected by more direct, physical horrors, any actual exploration of the very real repercussions of cyberbullying and, in more general terms, of a totally public online life, are only flirted with, treated only as a stopgap between another bloody murder. Seen Unfriended? What did you think? Discuss the film down in the comments.
