Movie review | Social media suspense doesn’t disappoint in ‘Unfriended’

In “Unfriended,” the Internet genie is out of the bottle, and she’s pissed.

In this suspense/horror film, one that will particularly resonate with Millennials and/or those who have active online social media lives, the main villain, Laura Barns, was once a victim herself. Exacerbated by an embarrassing YouTube party clip posted online, Barns is later bullied and mortified to the point of suicide (this much we know from the film’s trailer).

But from the grave Barns seeks to torment her tormenters, and boy does she. The cast of mostly young unknowns play well the roles of privileged suburban high schoolers who have mastered social media, and group Skype in particular.

The movie showcases what is standard practice for most high school and college-aged kids: their deft usage of Facebook, Skype, YouTube, Google, Chatroulette and other real life Web applications. The ease at which the five young leads whiz around the keyboard is probably not exaggerated.

In what is essentially a take on the found footage genre of films, first popularized by “The Blair Witch Project,” we spend 82 minutes watching the small screen on the big screen, in what is a clever premise and original delivery.

The overwrought adolescent angst gets a bit old by the movie’s conclusion, but there are a few gotcha moments, and enough creepiness to create plenty of intended unease. Overall, this a fresh and not-too-gory supernatural thriller that delivers a moral lesson (don’t they all?) and almost makes you long for the days before the Internet changed the world forever.

This story was originally published April 21, 2015 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Movie review | Social media suspense doesn’t disappoint in ‘Unfriended’."