Film Review: Unfriended: Dark Web

Found footage horror films haven’t changed much since classic like The Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield, and Paranormal Activity first put the genre on the map. However, there’s an interesting subgenre popping up more and more often – the type of found footage horror flick that unfolds completely over computer screens, browser windows, Skype chats, and the like. Nacho Vigalondo’s Open Window is an early example of the idea at work, but 2014’s Unfriended officially took it into the mainstream when it globally raked in a cool $60 million dollars. Unfriended: Dark Web is the much anticipated sequel… but does it actually deliver or would you be better off swiping left and spending your screen time elsewhere?

In Unfriended: Dark Web, we’re no longer dealing with an angry, vengeful ghost as the main protagonist. Instead, it’s a hyper-skilled group of cyberhackers that are incredibly good at what they do – so good, they might as well be supernatural entities. We’re introduced to the action via young Matias (Colin Woodell) who’s hard at work refurbishing a previously owned laptop he purchased on Craigslist. However, the laptop’s former owner has, for whatever reason, failed to wipe his personal data from the hard drive. Matias gets curious and starts digging around as he also video chats with a group of his friends, including his deaf girlfriend. However, evidence of some dark crimes eventually surfaces and the pervious owner of the laptop soon makes it clear he will stop at nothing to make sure it stays buried.

Unfriended: Dark Web is written and directed by Stephen Susco. However, Susco is a first-timer and it unfortunately shows in the way the film’s plotline descends further and further into the unbelievable. It’s not entirely his fault though. Although interesting to be sure, the motif of the film playing out 100% over computer screens has limitations that definitely reveal themselves here. The premise and plotline struggle to find ways to keep the film playing out this way, leading to a contrived, “forced” feel that is distracting at times. Also, while most viewers probably don’t expect Oscar caliber character development in this type of film, some of the characters in Unfriended: Dark Web lack depth to the point of becoming positively insufferable at times.

Like many genre sequels, Unfriended: Dark Web doesn’t break a lot of new ground or build much on its predecessor. However, most fans of the original film probably didn’t expect it to. In other words, how much you’ll enjoy this film really depends on how much you liked the original. If you disliked it or had issues with the fact that the entire thing plays out over computer screens, you definitely won’t like this either. If you’re an Unfriended fan though, Unfriended: Dark Web is worth seeing if for no other reason than to see how the next chapter plays out. A timeless classic it’s not, but it’s good for a scare or two if you’re looking for something to pass the time over popcorn some afternoon.

Style: Found Footage , Mystery , Teens , Maniac