Back when Unfriended was still going by the title of Cybernatural, director Leo Gabriadze said he came onto the project because he was attracted to the story’s subject matter. Nelson Greaves’ script demonstrated how personal harassment had since changed in the digital age; in particular those younger people whose torment went beyond the classroom. The internet had not only made a bully’s reach greater but also unavoidable. And in true horror fashion, Unfriended provided an unsettling portrayal of victimhood as well as sadistic retribution from beyond the grave.
Unfriended immediately broke tradition by staying close to home as opposed to traveling to the deep, dark woods or anywhere else teens tend to go and die in horror. More unusual was the unexciting premise of these characters video-chatting all night instead of meeting in person at an ominous social event of some kind. After years of critics reproaching the...
Unfriended immediately broke tradition by staying close to home as opposed to traveling to the deep, dark woods or anywhere else teens tend to go and die in horror. More unusual was the unexciting premise of these characters video-chatting all night instead of meeting in person at an ominous social event of some kind. After years of critics reproaching the...
- 4/17/2024
- by Paul Lê
- bloody-disgusting.com
These last few years the Criterion Channel have made October viewing much easier to prioritize, and in the spirit of their ’70s and ’80s horror series we’ve graduated to––you guessed it––”’90s Horror.” A couple of obvious classics stand with cult favorites and more unknown entities (When a Stranger Calls Back and Def By Temptation are new to me). Three more series continue the trend: “Technothrillers” does what it says on the tin, courtesy the likes of eXistenZ and Demonlover; “Art-House Horror” is precisely the kind of place to host Cure, Suspiria, Onibaba; and “Pre-Code Horror” is a black-and-white dream. Phantom of the Paradise, Unfriended, and John Brahm’s The Lodger are added elsewhere.
James Gray is the latest with an “Adventures in Moviegoing” series populated by deep cuts and straight classics. Stonewalling and restorations of Trouble Every Day and The Devil, Probably make streaming debuts, while Flesh for Frankenstein,...
James Gray is the latest with an “Adventures in Moviegoing” series populated by deep cuts and straight classics. Stonewalling and restorations of Trouble Every Day and The Devil, Probably make streaming debuts, while Flesh for Frankenstein,...
- 9/28/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Is there anything scarier than being a teenager? Bd has learned that the Criterion Channel will be launching their 13-film High School Horror collection on September 1!
The streaming service previews, “Relive your high school nightmares with these tales of terror unleashed in classrooms, gyms, locker-lined halls, and cafeterias, where psychotic slashers and supernatural monsters pursue jocks, nerds, and prom queens alike.
“The everyday fears of adolescence—social anxiety! changing bodies!—have inspired some of horror cinema’s most giddily bloodthirsty visions, from VHS-era exploitation shockers like Massacre at Central High and Slumber Party Massacre to ’90s teen-movie touchstones like I Know What You Did Last Summer and The Faculty and cult favorites like Donnie Darko and Battle Royale.”
Of particular note, Dario Argento’s Suspiria will be included in the collection, marking the worldwide streaming premiere of the restored uncut version from Synapse Films!
The full “High School Horror” lineup includes…...
The streaming service previews, “Relive your high school nightmares with these tales of terror unleashed in classrooms, gyms, locker-lined halls, and cafeterias, where psychotic slashers and supernatural monsters pursue jocks, nerds, and prom queens alike.
“The everyday fears of adolescence—social anxiety! changing bodies!—have inspired some of horror cinema’s most giddily bloodthirsty visions, from VHS-era exploitation shockers like Massacre at Central High and Slumber Party Massacre to ’90s teen-movie touchstones like I Know What You Did Last Summer and The Faculty and cult favorites like Donnie Darko and Battle Royale.”
Of particular note, Dario Argento’s Suspiria will be included in the collection, marking the worldwide streaming premiere of the restored uncut version from Synapse Films!
The full “High School Horror” lineup includes…...
- 8/11/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Thanks to the runaway success of The Blair Witch Project in 1999, found footage movies quickly became the hottest thing in horror. By relying on camcorders, surveillance footage, and other unlikely camera sources, filmmakers could not only add some verisimilitude to their stories but could also do it on the cheap. But just as quickly, found footage became the most hated subgenre, as fans and critics decried its rigid constraints, laughing at the ridiculous ways characters justified recording when they should be running.
Just as the subgenre died, a new and more relevant approach emerged: desktop movies taking place entirely on computer screens, using webcams, streaming video, and recordings to tell their stories. Not only do desktop movies offer more variety in visual style, but they also better reflect our actual lives, as we spend a lot of time staring at computer and phone screens.
Exciting as the subgenre certainly is,...
Just as the subgenre died, a new and more relevant approach emerged: desktop movies taking place entirely on computer screens, using webcams, streaming video, and recordings to tell their stories. Not only do desktop movies offer more variety in visual style, but they also better reflect our actual lives, as we spend a lot of time staring at computer and phone screens.
Exciting as the subgenre certainly is,...
- 1/21/2023
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
Epistolary storytelling has been immersing readers in fiction since the very dawn of literature. Using simulated letters, diaries and other documents to craft complex tales with shifting points of view, the format inevitably ended up attracting inventive filmmakers who realized that it could be adapted into a cinematic tool to instill terror. From The McPherson Tape to The Blair Witch Project, Found Footage movies have kept the epistolary tradition alive through their use of faux home video and other diegetic media.
However, with over four decades of Found Footage experiments out there, the genre has seen quite a bit of innovation. Personally, I think one of the most interesting off-shoots of Found Footage is the ongoing trend of Screenlife films, where the entire narrative is told within the confines of digital screens. While this curious format has only recently become popular in mainstream media, it’s actually older than most people seem to realize,...
However, with over four decades of Found Footage experiments out there, the genre has seen quite a bit of innovation. Personally, I think one of the most interesting off-shoots of Found Footage is the ongoing trend of Screenlife films, where the entire narrative is told within the confines of digital screens. While this curious format has only recently become popular in mainstream media, it’s actually older than most people seem to realize,...
- 8/22/2022
- by Luiz H. C.
- bloody-disgusting.com
(Welcome to Scariest Scene Ever, a column dedicated to the most pulse-pounding moments in horror with your tour guides, horror experts Matt Donato and Ariel Fisher. In this edition: Matt champions "Unfriended" as the real fear.com, and Ariel grows resentful of Matt for his shenanigans.)
At the dawn of Screenlife horror — a filmmaking movement coined by producer, writer, and director Timur Bekmambetov — where computer screens became a new terrifying frontier, "Unfriended" represented a cinematic refresh. Under Bekmambetov's Bazelevs Productions, Levan Gabriadze tells a story of digital possession brought on by cyberbullying that takes place exclusively on a MacBook screencast....
The post One of the Most Terrifying Scenes in Unfriended Truly Cuts to the Quick appeared first on /Film.
At the dawn of Screenlife horror — a filmmaking movement coined by producer, writer, and director Timur Bekmambetov — where computer screens became a new terrifying frontier, "Unfriended" represented a cinematic refresh. Under Bekmambetov's Bazelevs Productions, Levan Gabriadze tells a story of digital possession brought on by cyberbullying that takes place exclusively on a MacBook screencast....
The post One of the Most Terrifying Scenes in Unfriended Truly Cuts to the Quick appeared first on /Film.
- 1/14/2022
- by Matt Donato
- Slash Film
Exclusive: Jonah Platt (Being the Ricardos), Chrissie Fitt (I Know What You Did Last Summer), Will Peltz (13 Minutes) and Zach Reino (Brews Brothers) have joined Halston Sage, Christian Navarro and Gregg Sulkin in the cast of The List, the indie comedy from director Melissa Miller Costanzo.
The film written by Rob Lederer and Steve Vitolo centers on Abby (Sage), a woman who is about to get married, for whom everything is perfect. Until she finds out her fiancé Matt (Platt) has slept with a celebrity from his “free pass” list. To get her mind off things, Abby and her best friend Chloe (Fit) come up with a crazy idea: Abby should pursue a celebrity from her own list. But things become complicated when she meets Jake (Navarro), a sweet and charming waiter at a neighborhood cafe, who gives her a fresh perspective.
Peltz is portraying Avon, an LA-based rapper/pop...
The film written by Rob Lederer and Steve Vitolo centers on Abby (Sage), a woman who is about to get married, for whom everything is perfect. Until she finds out her fiancé Matt (Platt) has slept with a celebrity from his “free pass” list. To get her mind off things, Abby and her best friend Chloe (Fit) come up with a crazy idea: Abby should pursue a celebrity from her own list. But things become complicated when she meets Jake (Navarro), a sweet and charming waiter at a neighborhood cafe, who gives her a fresh perspective.
Peltz is portraying Avon, an LA-based rapper/pop...
- 11/1/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Stillwater’ is eOne’s first theatrical release since October 2020.
Augustine Frizzell’s film of Jojo Moyes’ book The Last Letter From Your Lover leads the new titles in UK-Ireland cinemas this weekend, looking to work towards the result of previous Moyes’ adaptation Me Before You.
Released by Studiocanal in 550 locations, The Last Letter From Your Lover follows an ambitious journalist who attempts to solve the mystery of a forbidden affair at the centre of a series of secret love letters from 1964. A co-production between the UK’s Blueprint Pictures and Canada’s The Film Farm, it is being released by Netflix in the US.
Augustine Frizzell’s film of Jojo Moyes’ book The Last Letter From Your Lover leads the new titles in UK-Ireland cinemas this weekend, looking to work towards the result of previous Moyes’ adaptation Me Before You.
Released by Studiocanal in 550 locations, The Last Letter From Your Lover follows an ambitious journalist who attempts to solve the mystery of a forbidden affair at the centre of a series of secret love letters from 1964. A co-production between the UK’s Blueprint Pictures and Canada’s The Film Farm, it is being released by Netflix in the US.
- 8/6/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Given that Halloween is just around the corner, horror films and series are enjoying a successful run on Netflix right now. As well as The Haunting of Bly Manor and, um, Hubie Halloween, the service has been dusting off some recent classics, including a couple that perhaps didn’t get as much attention as they deserved on their initial release. 2014’s Internet-based flick Unfriended, which was just added to the streaming site this past week, is certainly one to catch up on, and has already broken into the Top 10 most-watched movies list on the platform.
Directed by Levan Gabriadze, Unfriended is unique in taking place almost completely through computer screens and follows a group of high schoolers who gradually realize that a supernatural presence is haunting them via their chats and social media pages, with ties to a suicide becoming clearer as the story progresses. I recently watched Unfriended for...
Directed by Levan Gabriadze, Unfriended is unique in taking place almost completely through computer screens and follows a group of high schoolers who gradually realize that a supernatural presence is haunting them via their chats and social media pages, with ties to a suicide becoming clearer as the story progresses. I recently watched Unfriended for...
- 10/18/2020
- by Jessica James
- We Got This Covered
It’s that time of year again when pumpkins are being decorated, kids are getting their costumes ready and everyone is buying copious amounts of candy. But one of the best parts of Halloween, of course, is the spooky movies and TV shows that put us in the holiday spirit. Thankfully, Netflix has been building up quite the collection throughout the month to ensure you’ve got plenty of scary things to get you riled up.
The streaming service has already treated us to Adam Sandler’s horror-comedy Hubie Halloween, Rob Zombie’s gore fest House of 1000 Corpses, and the brand new Netflix Original series The Haunting of Bly Manor, but today brings with it another scary movie, and it’s a rather unconventional one that you may not want to overlook.
Unfriended is a 2014 supernatural horror film with a unique twist – it takes place entirely over Skype calls...
The streaming service has already treated us to Adam Sandler’s horror-comedy Hubie Halloween, Rob Zombie’s gore fest House of 1000 Corpses, and the brand new Netflix Original series The Haunting of Bly Manor, but today brings with it another scary movie, and it’s a rather unconventional one that you may not want to overlook.
Unfriended is a 2014 supernatural horror film with a unique twist – it takes place entirely over Skype calls...
- 10/16/2020
- by Billy Givens
- We Got This Covered
We’re not too far away now from Halloween, which will be a bit different this year due to the ongoing pandemic. However, there’s plenty of horror content to keep us all busy across the various streaming and VOD platforms, with Netflix always providing a reliable stream of genre material, including the recently released The Haunting of Bly Manor. What other horror shows and movies are coming to the site, though, over the next few days?
Well, for younger audiences, we have A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting on the 15th, which is based on the book series by Joe Ballarini, with the film being helmed by Doctor Who director Rachel Talalay. Focusing on a character who gets drawn into a secret society of monster-fighting babysitters, this one certainly looks like it’ll be fun based on the recent trailer. Families should also check out ParaNorman, the stop-motion feature from Laika,...
Well, for younger audiences, we have A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting on the 15th, which is based on the book series by Joe Ballarini, with the film being helmed by Doctor Who director Rachel Talalay. Focusing on a character who gets drawn into a secret society of monster-fighting babysitters, this one certainly looks like it’ll be fun based on the recent trailer. Families should also check out ParaNorman, the stop-motion feature from Laika,...
- 10/11/2020
- by Jessica James
- We Got This Covered
A Room with a Coconut ViewThe so-called ‘desktop movie,’ a film visually told predominantly or entirely through the setup of a computer screen, has had a couple of high-profile examples over the last few years. Among these are Nacho Vigalondo’s Open Windows (2014), Patrick Cederberg and Walter Woodman’s short Noah (2013), and, most notably in terms of mainstream success, Levan Gabriadze’s Unfriended (2014). 2018 would seem to be a major year for the genre, if you can call it a genre just yet, with the wide release of sequel Unfriended: Dark Web, Timur Bekmambetov’s Profile playing festivals, and now the release, through Sony, of Aneesh Chaganty’s Searching. It is worth noting that Bekmambetov also produced the two of those 2018 titles he didn’t direct, so there’s at least one benefactor devoted to making the form catch on. With the exception of something like Kevin B. Lee’s essay...
- 8/15/2018
- MUBI
Aubrey Plaza plays an obsessive young woman who worms her way into the life of an Instagram star in Matt Spicer’s acrid comedy
Writer-director Matt Spicer makes his feature debut with a horribly enjoyable satire, painted in hard-edged, acrid colours: the colours of an Instagram post, in fact. Seeing those filters and tints up on the movie screen is an eerie, unearthly experience, supersaturating the film with unease. The visuals reminded me of Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring, which created the same affectless glaze by flashing up selfies of supercool perfection – or Levan Gabriadze’s horror film Unfriended, which found something candidly scary in the alienated world of Facebook. Ingrid Goes West sees social media as a carnival of narcissism, sociopathy and that most toxic, most ubiquitous and least acknowledged of the seven deadly sins: envy.
Comedy star Aubrey Plaza hits a career best playing Ingrid, someone who is,...
Writer-director Matt Spicer makes his feature debut with a horribly enjoyable satire, painted in hard-edged, acrid colours: the colours of an Instagram post, in fact. Seeing those filters and tints up on the movie screen is an eerie, unearthly experience, supersaturating the film with unease. The visuals reminded me of Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring, which created the same affectless glaze by flashing up selfies of supercool perfection – or Levan Gabriadze’s horror film Unfriended, which found something candidly scary in the alienated world of Facebook. Ingrid Goes West sees social media as a carnival of narcissism, sociopathy and that most toxic, most ubiquitous and least acknowledged of the seven deadly sins: envy.
Comedy star Aubrey Plaza hits a career best playing Ingrid, someone who is,...
- 11/15/2017
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
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We return to the 2015 horror Unfriended, and how it and other films explore the dark side of social media...
Nb: The following contains spoilers for Unfriended
Unfriended is one of those horror films that becomes less effective the noisier it becomes. Released across America by Universal last year, the film's a twist on the old teen-slasher format, so of course there’s lots of screaming, stalking and violent death. But these scenes of bloody pay-off are a distraction from Unfriended’s quieter moments - for its here the movie's true power lurks.
At a time when the found-footage genre is in desperate need of reinvention, Unfriended finds an ingenious twist on the old first-person, shaky-cam sub-genre. The entire movie takes place on the flickering laptop screen of its protagonist, Blaire (Shelley Hennig). We’re subjected to an initially dizzying array of opening and closing windows, as Blaire...
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We return to the 2015 horror Unfriended, and how it and other films explore the dark side of social media...
Nb: The following contains spoilers for Unfriended
Unfriended is one of those horror films that becomes less effective the noisier it becomes. Released across America by Universal last year, the film's a twist on the old teen-slasher format, so of course there’s lots of screaming, stalking and violent death. But these scenes of bloody pay-off are a distraction from Unfriended’s quieter moments - for its here the movie's true power lurks.
At a time when the found-footage genre is in desperate need of reinvention, Unfriended finds an ingenious twist on the old first-person, shaky-cam sub-genre. The entire movie takes place on the flickering laptop screen of its protagonist, Blaire (Shelley Hennig). We’re subjected to an initially dizzying array of opening and closing windows, as Blaire...
- 3/9/2016
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit the interwebs. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
The Assassin (Hou Hsiao-Hsien)
If the meditative stylings of Russian auteur Andrei Tarkovsky were applied to the martial arts genre, the end result would likely resemble Hou Hsiao-hsien’s rapturous tone poem The Assassin. As much concerned with the essence of nature as it is the essence of humanity, this endlessly beautiful film is equal parts enigmatic storytelling as it is purely enthralling cinema. Though...
The Assassin (Hou Hsiao-Hsien)
If the meditative stylings of Russian auteur Andrei Tarkovsky were applied to the martial arts genre, the end result would likely resemble Hou Hsiao-hsien’s rapturous tone poem The Assassin. As much concerned with the essence of nature as it is the essence of humanity, this endlessly beautiful film is equal parts enigmatic storytelling as it is purely enthralling cinema. Though...
- 1/29/2016
- by TFS Staff
- The Film Stage
For anyone who cringes at the words “found footage,” especially when applied to the recent glut of variable-quality horror movies like Rec, V-h-s, Diary of the Dead, Cloverfield and the Paranormal Activity franchise, the idea of a scare picture taking place on, and entirely restricted to, the busily fragmented screen of a MacBook might just seem like the reductio ad absurdum of corner-cutting, visually unimaginative filmmaking. But in the hands of producer Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch) and director Levan Gabriadze, the low-budget, high-concept idea behind Unfriended, in which a group of entitled, obnoxious but not entirely unlikable high school kids discover their Skype chat session has been hacked by what just might be the unsettled spirit of a dead friend who committed suicide one year ago today after being maliciously cyberbullied, proves to be an electronic gateway not only to honestly earned scares, but also to a means of examining...
- 9/10/2015
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
“Never Have I Ever… spread the rumor that Blaire has an eating disorder.”
When Melissa Howland reviewed Unfriended here at We Are Movie Geeks, she wrote that the film: “…..felt fresh. They didn’t rely on just using jump scares to horrify the audience. Instead, they also used a relatable story theme, and created tension throughout the film. Director Levan Gabriadze did a great job of creating a natural flowing, fun film. The same goes for the cast. A lot was riding on their shoulders since most of their script was improvised. They were in charge, in a way, of how they looked on camera since they really did have a makeshift skype-type of chat screen in front of them, and really moving the script along.” (read all of Melissa’s review Here)
As you probably know by now, Unfriended all takes place over video chat while all the characters,...
When Melissa Howland reviewed Unfriended here at We Are Movie Geeks, she wrote that the film: “…..felt fresh. They didn’t rely on just using jump scares to horrify the audience. Instead, they also used a relatable story theme, and created tension throughout the film. Director Levan Gabriadze did a great job of creating a natural flowing, fun film. The same goes for the cast. A lot was riding on their shoulders since most of their script was improvised. They were in charge, in a way, of how they looked on camera since they really did have a makeshift skype-type of chat screen in front of them, and really moving the script along.” (read all of Melissa’s review Here)
As you probably know by now, Unfriended all takes place over video chat while all the characters,...
- 8/11/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Title: Unfriended Universal Director: Levan Gabriadze Writer: Nelson Greaves Cast: Heather Sossaman, Matthew Bohrer, Courtney Halverson, Moses Storm, Renee Olstead, Will Peltz, Jacob Wysocki Running Time: 83min , Rated R (Violence, Language, Mild Sexuality) Special Features: None On DVD, BluRay and Digital Download on July 28th It is the one year anniversary when teenager Blaire Lily (Shelley Hennig of Teen Wolf) killed herself and it was all caught on video and uploaded to the internet. The reason behind her suicide has been linked to another video that was uploaded prior that caused her to be the ridicule of the entire school. A group of friends- Laura (Heather Sossaman) , Mitch (Moses Storm), Ken [ Read More ]
The post Unfriended Blu-Ray Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Unfriended Blu-Ray Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 8/10/2015
- by juliana
- ShockYa
Teens face a supernatural cyberspace threat in Unfriended. If you missed the Skype-centric horror film in theaters, don't despair—Universal Studios Home Entertainment is releasing it on Digital HD this July and on Blu-ray and DVD in August:
Press Release: "Universal City, California, June 9, 2015 – For a group of teenage friends, a devastating fate lurks on the other side of a computer screen in Unfriended, the first in a new generation of found-footage thrillers coming to Digital HD July 28, 2015 and Blu-Ray™, DVD and On Demand August 11, 2015, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Unfriended is a startlingly contemporary nail-biterfrom two modern masters of mayhem, executive producer Jason Blum (The Purge, Ouija, Sinister) and producer Timur Bekmambetov (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Wanted).
What starts as a seemingly innocent online prank produces a sequence of events that spirals out of control. During a routine group video chat, high-school friends are terrorized by an unseen figure.
Press Release: "Universal City, California, June 9, 2015 – For a group of teenage friends, a devastating fate lurks on the other side of a computer screen in Unfriended, the first in a new generation of found-footage thrillers coming to Digital HD July 28, 2015 and Blu-Ray™, DVD and On Demand August 11, 2015, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Unfriended is a startlingly contemporary nail-biterfrom two modern masters of mayhem, executive producer Jason Blum (The Purge, Ouija, Sinister) and producer Timur Bekmambetov (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Wanted).
What starts as a seemingly innocent online prank produces a sequence of events that spirals out of control. During a routine group video chat, high-school friends are terrorized by an unseen figure.
- 6/9/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
For a group of teenage friends, a devastating fate lurks on the other side of a computer screen in Unfriended, the first in a new generation of found-footage thrillers coming to Digital HD July 28, 2015 and Blu-Ray, DVD and On Demand August 11, 2015, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
Unfriended is a startlingly contemporary nail-biter from two modern masters of mayhem, executive producer Jason Blum (The Purge, Ouija, Sinister) and producer Timur Bekmambetov (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Wanted).
What starts as a seemingly innocent online prank produces a sequence of events that spirals out of control. During a routine group video chat, high-school friends are terrorized by an unseen figure. The anonymous intruder implicates each of them in the death of an acquaintance, revealing damning secrets and transforming trusted allies into wary adversaries. Forced into a sordid “game,” the teens try to figure out who is behind the mysterious threat, but all signs...
Unfriended is a startlingly contemporary nail-biter from two modern masters of mayhem, executive producer Jason Blum (The Purge, Ouija, Sinister) and producer Timur Bekmambetov (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Wanted).
What starts as a seemingly innocent online prank produces a sequence of events that spirals out of control. During a routine group video chat, high-school friends are terrorized by an unseen figure. The anonymous intruder implicates each of them in the death of an acquaintance, revealing damning secrets and transforming trusted allies into wary adversaries. Forced into a sordid “game,” the teens try to figure out who is behind the mysterious threat, but all signs...
- 6/9/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Picking the best movies that come out in any given year is no easy feat. With over 800 movies released theatrically, there’s plenty to digest. As we reach the halfway point of the year, we decided to publish a list of our favourite movies thus far, in hopes that our readers can catch up on some of the films they might have missed out on. Below, you shall find the list of the top 30 films of 2015 to date, a list that ranges from independent horror films to documentary to foreign films and so much more. Here is part one of our three part list.
****
25. Predestination
Effective time travel films must be able to set clear, established rules and be a means of achieving greater, emotional weight . Without the two, a film can be eviscerated by plot holes or become an unruly, empty spectacle. Predestination, an adaptation of an Robert A. Heinlein’s short story,...
****
25. Predestination
Effective time travel films must be able to set clear, established rules and be a means of achieving greater, emotional weight . Without the two, a film can be eviscerated by plot holes or become an unruly, empty spectacle. Predestination, an adaptation of an Robert A. Heinlein’s short story,...
- 6/3/2015
- by Staff
- SoundOnSight
Reviewed by Jesse Miller
MoreHorror.com
‘Unfriended’ (2015)
Synopsis: Six high school friends with a dark secret receive a Skype message from a classmate who committed suicide a year ago after someone uploaded a video of her online.
Directed by: Levan Gabriadze
Written by: Nelson Greaves
Starring: Shelley Hennig, Moses Storm, Will Peltz
When I caught the trailer for Unfriended, the idea that stood out to me was the concept of telling a story solely using a computer screen, rather than just having a shaky cam to tell the story.
Here, the film’s teenagers use iMessage, Skype, Spotify, Facebook – even a torrent program gets a nod, already giving the film a unique feel. I mean, it’s desktop pretty much looks like mine, only cleaner. So, the concept of using these programs to tell the story and how it relies on the audience to scan for things like conversations or weird occurrences is pretty clever.
MoreHorror.com
‘Unfriended’ (2015)
Synopsis: Six high school friends with a dark secret receive a Skype message from a classmate who committed suicide a year ago after someone uploaded a video of her online.
Directed by: Levan Gabriadze
Written by: Nelson Greaves
Starring: Shelley Hennig, Moses Storm, Will Peltz
When I caught the trailer for Unfriended, the idea that stood out to me was the concept of telling a story solely using a computer screen, rather than just having a shaky cam to tell the story.
Here, the film’s teenagers use iMessage, Skype, Spotify, Facebook – even a torrent program gets a nod, already giving the film a unique feel. I mean, it’s desktop pretty much looks like mine, only cleaner. So, the concept of using these programs to tell the story and how it relies on the audience to scan for things like conversations or weird occurrences is pretty clever.
- 5/27/2015
- by admin
- MoreHorror
Completely taking place on a teenager's laptop, Unfriended feels like the logical evolution of the found footage horror genre, with handheld cameras being replaced by web cams, and really, with the anonymity the Internet offers, is there a scarier place in this day and age? The back story is set up in the opening minutes with, in a poignant commentary of cyber bullying, an embarrassing YouTube video that forced teenager Laura Barnes to take her own life a year earlier. When her 'friends', including Blaire (Shelly Hennig) and Mitch (Moses Jacob Storm), convene for a group Skype call, they find it gatecrashed by a mysterious user, who just so happens to be using Laura's account, setting in motion a deadly game where secrets are revealed and only one can survive. Coming from director Levan Gabriadze and producer Timur Bekmembetov (Night Watch, Wanted), with help from current leader in low budget horror Blumhouse,...
- 5/2/2015
- by noreply@blogger.com (Tom White)
- www.themoviebit.com
There’s little less compelling than a vague evil spirit with loosely defined powers doing random “scary” things as required by the script. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
A bunch of teens group-chatting online find themselves e-tormented by the evil spirit of a classmate who was bullied into suicide exactly one year earlier. They can’t just log off and shut down because, well, evil spirit is evil, and has supernatural powers and stuff. Unfriended isn’t so much a movie as a monitor mirror for Blaire’s (Shelley Hennig) Mac as she tries to memorialize the Facebook page of dead Laura Barns (Heather Sossaman), watches the YouTube video that drove Laura to kill herself, Googles to find out what you should do when the departed try to chat with you online (“Do not answer messages from the dead!
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
A bunch of teens group-chatting online find themselves e-tormented by the evil spirit of a classmate who was bullied into suicide exactly one year earlier. They can’t just log off and shut down because, well, evil spirit is evil, and has supernatural powers and stuff. Unfriended isn’t so much a movie as a monitor mirror for Blaire’s (Shelley Hennig) Mac as she tries to memorialize the Facebook page of dead Laura Barns (Heather Sossaman), watches the YouTube video that drove Laura to kill herself, Googles to find out what you should do when the departed try to chat with you online (“Do not answer messages from the dead!
- 4/30/2015
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Scary and subversive, Unfriended is the first time our online lives have been successfully represented on the big screen – where it has to be seen
There are some films you can’t watch on your phone or your tablet, films you absolutely need to see on the big screen – like Lawrence of Arabia or Metropolis. Weirdly, Unfriended is one of them.
It’s a nasty, tasty supernatural horror about cyberbullying and social media that takes place entirely online, in fact more or less entirely on one computer screen. But you can’t watch it on a titchy computer screen yourself without losing its essential flavour, and missing out on the eerie “blow-up” effect. You have to see those browsers, with all their irritating little features and insidious ads and prompts, all those designs that have become embedded in your subconscious mind, magnified to the size of Stonehenge. Part of the creepy effect of this movie,...
There are some films you can’t watch on your phone or your tablet, films you absolutely need to see on the big screen – like Lawrence of Arabia or Metropolis. Weirdly, Unfriended is one of them.
It’s a nasty, tasty supernatural horror about cyberbullying and social media that takes place entirely online, in fact more or less entirely on one computer screen. But you can’t watch it on a titchy computer screen yourself without losing its essential flavour, and missing out on the eerie “blow-up” effect. You have to see those browsers, with all their irritating little features and insidious ads and prompts, all those designs that have become embedded in your subconscious mind, magnified to the size of Stonehenge. Part of the creepy effect of this movie,...
- 4/30/2015
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Director: Levan Gabriadze; Screenwriter: Nelson Greaves; Starring: Shelley Hennig, Will Peltz, Moses Storm, Renee Olstead, Heather Sossaman, Jacob Wysocki, Courtney Halverson; Running time: 83 mins; Certificate: 15
Unfriended is a horror film set entirely on someone's social media feeds that unfolds solely on one laptop screen. Whatever next? Attack of the Killer Emojis? Nightmare on Elm Street: Meme Warriors?
Such presumptuous cynicism about a film best described as 'streaming footage' is understandable given the abundance of abysmal 'found footage' horror flicks in recent times. Yet these fears are quashed by the skillful execution of a surprisingly fresh storytelling form. For Unfriended is innovative, scary and smart, capturing the neuroses and pressures on today's youth within the claustrophobic confines of the digital age. It does for Skype what The Blair Witch Project did for forests.
Through a screencast of high school student Blaire's (Shelley Hennig) laptop, we witness her online interactions with her...
Unfriended is a horror film set entirely on someone's social media feeds that unfolds solely on one laptop screen. Whatever next? Attack of the Killer Emojis? Nightmare on Elm Street: Meme Warriors?
Such presumptuous cynicism about a film best described as 'streaming footage' is understandable given the abundance of abysmal 'found footage' horror flicks in recent times. Yet these fears are quashed by the skillful execution of a surprisingly fresh storytelling form. For Unfriended is innovative, scary and smart, capturing the neuroses and pressures on today's youth within the claustrophobic confines of the digital age. It does for Skype what The Blair Witch Project did for forests.
Through a screencast of high school student Blaire's (Shelley Hennig) laptop, we witness her online interactions with her...
- 4/30/2015
- Digital Spy
Unfriended is exactly the kind of film studios love. It.s a movie that was produced for practically nothing and made millions at the box office. After debuting in U.S. theaters on April 17, the film has earned more than $25 million. So it shouldn.t come as a major shocker that Universal has green lit Unfriended 2. According to Bloody Disgusting, the sequel to Unfriended, which is being hailed by critics as the most creative horror film of the year, is officially in the works. Nelson Greaves, who wrote the script for the first film, is already drafting the treatment for Unfriended 2. Unfriended was produced by Timur Bekmambetov and directed by Leo Gabriadze. Taking place entirely on a MacBook screen, the film follows six high school friends who receive a Skype message from their deceased classmate, Laura Barns. A year earlier, a video was anonymously posted online, showing her drunk and...
- 4/27/2015
- cinemablend.com
Read More: The Death-by-Skype Horror Movie 'Unfriended' is an Unlikely Critical Hit Let's face it -- the majority of horror films released by studios nowadays are neither all that scary or particularly creative. Universal's current micro-budget hit "Unfriended," written by Nelson Greaves and directed by Leo Gabriadze, is both. Dreamed up by "Wanted" director Timur Bekmambetov, "Unfriended" plays out entirely on a MacBook screen, where six high school students -- plus one sinister seventh party -- group chat on Skype on the one-year anniversary of their classmate Laura Barns' suicide. When the mystery user claims to be Barns, the teens start dying, one by one. The ingenious execution of "Unfriended" (who knew static webcam images could induce suspense?) hasn't gone unnoticed by film critics, many of whom embraced the film prior to its theatrical launch last week -- a rarity for the horror genre. For a roundup of the positive.
- 4/24/2015
- by Nigel M Smith
- Indiewire
Computers have become an integral part of our lives, but movies still haven’t come up with an interesting way of depicting their use. The character hunched over his or her laptop has replaced the character poking away at a typewriter as the dullest “action” that can happen in a movie. Writer Nelson Greaves and director Levan Gabriadze light upon an innovative, if obvious, solution to the problem in the cyber-horror flick Unfriended: their movie is one 80-minute shot of the protagonist’s computer screen. The computer is no longer just an aid to the plot; it is the medium through which not only the characters, but the audience, experience the plot.
Unfriended follows a group of high-school friends as they participate in a Skype chat over the course of a night. As far as horror archetypes are concerned, the gang’s all here. We’ve got Adam (Will Peltz...
Unfriended follows a group of high-school friends as they participate in a Skype chat over the course of a night. As far as horror archetypes are concerned, the gang’s all here. We’ve got Adam (Will Peltz...
- 4/17/2015
- by Patrick Dunn
- CinemaNerdz
Unfriended
Written by Nelson Greaves
Directed by Levan Gabriadze
USA, 2014
Unfriended is the most ingenuous ‘contained thriller’ to come along in some time. Sadly, it doesn’t work nearly as well as a horror film, relying on the same tired jump scares to punctuate its well-constructed suspense. Director Levan Gabriadze makes everything refreshingly barebones and tech-savvy for maximum realism. The timely nature of its subject matter, cyber-bullying, and its clever premise keep Unfriended entertaining, even if we don’t logoff completely satisfied.
One year ago, High School junior Laura Barns (Heather Sossaman) killed herself after an embarrassing YouTube video resulted in relentless hazing. Now, on the anniversary of her death, six of her friends are terrorized during a Skype chat by a malicious browser claiming to be Laura. If any of them logoff without Laura’s permission, they all die. It’s an elegant premise, but can it sustain our attention for 80 minutes?...
Written by Nelson Greaves
Directed by Levan Gabriadze
USA, 2014
Unfriended is the most ingenuous ‘contained thriller’ to come along in some time. Sadly, it doesn’t work nearly as well as a horror film, relying on the same tired jump scares to punctuate its well-constructed suspense. Director Levan Gabriadze makes everything refreshingly barebones and tech-savvy for maximum realism. The timely nature of its subject matter, cyber-bullying, and its clever premise keep Unfriended entertaining, even if we don’t logoff completely satisfied.
One year ago, High School junior Laura Barns (Heather Sossaman) killed herself after an embarrassing YouTube video resulted in relentless hazing. Now, on the anniversary of her death, six of her friends are terrorized during a Skype chat by a malicious browser claiming to be Laura. If any of them logoff without Laura’s permission, they all die. It’s an elegant premise, but can it sustain our attention for 80 minutes?...
- 4/17/2015
- by J.R. Kinnard
- SoundOnSight
Unfriended is a pretty intense cyber-thriller that is sure to scare teens straight with its anti-bullying theme.
Sure, we’ve all seen the wave of found footage flicks that has come out in the past decade or so, starting with The Blair Witch Project (which, Fyi, still holds up). Since it’s release, audiences have been bombarded with the sub-genre of films… some good, some terrible, such as the never-ending supply of Paranormal Activity movies. This is where Unfriended broke the mold. The film modified the handheld cam look, and upgraded it to a laptop. Think about it. What are teens up to when they are at home on a school night? They’re talking to their friends in group chats, posting on Facebook, and texting with their smartphones. It’s never been easier for kids to have access to whatever it is that they want. Unfortunately, this is also...
Sure, we’ve all seen the wave of found footage flicks that has come out in the past decade or so, starting with The Blair Witch Project (which, Fyi, still holds up). Since it’s release, audiences have been bombarded with the sub-genre of films… some good, some terrible, such as the never-ending supply of Paranormal Activity movies. This is where Unfriended broke the mold. The film modified the handheld cam look, and upgraded it to a laptop. Think about it. What are teens up to when they are at home on a school night? They’re talking to their friends in group chats, posting on Facebook, and texting with their smartphones. It’s never been easier for kids to have access to whatever it is that they want. Unfortunately, this is also...
- 4/16/2015
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Tapping into the dangers of evolving technology and how detrimental social media can be when used for bullying is Unfriended. The surprisingly intense cyber-thriller follows a group of friends on the one-year anniversary of the suicide of one of their classmates who took her life after being relentlessly tormented after an embarrassing video of her was released online. As they begin Skyping with each other and immersing in the usual nonsensical teenage drama and chit-chat, something sinister has joined in on the fun and wants to play a deadly game where whoever loses will pay the ultimate price.
Unfriended is completely contained within the computer screen of Blaire (Shelly Hennig), the longtime friend of suicide victim Laura Barns, an approach from writer Nelson Greaves and director Levan Gabriadze that adds a nice level of realism to the overall story. By allowing viewers to feel like they’re immersed inside of...
Unfriended is completely contained within the computer screen of Blaire (Shelly Hennig), the longtime friend of suicide victim Laura Barns, an approach from writer Nelson Greaves and director Levan Gabriadze that adds a nice level of realism to the overall story. By allowing viewers to feel like they’re immersed inside of...
- 4/16/2015
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
After relentless online bullying, Laura Barns killed herself. She went out to the school yard, took a handgun, turned it on herself and that was it. Footage of the suicide remains on YouTube a year later as does the original video that started the whole thing, video of an inebriated Laura, passed out in the dirt with menstrual blood staining her shorts and legs. Tonight, a group of friends that knew Laura have gathered on Skype for a nightly chat. Unfriended is shot entirely from this perspective, capturing the desktop of one of Laura's friends, Blaire (Shelley Hennig), as she chats it up with her boyfriend (Moses Jacob Storm) and a growing group of friends and one unknown visitor. Seen only as an anonymous icon in their Skype chat, it soon becomes evident someone or -- dun, dun, dun -- something has hacked their chat and their malevolent motivations soon become clear.
- 4/16/2015
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Face to Face: Gabriadze’s Topical Mutation of Technological Terror
How effectively chilling it is may be arguable. But there’s no denying that Levan Gabriadze’s English language debut Unfriended manages to be clever and somewhat topically meaningful in the age of cyberbullying on social media apps that have chained humans unwittingly to being constantly recorded, in some sense, at nearly every waking moment. Produced by Timur Bekmambetov, the film premiered as Cybernatural (too kitschy for the cool kids) at the 2014 Fantasia Film Festival, its fascination with and deliberate technological framing manage to meld found-footage aesthetics with the attention span of the real-time generation. Screenwriter Nelson Greave’s plot feels kind of similar to Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s creepy 2001 internet ghost film Pulse (which got a Us redo in 2006), but manages to keep an adept, impressive focus on all the action taking place from the perspective of one character’s home screen.
How effectively chilling it is may be arguable. But there’s no denying that Levan Gabriadze’s English language debut Unfriended manages to be clever and somewhat topically meaningful in the age of cyberbullying on social media apps that have chained humans unwittingly to being constantly recorded, in some sense, at nearly every waking moment. Produced by Timur Bekmambetov, the film premiered as Cybernatural (too kitschy for the cool kids) at the 2014 Fantasia Film Festival, its fascination with and deliberate technological framing manage to meld found-footage aesthetics with the attention span of the real-time generation. Screenwriter Nelson Greave’s plot feels kind of similar to Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s creepy 2001 internet ghost film Pulse (which got a Us redo in 2006), but manages to keep an adept, impressive focus on all the action taking place from the perspective of one character’s home screen.
- 4/16/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
"Unfriended" is a very silly film. "Unfriended" is also a very clever film. For a very silly film. And that combination of clever and silly will most likely make "Unfriended" a small sensation of sorts among the audience it is clearly chasing. It made me laugh when a group of teens paused mid-conversation to explain to one another what a "troll" is, because every person in that conversation would 100% already know that word. It's clearly a nod to the idea that my parents might see "Unfriended," and they wouldn't know, so someone has to explain it. The makers of "Unfriended" shouldn't worry, though, because there's little or no chance my parents would ever see this movie. While this is being released by a studio, it's actually a pick-up, an independent film that started life on the festival circuit with the title "Cybernatural." Director Levan Gabriadze and writer Nelson Greaves were...
- 4/14/2015
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
This review was originally published during our coverage of the 2015 SXSW Film Festival.
In order to survive, one must adapt. As the world changes and influences shift, society must move with the times in order to keep advancing. The same goes for horror films. In order for such a manipulative genre to survive, filmmakers have to adapt to the times and find horror in the ways people are living Today, not twenty years ago. Cell phones get service everywhere, video cameras capture everything, and the internet has turned into a cesspool of hatred that’s ten times more terrifying than Leatherface’s dungeon – so why not use it?
That’s exactly what Unfriended does. Teenagers don’t have to be galavanting around isolated campgrounds to become genre victims anymore; all they need is an internet connection, a free night, and a pile of twisted secrets like ammunition for a loaded gun.
In order to survive, one must adapt. As the world changes and influences shift, society must move with the times in order to keep advancing. The same goes for horror films. In order for such a manipulative genre to survive, filmmakers have to adapt to the times and find horror in the ways people are living Today, not twenty years ago. Cell phones get service everywhere, video cameras capture everything, and the internet has turned into a cesspool of hatred that’s ten times more terrifying than Leatherface’s dungeon – so why not use it?
That’s exactly what Unfriended does. Teenagers don’t have to be galavanting around isolated campgrounds to become genre victims anymore; all they need is an internet connection, a free night, and a pile of twisted secrets like ammunition for a loaded gun.
- 4/14/2015
- by Matt Donato
- We Got This Covered
Chicago – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 40 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the new horror film “Unfriended” from horror producer Jason Blum (“Paranormal Activity,” “The Purge” and “Insidious” series) and visionary filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov (“Wanted,” “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”)!
“Unfriended,” which opens on April 17, 2015 and is rated “R,” stars Shelley Hennig, Moses Jacob Storm, Renee Olstead, Will Peltz, Jacob Wysocki, Courtney Halverson and Heather Sossaman from director Levan Gabriadze and writer Nelson Greaves. Note: You must be 17+ to win and attend this “R”-rated screening.
To win your free “Unfriended” passes courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our social media widget below. That’s it! This screening is on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. The more social actions you complete, the more points you score and the higher yours odds of winning! Completing these social actions only increases...
“Unfriended,” which opens on April 17, 2015 and is rated “R,” stars Shelley Hennig, Moses Jacob Storm, Renee Olstead, Will Peltz, Jacob Wysocki, Courtney Halverson and Heather Sossaman from director Levan Gabriadze and writer Nelson Greaves. Note: You must be 17+ to win and attend this “R”-rated screening.
To win your free “Unfriended” passes courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our social media widget below. That’s it! This screening is on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. The more social actions you complete, the more points you score and the higher yours odds of winning! Completing these social actions only increases...
- 4/12/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
May 1
Far From the Madding Crowd
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Michael Sheen, Tom Sturridge
Running time: 119 minutes
Certificate: 12A
Monsters: Dark Continent
Director: Tom Green
Starring: Joe Dempsie, Sofia Boutella, Johnny Harris
Running time: 121 mins
Certificate: 15
Unfriended
Director: Levan Gabriadze
Starring: Cal Barnes, Matthew Bohrer, Courtney Halverson
Running time: 82 mins
Certificate: Tbc
May 8
The Age of Adaline
Director: Lee Toland Krieger
Starring: Blake Lively, Harrison Ford, Michiel Huisman
Running time: 110 mins
Certificate: Tbc
Big Game
Director: Jalmari Helander
Starring: Samuel L Jackson, Onni Tommila, Ray Stevenson
Running time: 110 mins
Certificate: Tbc
Rosewater
Director: Jon Stewart
Starring: Gael García Bernal, Kim Bodnia, Dimitri Leonidas
Running time: 103 mins
Certificate: 15
A Royal Night Out
Director: Julian Jarrold
Starring: Sarah Gadon, Emily Watson, Rupert Everett
Running time: 97 minutes
Certificate: 12A
Spooks: The Greater Good
Director: Bharat Nalluri
Starring: Kit Harington, Lara Pulver, David Harewood
Running time: 104 mins
Certificate: 15
Top Five
Director: Chris Rock
Starring: Chris Rock,...
Far From the Madding Crowd
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Michael Sheen, Tom Sturridge
Running time: 119 minutes
Certificate: 12A
Monsters: Dark Continent
Director: Tom Green
Starring: Joe Dempsie, Sofia Boutella, Johnny Harris
Running time: 121 mins
Certificate: 15
Unfriended
Director: Levan Gabriadze
Starring: Cal Barnes, Matthew Bohrer, Courtney Halverson
Running time: 82 mins
Certificate: Tbc
May 8
The Age of Adaline
Director: Lee Toland Krieger
Starring: Blake Lively, Harrison Ford, Michiel Huisman
Running time: 110 mins
Certificate: Tbc
Big Game
Director: Jalmari Helander
Starring: Samuel L Jackson, Onni Tommila, Ray Stevenson
Running time: 110 mins
Certificate: Tbc
Rosewater
Director: Jon Stewart
Starring: Gael García Bernal, Kim Bodnia, Dimitri Leonidas
Running time: 103 mins
Certificate: 15
A Royal Night Out
Director: Julian Jarrold
Starring: Sarah Gadon, Emily Watson, Rupert Everett
Running time: 97 minutes
Certificate: 12A
Spooks: The Greater Good
Director: Bharat Nalluri
Starring: Kit Harington, Lara Pulver, David Harewood
Running time: 104 mins
Certificate: 15
Top Five
Director: Chris Rock
Starring: Chris Rock,...
- 4/9/2015
- Digital Spy
Ushering in a new era of horror, Universal Pictures’ Unfriended unfolds over a teenager’s computer screen as she and her friends are stalked by an unseen figure who seeks vengeance for a shaming video that led a vicious bully to kill herself a year earlier.
After Universal executives saw a test screening of Unfriended terrify a test audience, the studio acquired the thriller that was developed and conceived by visionary filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter). Directed by Levan Gabriadze, Unfriended is written by Nelson Greaves and produced by Bekmambetov and Greaves, as well as Jason Blum for Blumhouse Productions.
The film stars Shelley Hennig, Moses Storm, Renee Olstead, Will Peltz, Jacob Wysocki, Courtney Halverson, Heather Sossaman.
Unfriended hits theaters April 17.
Wamg invites you to enter for a chance to win passes (Good for 2) to the advance screening of Unfriended on Wednesday, April 15th at 7pm in the St.
After Universal executives saw a test screening of Unfriended terrify a test audience, the studio acquired the thriller that was developed and conceived by visionary filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter). Directed by Levan Gabriadze, Unfriended is written by Nelson Greaves and produced by Bekmambetov and Greaves, as well as Jason Blum for Blumhouse Productions.
The film stars Shelley Hennig, Moses Storm, Renee Olstead, Will Peltz, Jacob Wysocki, Courtney Halverson, Heather Sossaman.
Unfriended hits theaters April 17.
Wamg invites you to enter for a chance to win passes (Good for 2) to the advance screening of Unfriended on Wednesday, April 15th at 7pm in the St.
- 4/8/2015
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions are screening Unfriended on Wednesday, April 8, in New York City and Shock Till You Drop is giving away 25 passes (each for two people)! Directed by Levan Gabriadze, and produced by Timur Bekmambetov and Blumhouse, Unfriended unfolds over a teenager’s computer screen as she and her friends are stalked by an unseen figure…
The post NYC: See Online Horror Unfriended Wednesday Night, Free appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
The post NYC: See Online Horror Unfriended Wednesday Night, Free appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 4/7/2015
- by Samuel Zimmerman
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Blumhouse’s cybernetic horror show Unfriended has already garnered a cult following thanks to its appearance at the recent South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival. Now, with little over two weeks until the film’s release, the production company has unveiled an eerie new trailer that imagines a scenario where six Internet friends are haunted by a malevolent spirit.
That malevolent spirit in question belongs to one Laura Barns, a high school student who committed suicide shortly after an embarrassing video of her drunk at a party spread through her circle of friends — and indeed the college — like wildfire.
Like Poltergeist for the Skype generation, Unfriended is certainly a unique take on the traditional vengeful ghost approach, and it’ll be interesting to see how the film performs on the big stage after riding the buzz of goodwill from its festival showcase.
Unfriended is due to loom into theaters on...
That malevolent spirit in question belongs to one Laura Barns, a high school student who committed suicide shortly after an embarrassing video of her drunk at a party spread through her circle of friends — and indeed the college — like wildfire.
Like Poltergeist for the Skype generation, Unfriended is certainly a unique take on the traditional vengeful ghost approach, and it’ll be interesting to see how the film performs on the big stage after riding the buzz of goodwill from its festival showcase.
Unfriended is due to loom into theaters on...
- 4/6/2015
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions have released a new TV Spot and new images for techno-thriller "Unfriended". Universal Pictures' "Unfriended" unfolds over a teenager's computer screen as she and her friends are stalked by an unseen figure who seeks vengeance for a shaming video that led a vicious bully to kill herself a year earlier. The April 17 release stars Shelley Hennig, Moses Jacob Storm, Renee Olstead, Will Peltz, Jacob Wysocki, Courtney Halverson and Heather Sossaman. After Universal executives saw a test screening of "Unfriended" terrify a test audice, the studio acquired the thriller that was developed and conceived by visionary filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov ("Night Watch", "Wanted", "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"). Directed by Levan Gabriadze,...
- 4/6/2015
- www.ohmygore.com/
Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions have released a new TV Spot and new images for techno-thriller "Unfriended". Universal Pictures' "Unfriended" unfolds over a teenager's computer screen as she and her friends are stalked by an unseen figure who seeks vengeance for a shaming video that led a vicious bully to kill herself a year earlier. The April 17 release stars Shelley Hennig, Moses Jacob Storm, Renee Olstead, Will Peltz, Jacob Wysocki, Courtney Halverson and Heather Sossaman. After Universal executives saw a test screening of "Unfriended" terrify a test audice, the studio acquired the thriller that was developed and conceived by visionary filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov ("Night Watch", "Wanted", "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"). Directed by Levan Gabriadze,...
- 4/6/2015
- www.ohmygore.com/
That social media is very frequently anti-social in the extreme is really not news at this point, with virtually everyone having a handful of stories of horrible things 'friends' have said or done to each other online. But despite the pervasiveness of such behavior social media has not really been explored to any great extent on film as of yet, and this is precisely what director Levan Gabriadze and producers Timur Bekmambetov and Jason Blum are diving into with Unfriended.Releasing April 17th, the novel horror film takes place entirely on the computer screen of its young protagonist and fuses social media interaction with another phenomenon unique to the past decade - namely the continuing online presence of the dead. While video chatting one night, six...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 4/6/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Sneak Peek footage from "Unfriended" (aka "Cybernatural"), a 'found footage' teen horror feature directed by Levan Gabriadze, opening April 17, 2015:
"...high school student 'Laura Barns' (Heather Sossaman) committed suicide due to ridicule received over an embarrassing video of her passed out at a party. Six of her classmates were especially horrible in their treatment of her, as they were unpopular and Laura was the most popular girl in school. Those six classmates decide to get together to talk with one another via Skype, but are ill-prepared when an uninvited seventh person logs onto Laura's old Skype account and shows that he or she knows quite a bit about the prior year's events.
"The unknown person threatens the group and states that if they log out or stop talking, someone will die. The person torments the friends, by attacking them in their houses. As the chat progresses, the truth about who...
"...high school student 'Laura Barns' (Heather Sossaman) committed suicide due to ridicule received over an embarrassing video of her passed out at a party. Six of her classmates were especially horrible in their treatment of her, as they were unpopular and Laura was the most popular girl in school. Those six classmates decide to get together to talk with one another via Skype, but are ill-prepared when an uninvited seventh person logs onto Laura's old Skype account and shows that he or she knows quite a bit about the prior year's events.
"The unknown person threatens the group and states that if they log out or stop talking, someone will die. The person torments the friends, by attacking them in their houses. As the chat progresses, the truth about who...
- 3/30/2015
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
On the first night of the 2015 SXSW Film Festival, Levan Gabriadze’s Unfriended premiered in front of a packed audience. Daily Dead had the opportunity to catch up with Gabriadze as well as screenwriter Nelson Greaves and producer Jason Blum the following day to talk about the film and the horrific realities of cyberbullying.
I’d love to start off talking about the premise behind Unfriended because when you look at where the horror genre is at these days, not many films are tackling the concept of bullying straight on like you do here or even fully exploring the dangers of social media, or being too ‘connected’ in this world. What inspired you to take on these issues then?
Levan Gabriadze: A lot of this came from Timur (Bekmambetov, Wanted, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) originally because he spends so much time doing business on Skype. Because he lives in...
I’d love to start off talking about the premise behind Unfriended because when you look at where the horror genre is at these days, not many films are tackling the concept of bullying straight on like you do here or even fully exploring the dangers of social media, or being too ‘connected’ in this world. What inspired you to take on these issues then?
Levan Gabriadze: A lot of this came from Timur (Bekmambetov, Wanted, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) originally because he spends so much time doing business on Skype. Because he lives in...
- 3/20/2015
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
At this point in the festival your brain is most likely spinning because you can't keep all the film titles straight. Hopefully this gallery can help you put some (famous) faces to the names of films. Read More: The 2015 Indiewire SXSW Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During Run of Festival "Ex Machina" actor Oscar Isaac."Ava's Possessions" director Jordan Galland and actress Louisa Krause."Unfriended" writer Nelson Greaves, executive producer Jason Blum and director Leo Gabriadze."Hello My Name is Doris" actress Sally Field."Adult Beginners" actor Nick Kroll."The Boy" actor Rainn Wilson."Excess Flesh" cast and crew."7 Chinese Brothers" and "The Overnight" actor Jason Schwartzman."We Are Still Here" actor Andrew Sensenig, co-writer/director Ted Geoghegan and producer Travis Stevens."The Boy" executive producer Elijah Wood."Uncle John"...
- 3/15/2015
- by Shipra Gupta
- Indiewire
South by Southwest starts tomorrow, Friday, March 13, and my pores are beaming with excitement, though that could just be a medical condition. I am looking at a very packed schedule of films over the nine day festival, with a total of 38 in all (36 reviews to write). So, I basically will be drowning in movies. But, then again, I can't complain too much, as I wouldn't have it any other way. You can take a look at what I hope my schedule ends up being below. Obviously, things could change as the festival progresses, with some titles getting more buzz than others and overtaking current films and so forth. But, I think, this is how I will be spending my SXSW. I will be updating this post throughout the festival with schedule changes and links to my reviews, so maybe bookmark this page if you're interested. I hope you enjoy my coverage,...
- 3/12/2015
- by Mike Shutt
- Rope of Silicon
The 2015 SXSW Film Festival will be running from March 13th through March 21st in Austin, Texas and the first wave of selections were announced today to get attendees excited for all the amazing films coming our way next month. And while horror fans have to wait until next week for the announcement of the Midnighters slate, here’s a look at some of the genre-related titles already revealed amidst SXSW’s other film categories for this year.
Narrative Feature Competition
Manson Family Vacation
Director/Screenwriter: J. Davis
The story of two brothers: one who’s devoted to his family, the other who’s obsessed with the Manson Family. Cast: Jay Duplass, Linas Phillips, Leonora Pitts, Tobin Bell, Adam Chernick, Davie-Blue. (World Premiere)
Headliners
Ex Machina
Director/Screenwriter: Alex Garland
Alex Garland, writer of 28 Days Later and Sunshine, makes his directorial debut with the stylish and cerebral thriller Ex Machina, starring Domhnall Gleeson,...
Narrative Feature Competition
Manson Family Vacation
Director/Screenwriter: J. Davis
The story of two brothers: one who’s devoted to his family, the other who’s obsessed with the Manson Family. Cast: Jay Duplass, Linas Phillips, Leonora Pitts, Tobin Bell, Adam Chernick, Davie-Blue. (World Premiere)
Headliners
Ex Machina
Director/Screenwriter: Alex Garland
Alex Garland, writer of 28 Days Later and Sunshine, makes his directorial debut with the stylish and cerebral thriller Ex Machina, starring Domhnall Gleeson,...
- 2/3/2015
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Amy Schumer and Bill Hader in TrainwreckPhoto: Universal Pictures With Sundance just wrapping up and Berlin starting up in a few days, we are now immersed in the year-long barrage of film festivals. One such festival in South By Southwest. A few weeks back they announced the first seven films of their program, including the opening night film Brand: A Second Coming. Today, they have revealed the rest of the features to be shown in March (except for the midnight program), and some of it has me very excited. The bigger titles announced do not do much for me. Paul Feig's Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy, and the Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart starrer Get Hard leave a lot to be desired in terms of anticipation, as does a work in progress cut of Judd Apatow's latest film Trainwreck. I'm guessing an Apatow work in progress is probably around three and a half hours.
- 2/3/2015
- by Mike Shutt
- Rope of Silicon
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