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Parents' Guide to

Unfriended

By Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Edgy, violent horror movie deals with teen cyberbullying.

Movie R 2015 82 minutes
Unfriended Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 22 parent reviews

Anchoa V.
Anchoa V. Parent of 14-year-old
August 21, 2023
age 13+

great message about online bullying, not that scary though

So, the only thing you should really look out for is swearing. The violence was shocking, yes but you can't really see it in great detail, and it was there for shock factor. At the start of the movie there was almost a striptease but nothing really happened. The movie itself might be scary to some, but apart from some jumpscares it feels kind of boring. I think the scary thing about the movie was the message, about how much bullying, even online can affect someone.
sthedin
sthedin Adult
December 30, 2021
age 17+

Disturbing

This movie was pretty good. Nothing wrong with the acting or plot necessarily. it held my attention and wasn’t too cheesy or anything but OH MY GOD was it violent… like OH GOD. if you are squeamish AT ALL I wouldn’t recommend. I’m 18 and I reallly enjoy horror movies. I’ve seen like probably 75% of horror movies lol but this one honestly was the most uncomfortable movie I’ve watched. Its pretty bad. The movie definitely does show the harm of severe bullying tho for sure.
See all 22 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Fresno high schooler Blaire (Shelley Hennig) settles in for an evening on her computer, texting her boyfriend, Mitch (Moses Jacob Storm), with whom she's planning a magical prom night, and Skyping with her best friends. But then a mysterious intruder appears in their group chat, and nothing the friends do can get rid of him/her. Meanwhile, Blaire is receiving strange Facebook messages from one Laura Barns, who committed suicide a year ago that day. The "ghost" makes her intentions known by causing the death of another teen girl, whose final moments the friends witness via their webcams. The intruder promises that the same will happen to the others, unless they play a game. Will the truth come out before it's too late?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (22 ):
Kids say (62 ):

At its core, UNFRIENDED is just another variation on the old Friday the 13th theme, with misbehaving teens paying the ultimate price at the hands of a supernatural killer. But the catch here is that virtually the entire movie takes place on a single computer screen, via shifting windows, YouTube videos, Spotify music, Facebook photos, text messages, web browsers, and characters appearing and disappearing through Skype chats. (Open Windows tried something similar but was far less successful.)

Filmmakers often describe how low budgets and limited resources spur creativity, and that's certainly the case here; without a visible cut, director Levan Gabriadze builds rhythms with the sounds of frantic clicking and the desperate clacking of keyboards. The screen is always in motion, with downward-ticking timers adding to the suspense. Strangely enough, it works, and it can be quite gripping and chilling. Unfriended doesn't feel like a groundbreaker, but it's a successful one-off experiment.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Unfriended's violence. How gory is it? How much was shown? Did it make you jump and/or shriek? How did it achieve that effect? How does it compare to other horror movies you've seen?

  • How does the movie address bullying and cyberbullying? Do any of the messages get lost amid the extreme content? When should parents intervene in a cyberbullying situation?

  • How accurately does the movie reflect teens' real-life media habits? Does it suggest any changes?

  • How does the movie depict drinking and drug use? Does the movie make drinking/drugs look cool? Are there any realistic consequences?

  • What role does sex play in the movie? Why do you think horror movies so often mix sex and violence?

Movie Details

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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