This is your last weekend to watch one of Netflix’s best horror movies

Cinema’s screenlife subgenre, where the events of a movie largely take place online, and the story plays out on a computer, tablet, or smartphone screen, has become an emerging method to depict the unique anxieties of modern life. The format — something of a descendent of and replacement for the found-footage fad — is especially well-suited to thrillers and horror stories, as seen in 2023’s great mystery Missing, a follow-up to 2018’s Search Terms.

Screenlife fiction began at the beginning of the 20th century with the 2000 Franco-Belgian movie Thomas in Love The 2014 horror smash was regarded as the “first screenlife” feature. Unfriended Produced by The Night Watch The following are some examples of how to get started: Needed director Timur Bekmambetov, who coined the term “screenlife”) that really brought this style of filmmaking into the mainstream. It was the perfect test case. This film is awesome. It’s been on Netflix for a while now, but its last day on the platform is Monday, Oct. 16, and you should absolutely watch it this spooky season.

You can also find out more about the following: UnfriendedFriends from high school meet up over Skype. A mysterious character interrupts their Skype call, implying the group was involved in the death of a student who recently committed suicide after bullying at school. This invader threatens them and holds them hostage on the call — until they start dropping off one by one, with some horrifying imagery.

Universal Pictures

Unfriended This is an intense movie which makes good use of screenlife, keeping the viewer firmly inside the confines of the MacBook of protagonist Blaire. Teen Wolf). Mouse cursors are blinking in anticipation. The user types out their initial reactions to an event, then deletes them and typed more cautious or tactful messages. And notification pop-ups and familiar app interfaces help immerse the audience in the movie’s world, and draw attention to different parts of the screen. Moses Storm, a future Polygon favorite (The PlayersJacob Wysocki is arguably the most hilarious recurring character in the Dropout Universe.

There’s also a 2018 sequel to Unfriended, Dark Web: Unfriended. That one is also very good, and it sheds the original movie’s supernatural trappings in favor of a more grounded mystery. If you’re interested, that one’s streaming on FreeVee.

It’s your last chance to catch a movie Unfriended on Netflix — but don’t watch it on your TV. That’d be letting yourself off easy. You can watch it on a tablet or laptop to better immerse you in the horror. The first time I watched the movie on my laptop at a café, I couldn’t recommend it more. You will never look at your laptop — or a Skype call — the same way again.