The concept of a high school / college outsider who wreaks havoc on those who have shunned them is not a new one – the classic example being Prom Night in 1980. Nor is a horror film with a social media background – just last year we had Unfriended. So, despite desperately trying to feel up-to-date, there is little new in Friend Request.
A lonely and weird girl Marina (Liesl Ahlers) tries to befriend the popular Laura (Alycia Debnam Carey). Laura initially feels sorry for Marina but when she starts being stalked, she drops her as a friend in real life and de-friends her on Facebook – well I say Facebook, but the film makers obviously didn’t have the rights to use that social media platform as the name isn’t mentioned at all in the film, but we all know what they mean! Marina subsequently commits suicide, and then unpleasant events start to occur to Laura and her friends…
The first half of the film is fine. Admittedly, the kids are all annoying as they tend to be in such films but the set up is done pretty well and the idea that the worst fate that can befall you is losing friends on Facebook is a believable one, based on the characters presented. However, the second half of the film is a serious let down. The usual quiet-LOUD-jump scares abound, and they even use the ‘it was only a dream’ trope. With a mish-mash of well-worn horror movie ideas, there isn’t a lot of imagination used. The performances are mostly average at best – I’m getting tired of seeing people show they are scared by panting like they are out of breath! The best of them as Connor Paolo as Kobe, the one character who seems to be more than one-dimensional.
The ending is far from convincing and it comes as no surprise that what little logic there was is abandoned in the efforts to set up a sequel.
Rating: 4 out of 10