In the frightening new horror movie Unfriended, a group of friends are video chatting one night when they have an unexpected, and very unwelcome, visitor. She claims to be a former friend of theirs, a young woman who commited suicide after a very unflattering video of her was posted on the Internet. It quickly becomes clear that the hapless teens will be terrorized for their past sins.
The movie, which is presented from the point of view of one person's computer screen, is a fresh twist on the idea of teenagers being stalked by an unknown force or figure with murderous intent. The weapon of choice differs from classics in the field, which themselves have been updated with remakes and sequels. Indeed, horror movies have depicted a number of ways that teenagers have been terrorized through the years.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
Wes Craven's 1984 original pitted teenagers against something they naturally hate: sleep! Oh, yes, and a monstrous creature named Freddy Krueger who was waiting to kill in a stunning variety of ways. The 2010 remake revolved around the possibility that Freddy was falsely accused in the first place, which really confused the teen protagonists. One terror stayed constant: don't fall asleep in the bathtub!
Scream 4 (2011)
In 1996, the first film in the series sparked a wave of self-aware, self-mocking, rather snarky horror entries in which teenagers were frightened more by the idea of being in a horror movie than the prospect of being sliced and diced by a serial killer. The second installment focused on copycat killers and the third functioned as a kind of origin story, leaving the fourth film to introduce new teen characters facing new "rule" for horror movie survival.
Piranha (2010)
The 1978 original was plainly intended as a rip-off of Jaws, but as written by John Sayles and directed by Joe Dante, proved to be a clever, humorous, and intense thriller on its own merits, following a pack of teens at a combined water park and summer camp. The remake starts off with a huge nod to Jaws -- thanks, Richard Dreyfuss! -- before presenting a debauched version of spring break, upping the nudity and bloody violence exponentially. All the "teenagers" look like they've been in college for a very, very long time.
Friday the 13th (2009)
Drawing obvious inspiration from John Carpenter's Halloween, the 1980 original increased the number of terrorized teens and moved the action to a summer camp just before opening. The likeable young people are dispatched with whatever weapon happens to be at hand, though most don't even know their lives are in danger until it's too late. Not so the latest version, in which most of the victims are fully aware of what's happening and suffer mightily by a terrifying selection of sharp weapons.
My Bloody Valentine (2009)
Another slasher movie that owes its inspiration to 1978's Halloween, the 1981 original took advantage of underground locations to present a subterranean view of horror, as teenagers who only want to party are terrorized by a miner who has lost touch with his sanity. The remake starts off with teenagers underground, again facing off against a murderous miner, before fast forwarding a decade as the murders resume. Perhaps the true terror is time?
