Unfriended: Dark Web

Fresh out of college, a group of friends gather for a late night session with a borrowed laptop that seems to promise a shortcut to fun. Hidden files on the device hint at a secret that someone wants kept quiet, and the night spirals as they realize they can be watched through the screen. Messages appear from an unseen presence who seems to know their every move and can manipulate the laptop's camera, mic, and files at will. Each attempt to close the windows only invites new demands and darker revelations about relationships, loyalty, and the price of keeping secrets. As the digital trap tightens, trust erodes and the line between online persona and real life becomes terrifyingly thin overall.

Released in 2018, Unfriended: Dark Web was directed by Stephen Susco, known for lean horror. It expands the screen life format from the original, presenting a follow up centered on a group of friends featuring Colin Woodell facing online threats.

Worldwide the film grossed about 16.4 million dollars against a modest 1 million dollar budget, signaling strong performance for a lean horror release. Its numbers reflect a niche audience drawn to the online horror concept and its speed of delivery.

Dark Web helped cement the screen life subgenre as a viable horror path for viewers and kept the focus on private life through a lens of surveillance. It capitalizes on familiar fears about what can be seen and heard via devices, while highlighting the dark web as a modern boogeyman.

Critics generally praised the tense premise and timely reflections on privacy, social pressure, and group dynamics. Some noted thinner characterization and conventional scares, but the film still offers a sharp look at how quickly trust fractures when digital footprints invite scrutiny, judgment, coercive power, and online repercussions across everyday life.