HORROR
MOVIE REVIEW OF SIMON VERHOEVEN’s 2016 FILM ‘FRIEND REQUEST’
‘Friend Request’ is a cyber horror film that is constantly compared to 2014’s Unfriended. While both films share similar themes in terms of cyber bullying and the inability for the youth of today to ‘log off’, they are in fact quite different films.
The plot centres around a college student named Laura, she is pretty, popular and has a bright future ahead of her. Like most students her age she is fully committed to all things social media. Laura’s world is turned upside down when she fails to invite quiet loner Marina to her birthday party. After the troubled girl lashes out Laura unfriends her on Facebook and this pushes Marina to the edge.
Unable to take the rejection and the shame of returning to zero friends on Facebook, Marina decides to take her own life. It is this event that triggers are series of bizarre suicides all across the college campus. Laura and her friends begin to suspect Marina had dark secrets that could ultimately lead to their demise.
‘Friend Request’ is a difficult film to pin down, part horror, part social commentary it is constantly weaving from one style to another. Jump scares are abundant here and come thick and fast, yet there is depth and the audience is challenged where you least expect it. The film encapsulates the youth of today perfectly and has a lot to say about the pit falls and potential danger of social media addiction.
The characters are fairly typical but it is the character of Laura who grabs your attention. She is truly engrossed in documenting every aspect of her life and posting it on the internet. Her addiction and the addictions of her friends are their biggest weakness. The protagonist Marina exploit this to lethal ends. The audience may constantly ask themselves ‘why don’t they just turn off their phones!?’. That is exactly the point, even when their lives are in danger the characters are unable to remove themselves from the digital world and the hold it has over them. ‘Friend Request’ got this message across loud and clear without having to explain the obvious or hold the audience’s hand.
Scares are frequent and often here, some of them you may see coming, others will catch you off guard. Many people regard jump scares as a cheap and lazy, but there were prolonged scenes off tension here often with a rewarding fright.
The main flaw with this film is unfortunately its second half. It almost abandons the social media angle in favour of a witch hunt style theme. This split the film down the middle and made for an uneven tone. This was a real shame because the most terrifying aspect was seeing the characters unable to disconnect and trying to gauge who was going to be slaughtered next. Once that hook was abandoned it sadly just felt like many other films in its genre.
The Verdict
‘Friend Request’ is an interesting, tense but also flawed cyber horror film. It offers a shock a minute and moves at nail bitingly steadily pace before showcasing the plot’s big reveal. It is unfortunate that the film is let down by an inconsistent tone which breaks immersion some what and lessens the scare factor during the second half.
3/5
‘Friend Request’ stars: Alycia Debnam-Carey, William Moseley, Liesl Ahlers
Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil is wasting little time making its mark on the long-running horror franchise.
The new film earned $8.8 million from Thursday preview screenings, setting a new preview box office record for the Resident Evil film series. The strong start comes as the reboot officially arrives in theaters today, September 18.
Directed by Cregger, the filmmaker behind Barbarian and Weapons, the latest adaptation is now expected to deliver the biggest domestic opening weekend in franchise history. Current projections have the film targeting roughly $40 million to $50 million, with some estimates suggesting the strong reception could push the total even higher.
The previous franchise high for a domestic opening belonged to Resident Evil: Afterlife, which debuted with approximately $26 million in 2010.
The box office numbers aren’t the only major win for the reboot.
Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil
As of Friday, Resident Evil holds an impressive 96% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 146 critic reviews, making it easily the best-reviewed live-action movie in the franchise. The film has also opened to strong audience reception, currently holding a 91% verified audience score.
That marks a dramatic turnaround for a franchise that has historically struggled with critics despite maintaining a sizable fanbase and becoming a major box office property.
Cregger’s film introduces an original story rather than directly adapting one of the games. Austin Abrams stars as Bryan, a medical courier whose routine delivery quickly becomes a fight for survival as he finds himself caught in a night of chaos and infected creatures.
The cast also includes Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, Johnno Wilson and Paul Walter Hauser.
With franchise-record preview numbers and the strongest reviews the series has ever received, Resident Evil is entering its opening weekend with considerable momentum.
Resident Evil is now playing in theaters.
HORROR
Jason Voorhees Returns in Bloody New Crystal Lake Trailer
Set in 1971, Crystal Lake follows Pamela after Jason disappears in the waters of Crystal Lake and his body is never recovered. As Pamela continues to believe her son could still be alive, two strangers begin investigating her past, setting off a series of increasingly disturbing and violent events.
Jason Voorhees is back.
Peacock has released the bloody new trailer for Crystal Lake, A24’s upcoming Friday the 13th prequel series, and the latest footage appears to tease the early beginnings of one of horror’s most iconic killers.
The series stars Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees and takes audiences back decades before the events of the original Friday the 13th. But while much of the story will explore Pamela and the tragedy surrounding her son, the new trailer makes it clear that Jason himself will have a major presence.
Among the trailer’s most intriguing moments is a shot appearing to show a young Jason wearing a blue jumpsuit and attacking someone with a knife. Other footage further teases the character’s transformation toward the Jason Voorhees horror fans know.
Callum Vinson portrays the young Jason in the series.
Jason Voorhies, Crystal Lake [A24]
Set in 1971, Crystal Lake follows Pamela after Jason disappears in the waters of Crystal Lake and his body is never recovered. As Pamela continues to believe her son could still be alive, two strangers begin investigating her past, setting off a series of increasingly disturbing and violent events.
The series comes from creator, writer and showrunner Brad Caleb Kane, with A24 producing for Peacock.
Rather than simply recreating the original films, Crystal Lake looks to expand the mythology surrounding the Voorhees family while showing audiences a side of Jason’s story that has largely remained unexplored on screen.
And judging by the new trailer, Jason’s path toward becoming the legendary Crystal Lake killer may begin sooner than fans expected.
Crystal Lake premieres October 15 on Peacock.
The upcoming Resident Evil movie is getting one of the strangest theater collectibles we have seen yet.
Regal has revealed its official popcorn promotion for Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil, but instead of another oversized plastic popcorn bucket, the theater chain is leaning directly into the movie’s medical horror.
Fans will be able to pick up a Resident Evil Organ Transplant Popcorn Bag, designed to look like the type of medical transport container used to carry human organs.
Yes, your popcorn is apparently the organ.
The collectible comes with a large popcorn and features Resident Evil branding along with a medical inspired design. Regal joked about the promotion by telling fans that the heart is not included.
It is an appropriately bizarre piece of merchandise for Cregger’s take on the long running horror franchise, which appears ready to push the violence and gore considerably further.
Need a transplant? We recommend this popcorn bag 🫀🍿
Get your hands on the Resident Evil Organ Transplant Popcorn Bag when you see Resident Evil at Regal. Tickets are on sale now: https://t.co/vqcCWmIw27 pic.twitter.com/x8J4grtVsk
— Regal (@RegalMovies) September 1, 2026
A New Resident Evil Nightmare
The new Resident Evil stars Austin Abrams as Bryan, a medical courier who finds himself caught in a horrifying fight for survival as a seemingly routine night descends into chaos.
The cast also includes Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, Paul Walter Hauser, and Johnno Wilson.
Cregger has previously described the movie as the most violent project he has made and promised fans a brutal and bloody experience. The filmmaker is coming off Weapons and is approaching Resident Evil as a new interpretation of Capcom’s iconic survival horror franchise.
The Organ Transplant Popcorn Bag will be available at Regal theaters in conjunction with the movie’s release.
Resident Evil infects theaters September 18, 2026.
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