Over the past three decades, the world has witnessed technological advancements never seen before. There’s no doubt that technology currently dominates the world. Over 60% of the world’s total population owns a smart device. Everywhere you go you see people focused on their screens for one thing or the other, just as you are using a phone, tablet, or computer to read this article right now. The rapidly growing use of smart devices is what inspired the genesis of screenlife movies. The term screenlife” was coined by Russian director Timur Bekbambetov who has directed and produced several films using this storytelling format.
Screenlife is a form of visual storytelling, where all of the events take place entirely on a computer, tablet or smartphone screen. The format turns familiar online terrain like Instagram into mediums for storytelling. Although screenlife movies can be made in different genres such as action, horror, thriller, and comedy, most screenlife films fall into the horror category. The earliest example of screenlife movies dates back to the 2002 horror movie The Collingswood Story. Screenlife films typically take a shorter time to film and post-produce compared to traditional movies. In this article, we will cover some iconic screenlife movies released so far.
Missing
First on our list is the 2023 hit thriller film, Missing. The movie is a sequel to the 2018 hit screenlife film Searching, Missing does not follow the same characters or plot line as Searching. Missing premiered on January 19, 2023, at the Sundance Film Festival and was released in the United States the following day, by Sony Pictures Releasing. The movie follows the story of 18-year-old June Allen, who tries to find her missing mother, Grace, after she disappears on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend, Kevin. Missing stars Storm Reid, Joaquim de Almeida, Ken Leung, Amy Landecker, Daniel Henney, and Nia Long. The movie generally received positive reviews from critics earning an average rating of 6.8/10 on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie was also a commercial success grossing over $48 million against a 7 million USD budget.
Unfriended
Unfriended is a screen-life supernatural horror film. The movie was released on July 20, 2014. The film follows six high school students in a Skype conversation who are haunted by a user known as “Billie227 who is also Laura Barns. Laura committed suicide a year prior by gunshot after they uploaded a video of her passing out and defecating at a party. The movie is focused on the theme of bullying. Unfriended is told almost entirely through a MacBook screen. The film stars Shelley Hennig, Moses Storm, Renee Olstead, Will Peltz, Jacob Wysocki, Heather Sossaman and Courtney Halverson. The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a massive box-office success, grossing $62 million against a $1 million budget. In 2018, a sequel, Unfriended: Dark Web was released.
Searching
Regarded as the most successful screen life movie is the 2018 thriller film Searching. The film was released in theatres in the United States on August 24, 2018. Searching follows a father who is trying to find his missing 16-year-old daughter with the help of a police detective. As screenlife movies usually are, Searching featured a small cast including John Cho who was nominated for Best Male Lead at the Independent Spirit Awards, Debra Messing, Michelle La, Joseph Lee, and Sara Sohn. Searching received a lot of positive reviews for its direction, acting, unique visual presentation and unpredictable storyline. The film received the Alfred P. Sloan and the NEXT Audience Award Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. At the box office, the movie was a huge success grossing over $75 million with a budget of $880,000.
Profile
Released on February 17, 2018, Profile is a screenlife thriller film directed by the screenlife movie pioneer himself Timur Bekmambetov. The movie is based on French journalist Anna Erelle’s book In the Skin of a Jihadist about her investigation into the recruitment of young women by ISIS. It follows an undercover British journalist, who is given a mission to target and expose a terrorist recruiter through social media. However, she soon falls for Bilel, an ISIS fighter from Syria as they talk to each other regularly. The movie features a small cast including Valene Kane, Shazad Latif, Christine Adams, Amir Rahimzadeh and Morgan Watkins. Profile earned an average rating of 6/10 on Rotten Tomatoes. The film also won the Panorama Audience Award at the Berlinale.
Spree
Released in 2020, Spree is an American satirical horror film. The movie was executive-produced by popular Canadian rapper and singer, Drake. The movie follows a rideshare driver who is desperate for an online following and begins livestreaming himself murdering passengers. The movie’s cast includes Stranger Things’ Joe Keery, Sasheer Zamata, David Arquette, Kyle Mooney and Mischa Barton. The film received mixed reviews and did poorly commercially, however, critics praised Keery’s performance.
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