Interviews
[SXSW Interview] The Director and Producer of ‘Unfriended: Dark Web’ Talk Computer Screens and Unlikable Characters!
Three years ago Levan Gabriadze‘s Unfriended surprised millions of viewers by actually being a decent horror film told entirely from the point of view of one girl’s MacBook screen. It was a gamble that paid off in spades. The film grossed $32 million domestically on a reported budget of $1 million, making it one of the most profitable films of 2014. It should come as no surprise that production companies Blumhouse and Bazelevs sought to make a sequel as quickly as possible. Filmed over the course of one week(!) at the end of 2016, Unfriended: Dark Web (my review) will hopefully see a release later this year. The film had its surprise world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival on March 9, 2018 and we were lucky enough to get to chat with director Stephen Susco (screenwriter for The Grudge), producer Timur Bekmambetov (director of Wanted and Night Watch) and actor Colin Woodell (Unsane) about the film.
***SPOILERS for the first Unfriended are mentioned below.***
Sequel Vs. Anthology
The first thing you should note about Unfriended: Dark Web is that it is a sequel in-name-only to the first film. The ghost of Laura Barnes does not make a cameo appearance, nor do any of the other characters from that film. Dark Web also differs from the first film in that it is based entirely in reality and does not feature any supernatural elements. So you don’t have to have seen Unfriended to enjoy Unfriended: Dark Web. Why go that route as opposed to making a direct sequel? “Because the first one was too good,” Susco said. “I mean my reaction was that I cannot top this.”
“And the characters from the first one are all dead,” Bekmambetov added cheekily. Touché sir, touché.
The Limitations of a Computer Screen
What sets the Unfriended series and similar films like The Den and Bekmambetov’s Profile, which also screened at SXSW this year, apart is the filming style: they are all told entirely from one character’s computer screen. The method won’t work for everyone, but it can’t be denied that it is a fascinating way of telling a story (it is especially surreal if you are watching it on your laptop). Unfriended used the device to its advantage by using it as a window into Blair’s (Shelley Hennig, Ouija) life. By showing her secret conversations with her friends as well as her Google searches (among other things), the film is able to characterize her without any clunky exposition. Dark Web does something similar with Woodell’s character Matias. “It’s the testament to that narrative form,” Susco said, “when you have all these crazy restrictions like [the fact that] it has to be on a computer screen. Trying to figure out how to work within that leads to some really interesting discoveries…This is an entirely different way of telling a narrative.”
But what about the naysayers who don’t like the narrative style? To them it’s just a cheap gimmick to help sell the film to today’s youth. Bekmambetov has his own opinion on that. “It’s not about the way we film,” he said. “It’s about the world we’re living in. It’s very stupid to see a modern movie where people [barely] interact with their devices. People are constantly on their devices. If you want to know about me and you want to understand me you should follow me and see my screen. I spend half of my time on a screen and it means half of the content in the world should be screen life content. That’s what I think.”
Unlikable Characters
Viewers may be able to adapt to a filming style, but can you make them endure a film filled with unlikable characters? That was a common complaint with the first Unfriended. After all, how are we supposed to root for any of the characters to live if we don’t like any of them? I would argue that that was the point of the first film though. The fun of that movie is hating the characters and watching them all get butchered. Of course, you don’t learn how terrible they are until the secrets start pouring out, but the five characters at the center of the film
Susco agrees, saying “I’m totally with you. I thought it was ingenious when you get into their story you realize that they’re not friends. They’re awful people and they’re awful to each other. And you couldn’t tell that right away…So by the time you get to the end you’re kind of completely with the ghost, you know?”
While he understands the appeal of killing off unlikable characters, Susco wanted to do something different with Unfriended: Dark Web. “I wanted to have people in their mid-20s and not their teens,” he said. “I wanted to have people that would not give up on each other and will remain friends so that every time someone dies it’s gut-wrenching. I wanted to try the inverse of everything [the first one did], you know?”
Knowing that, I sincerely hope that people who weren’t fond of the first one give Unfriended: Dark Web a shot. I think they’re both good films, but for different reasons. Keep checking Bloody Disgusting for updates on the film, which will hopefully get a release date soon.
Unfriended: Dark Web will be released in theaters nationwide later this year. No release date has been set.
Interviews
The Work ‘Grind’ Is Hell, So Brea Grant & Ed Dougherty Made a Horror Anthology About It [CFF 2026 Interview]
Genre fans rejoice! Chattanooga Film Festival is back for its 13th year in 2026 with a killer lineup and once again offering audiences both in-person and virtual options. After having its World Premiere at SXSW this spring, the horror comedy anthology Grind is playing CFF 2026 opening weekend.
From a screenplay by Brea Grant (Torn Hearts, 12 Hour Shift) and Ed Dougherty (MLM) and segments directed by Grant, Dougherty, and Chelsea Stardust (Satanic Panic), Grind features four interwoven stories that parody the gig economy, hustle culture, and the evils of late-stage capitalism.
The anthology follows weary everyday people juggling side hustles just to survive, while going up against greedy oligarchs, and cleverly uses dark humor and bloody practical effects to portray a world much like our current economic nightmare.
Bloody Disgusting had the pleasure of chatting with Brea Grant and Ed Dougherty about the socioeconomic commentary in Grind, casting Barbara Crampton as a villain, and DIY filmmaking.
Bloody Disgusting: Every segment in this anthology feels relatable because people are actually struggling to survive in the gig economy right now. How did the two of you come up with the idea of creating Grind?
Brea Grant: Like you said, we were trying to come up with a cool idea that seemed relevant right now. The thing that everyone we know is talking about is the economy, the lack of work, and the nightmare hellscape that is late-stage capitalism. It felt like the right time to write something that really featured that as the main horror. As the main thing that people were scared of, this world sort of came to us over the course of a couple of years.
Ed Dougherty: We wanted to make a hit film, and we said, “Let’s make a horror anthology, that’s the most marketable thing there is.” [laughs]
BG: [laughs] Definitely not!
BD: I love anthologies!
ED: We do, too. We feel like it’s kind of an undervalued form of horror film, but it’s a hard sell.
BG: People told us not to make it. They said, “Don’t make an anthology. It’s too hard to sell.” But we did it anyway.
BD: I guess I’m just one of those weirdos who likes anthologies and watches them all.
ED: We believe that there are a lot of weirdos like you out there. It seems like every good horror anthology has a long life, but it’s just getting over the initial hump that’s difficult.
BD: Chelsea Stardust directed some of the segments with the two of you and serves as a producer. How did she first get involved with this project?
BG: The project has a long history. We shot the first segment, which is about multi-level marketing, a couple of years ago. We had decided we wanted to make a full anthology, but it took us about a year after shooting that initial segment to shoot the rest of the movie. When we did that, we knew we needed to bring on a producer aside from Ed and me, since we were directing the bulk of the movie, so that was how she came on board. I’ve been friends with her for a long time, and the one thing I know about her as a friend is that she is very organized, so it felt like a good fit. I just called her one day and said, “Would you want to produce these three segments that we have left to shoot of Grind?” and she came on board.
BD: There are some fun cameos in Grind, but we have to talk about Barbara Crampton. She’s so good as a villainess. Why did you want her for this role, and what was it like working with her on this film?
BG: She’s in her villain era, which is so fun. [laughs] Obviously, we’re huge Barbara Crampton fans, and when we were making MLM, it was a smaller part of the movie that we knew we needed to call on people who could do a good job but were also friendly to us [laughs]. I’m friends with Barbara Crampton, and we’ve done three movies together before this. So, it felt like someone within our reach, but could also really draw a horror crowd. She has a huge fanbase, and she’s also super supportive of all the projects that she’s been in, so that was also really exciting. She’s a great actress, and she’s super funny. I think a lot of these horror actresses, especially those who came up in the eighties and nineties, weren’t given an opportunity to be funny. I think she was ready to jump on an opportunity that was different than what she was used to; it’s not running around and screaming. She is a cult leader, and she is quite funny in it. She just takes the comedy so well and seriously, and she does such an amazing job with it. She has a scene across from Rob Huebel, who is obviously a comedy master, and I feel like the two of them together were hilarious. It’s been fun to watch Barbara go from these iconic roles to a different kind of role at this point in her career. We’re super happy to be a part of that.
ED: And she loves the movie and has been so supportive. Every time she posts about it, I’m like, “I can’t believe this. This is amazing.”
BD: This is an accurate parody of the current socioeconomic situation in this country, as well as our obsession with online culture. It repeatedly asks the question, “What are you willing to do to make money,” in a world with wealth inequality and evil oligarchs. It’s fun, and it’s a horror movie, but it’s thought-provoking. What do you hope audiences take away from Grind, besides having a good time?
ED: I read every review and every Letterboxd review; Brea does not. So, I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen some reviews that say, “Good movie but doesn’t propose a solution.” I think we do propose a solution, which is that the power of unions and organizing is the only way that we will be able to fight back against oligarchs. I do think that is the message of the film. Organizing is the only way to defeat these villains. I do think we have a lot to say in the film. I’d want someone to say, “Man, I’ve never seen a horror anthology that had a political message before.” [laughs]
BG: I think the other thing is that what is currently happening is that we live in a world in which people kind of feel alone in this. They’re like, “Well, I’m doing bad, “or “I’m having trouble paying my rent.” We wanted to hang a lantern on the fact that this is happening to everyone, that wealth disparity is at an all-time high. We’re pointing out to people that you aren’t in this alone; you’re not the only person doing side hustles. Every filmmaker friend I have is working a side job of some sort at this point, and that is just in Los Angeles. Outside of this city, I think things are more dire. I think it was about infusing some politics into something that could make people realize that they aren’t alone and that there are ways of fighting back and fighting the system that has been set up against them.
ED: I think the tone of the movie, which is darkly comedic, also really matches the tone of life right now. Everything seems almost at a parody level as far as the disconnect between oligarchs and trying to make a living and reality. The absurdist nature of the film kind of captures the real tone of life.
BD: There are some cool creature effects and makeup effects in this movie. Can you talk a little bit about the practical effects and makeup?
ED: I think especially because of the message of the film, which is pushing back against the current hellscape we’re in, we wanted to use as many practical effects as possible. We used matte paintings, miniatures, and practical creature effects. I’m always afraid of the matte painting because we used the old school matte painter, but they do look a little AI. I heard someone make a noise behind me during one of the shots, and I was like, “I hope that noise wasn’t them using AI because that’s a matte painting.” [laughs] There’s also the fact that it’s pretty DIY. It’s a film that we financed ourselves and shot in our houses as much as possible. We wanted the whole thing to feel handmade and very tactile.
BG: We’re old school horror fans, so we love seeing practical effects. The practical stuff is really fun for us. It’s the stuff that we think is actually cool. [laughs] So, practical stuff made the most sense for us. We both grew up in the punk scene in the nineties, and I think it just kind of comes naturally to us to try to do things ourselves. And we both work on projects for big companies, with smaller companies, but always for other people, so trying to do something ourselves to see what that felt like was also part of the experiment of Grind.
ED: This was our chance to do everything we wanted our way.
Grind screens at the Chattanooga Film Festival on June 20.
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