🎯 Quick Overview
Trailer
- Director: Simon Verhoeven
- Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
- Release year: 2016
- Runtime (length): 1h 32min
- IMDb rating: 5.2/10 (64k votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes: 17%
😅 Plot Summary – Badly Explained
Girl adds a weirdo on Facebook, and suddenly everyone’s dying… maybe she should’ve just blocked her?
🍿 Friend Request: Detailed Plot Synopsis
The Friend Request
Laura Woodson, a popular college student with hundreds of online friends, accepts a friend request from Marina Mills, a social outcast with a disturbing online presence. Marina’s Facebook profile is filled with dark and unsettling artwork, a stark contrast to Laura’s vibrant and social life.

Obsession and Rejection
Marina’s behavior becomes increasingly obsessive, making Laura uncomfortable. After an incident at Laura’s birthday celebration, where Marina feels rejected, Laura unfriends her on Facebook. This act triggers a series of terrifying events.

The Curse Unleashed
Following the unfriend, Marina commits suicide, and the disturbing video is automatically posted to Laura’s Facebook profile. Laura is unable to remove the video or delete her account, and her friends begin to unfriend her as a result. The video acts as a trigger for a demonic curse linked to Marina.

Deadly Consequences
Laura’s friends begin to die in gruesome ways, with each death being broadcast on her Facebook page, furthering her isolation. She teams up with her friend Kobe to investigate Marina’s past and break the curse.

⚠️ Spoilers and Ending Explained
🎬 Cast & Characters
- Laura (Alycia Debnam-Carey): A popular college student whose life is turned upside down after unfriending a mysterious girl on Facebook.
- Marina (Liesl Ahlers): A social outcast who uses dark arts to seek revenge on Laura after being unfriended.
- Tyler (William Moseley): Laura’s boyfriend who tries to support her but ultimately falls victim to the curse.
- Kobe (Connor Paolo): Laura’s friend and computer whiz who helps her investigate Marina’s past and the curse.
- Olivia (Brit Morgan): Laura’s close friend who becomes one of the first victims of Marina’s vengeful spirit.
- Gustavo (Sean Marquette): One of Laura’s friends who becomes possessed and violently dies after accepting Marina’s friend request.
💬 Memorable Quotes
- Marina: “u will know what it feels like to be lonely 🙂” – Written on Laura’s Facebook page by Marina’s spirit, foreshadowing the isolation and terror to come.
- Det. Cameron: “You know a lot of dead people Miss Laura” – The detective says this to Laura, highlighting the recurring theme of death surrounding her.
💰Box Office
- Budget: $9,900,000
- Domestic Gross: $3,759,078
- Worldwide Gross: $10,975,390
💥 Friend Request Reviews
Personal Review
I was hoping for something more clever, but ‘Friend Request’ just falls into the same old horror traps. I liked the opening with Marina’s creepy art, and the scene where Laura’s friends start unfriending her was genuinely unsettling. The ending was predictable. Overall, it’s decent if you want something to half-watch on a Friday night, but not a must-see.
- Who would enjoy:
- “Teen horror fans”
- “Viewers interested in social media thrillers”
- “Fans of Alycia Debnam-Carey”
- Content warnings ⚠:
- “Graphic violence”
- “Suicide”
- “Disturbing images”
- “Some language”
Professional Reviews
- Variety: “Lacks a coherent vision, relying on jump scares and predictable plot points. Fails to make meaningful commentary on social media culture.
- AV Club: “While the premise is intriguing, the film quickly devolves into a generic slasher with forgettable characters and uninspired kills.
- Original: “Friend Request had some potential to be great, but the constant jump scares make it lose its scare factor pretty early on. The movie had some good visuals and animations. Overall, its an average horror movie that is worth a watch.
Audience Reactions
Creepy visuals and unsettling atmosphere make the film watchable.: Many viewers enjoyed the film’s suspenseful scenes and creative death sequences.
Good jump scares. It kept me on the edge of my seat.: Some found the scares effective. However, they could be predictable.
Overall Consensus: A standard horror film. Its jump scares and interesting premise were enough for an entertaining viewing experience.
Awards
🛠️ Behind the Scenes
- “The film was shot in Cape Town, South Africa, due to budgetary reasons and to take advantage of the unique landscapes.”
- “Despite being a German production, the film was shot entirely in English to appeal to a wider international audience.”
🖥️ How to Watch Friend Request?
Friend Request is available for rent or purchase on various platforms including Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Vudu. Check your preferred streaming service for availability. It may also be available through cable on-demand services.

🎥 Similar Movies
If you enjoyed Friend Request, you might like these similar films:
- Unfriended (2014): Deals with similar themes of cyberbullying and supernatural horror via social media.
- The Ring (2002): Features a cursed video that leads to the death of anyone who watches it, creating a race against time to break the curse.
- Single White Female (1992): Explores the dangers of obsession and the terrifying consequences of befriending the wrong person.
- Countdown (2019): Modern horror movie that involves a smartphone app predicting the user’s death.
🛒 Friend Request Related Products
- Friend Request [Blu-ray]: Own the film and experience the horror again and again with this blu-ray edition featuring behind-the-scenes content.
- Black Mirror: Complete Series [DVD]: Black Mirror is an anthology series centered around the dark side of technology. This DVD is a great addition to this movie.
- Horror Movie T-Shirt: A comfortable, stylish shirt made for horror movie fans.
- Witchcraft for Beginners: Your Guide to Wiccan Beliefs, Magic Spells, and Rituals: A beginners book for witchcraft and wiccan practices. Good for anyone interested in learning witchcraft for educational purposes.
🎧 Soundtrack
Friend Request features a captivating soundtrack that enhances the movie’s atmosphere and emotional impact. Here are some notable tracks:
You can find the complete soundtrack on Amazon Music and Apple Music.
🤨 FAQ
The curse originates from a ritual performed by Marina, involving a black mirror (her laptop screen), after being unfriended by Laura. This ritual allows her spirit to haunt Laura and her friends, driving them to gruesome deaths and isolation.
Marina kills herself after being unfriended by Laura, whom she had become obsessed with. This rejection, combined with her history of loneliness and isolation, drives her to perform a suicide ritual, seeking revenge on Laura.
At the end of Friend Request, Laura is possessed by Marina’s spirit, completing the cycle of loneliness and revenge. She becomes isolated and looks upon other social groups with the same longing and darkness that Marina originally exhibited.
🔥 Bonus Content
Friend Request EXPLAINED in 5 Minutes
Ever wondered what *really* happened in Friend Request? This video breaks it down in just 5 minutes, so you can finally understand the ending. Trust me, it’s worth it for a quick recap!
Friend Request (2016) Film Explained In Hindi/Urdu s | Friend Request हिन्दी
Want to understand Friend Request but prefer Hindi/Urdu? This video gives you the full story, making it super easy to follow along. Honestly, sometimes it’s easier to grasp the plot when it’s explained in your language!
Friend Request Cinemar Golpo + Real Life Experience | Movie Explained in Bangla | Haunting Realm
Looking for a Bangla explanation of Friend Request? This video’s got you covered, blending the movie’s story with real-life experiences to make it even more relatable. You might even learn something new!
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