Selfie From Hell is a 2018 horror movie that builds upon the viral YouTube short of the same name. The movie takes the aesthetic of a piece of technology similar to The Ring or Unfriended and subverts it to fit a horror movie.
There is a lot to unpack from the film and throughout this article I will be discussing the movie in full detail as well as giving my opinion on what the film represents.
There will be heavy spoilers so it may be worth skipping this for now if you want to go in unspoiled.
With that out the way, I’m Deffinition and I ruin the movie so you don’t have to.
Plot Synopsis
Julia, an online blogger, travels to the US to visit her cousin Hannah and becomes extremely ill upon arrival. After Hannah research’s her cousin’s videos on the internet, she discovers that she has been listed as deceased by many online outlets with her cause of death remaining a mystery.
Haunted by a mysterious shadowy figure, Hannah slowly delves into the dark web where she discovers more and more twisted things about her cousins past.
This deep dive into the internet’s underground attracts unwanted attention and Hannah foolishly gives up details about her personal life in order to gain entry to information on what can help her cousin. Taunted by a mysterious voice over the phone, Hannah is drawn to the Black Room which is an area of the web that can draw forth a murderous ghost should all of the content that is located on it be watched.
Ending Explained
As Julia’s illness evolves into an unnerving possession things worsen for Hannah as she is attacked and bound in her home. Her attacker is revealed to be the mysterious voice on the phone and he explains that once 13 selfies are taken of her a demonic force will appear and kill her. This is the one that was haunting Julia and it brings death to all who attempt to summon it.
The attacker attempts to take the pictures but is stopped in the last second by Hannah’s friend Cameron. He frees her but also admits to watching 13 selfies in the black room.
Unable to rest until he traces the signal of the videos to an abandoned house that he and Hannah search. They discover a video of a Doctor describing a catatonic killer that has been linked to several murders. In the video they see the Doctor waking the killer from his vegetative state by showing him images on a screen. Delving deep into the house they discover the hanging body of the killer and an apparition appears and attacks them before the 13th Selfie, which is a hanging man, chokes on the noose.
Hannah finds herself trapped in a picturesque landscape where the 13th selfie tortures her as it fades to black.
The Meaning Of The Film
Personally I take Selfie From Hell to represent a lot of things about modern day social media. All of the characters wish to make themselves appear a certain way in their selfies yet their shadow still haunts them. Rising anxiety and depression rates are often attributed to the pressures of social media and the darkness that surrounds them is similar to this. Julia particularly wants to present a happy image to the world and this signifies that there are people online pretending to have the perfect life whilst their demons hide below the surface.
Her boyfriend is dead and a demon stalks her but she still wishes to carry out the masquerade on social media and it highlights how fake everything is becoming. This is further cemented by the film’s ending in which Hannah, Julia and Cameron believe they are living in a picture perfect world all the while secretly being trapped in a world of torment.
Metaphorically it highlights the dangers that come from lying to ourselves and others about how perfect everything is and how this opens us up to pressures that involve constantly trying to live up to standards that are unattainable.
It’s an interesting take for me but one that unfortunately falls flat in the film slightly due to its mediocre acting and poor resolve. I expected more from this film but cannot really recommend it as such.
Your Thoughts
So, what did you think of Selfie From Hell? Did you watch the original viral video and do you think viral videos should stay viral videos?
Comment below and let me know and if you enjoyed this video then please like it and subscribe to my channel. I breakdown films like this weekly and there will definitely be something on here that you’ll love if you’re a fan of film.
Recently I discussed the ending of Slender Man so make sure you check that video out linked at the end of this one.
Thanks again for taking the time to watch this, I’ve been Deffintion, you’ve been the best and I’ll see you next time. Take care, PEACE!
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