Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

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Screenwise Verdict

Here's the thing: film critics adored this (91% on RT, 78 on Metacritic) for its atmospheric, original take on internet horror and digital identity. Regular humans hated it (28% audience score, 5.4 on IMDb). Both groups are right.

This is an art-house experiment that captures something real about how lonely kids disappear into online personas and creepypasta culture. The problem? It's so slow and ambiguous that even people who appreciate experimental film will struggle. It's basically watching a teenager alone in her attic making YouTube videos for 86 minutes while an older guy watches and comments. The horror is psychological and the commentary is sharp, but the pacing is glacial.

For the rare 16-year-old who loves A24 horror and wants to think about digital identity and parasocial relationships, this could be fascinating. For literally everyone else, it's a boring, creepy slog. The themes of self-harm and the uncomfortable adult-teen dynamic also mean this needs careful consideration even for older teens.

Bottom line: this is film-school material, not family movie night. Skip it unless you have a teen who specifically asks for weird internet horror and can handle slow, disturbing ambiguity.

Age Fit

This is for older teens (15+) who are genuinely interested in experimental, slow-burn cinema or internet culture studies. Most kids—and most adults—will find this unwatchably boring. Even the target audience needs to be mature enough to handle themes of self-harm, isolation, and creepy online dynamics.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

25

This is an unsettling exploration of online isolation and identity dissociation. The protagonist is a lonely teenager engaging in self-harm adjacent behavior through an online horror game, blurring reality and fantasy in ways that model unhealthy coping. There's minimal human warmth or connection—mostly a kid alone in an attic spiraling into an alternate reality with an older man watching her videos. Not emotionally healthy viewing.

Imaginative

72

The film takes a genuinely original approach to internet horror and creepypasta culture, exploring how online role-play games can consume identity. It's an experimental, slow-burn meditation on digital performance and loneliness that doesn't follow conventional narrative structure. The meta-commentary on internet culture and the creepy ambiguity of online personas is creative, even if the execution is glacially paced.

Safe

35

Common Sense Media rates this 15+, and that feels right. The horror is psychological and disturbing rather than gory, but there are themes of self-harm (the 'World's Fair Challenge' involves transformation that mimics body horror), isolation, and an uncomfortable dynamic between a teenage girl and an older man online. The 28% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes suggests many viewers found it off-putting or triggering. Not something you want a kid stumbling into.

Enriching

58

For older teens genuinely interested in experimental film or internet culture, there's something here about digital identity, loneliness, and the blurred lines between performance and reality online. Critics loved it (91% RT, 78 Metacritic) for its atmospheric take on modern isolation. But the 5.4 IMDb and 28% audience score tell you this is a slog—slow, ambiguous, and more art-house meditation than engaging narrative. It could spark conversation about online safety and parasocial relationships, but most viewers will just be bored or creeped out.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Genuinely original take on internet horror and creepypasta culture that feels authentic to how kids actually use the internet
Could spark important conversations about online identity, parasocial relationships, and the dangers of isolation
For teens interested in experimental film or internet anthropology, there's real substance here about digital performance and loneliness
The ambiguity and slow-burn atmosphere create genuine unease without relying on jump scares

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What to Watch For

The 'World's Fair Challenge' involves disturbing body-horror adjacent transformations and self-harm adjacent behavior
An uncomfortable dynamic between the teenage protagonist and an older man who watches her videos online—it's intentionally creepy but still unsettling
This is SLOW. Like, paint-drying slow. The 28% audience score vs 91% critic score tells you everything—most people will be bored senseless
Themes of dissociation, isolation, and blurred reality that could be triggering for vulnerable teens

Conversation Starters

"How do you think playing a character online might start to feel real? Have you ever felt like you were performing a version of yourself?"
"What do you think about the relationship between Casey and JLB? Why do you think he was so interested in watching her videos?"
"The movie doesn't tell you what's real and what's the game. How did that make you feel? Do you think Casey believed it was real?"
"Have you heard of creepypasta or online horror challenges? What makes people want to participate in something scary like that?"

Stills