Producer Jason Blum Talks Changes on 'Unfriended'

Actress Courtney Halverson in a scene from the thriller "Unfriended." (Photo by Universal Pictures)

LOS ANGELES - Jason Blum, executive producer of the upcoming thriller "Unfriended," said the film underwent many changes before it's final version.

Blum told the New York Times last week that the film underwent a number of "tweaks" before he was happy with the final version that is set to hit screens on April 17. Among the changes was the film's name which went from "Cybernatural" to "Unfriended."

Directed by screen veteran Leo Gabriadze and written by Nelson Greaves, "Unfriended" takes place on the desktop computer screen of a teenage girl (Shelley Hennig) and involves a group Skype conversation that is invaded by an unwanted and menacing entity. Although cyberbullying is the common thread, the film uses familiar online devices like Google searches, iMessage chats, Facebook messages, and Skype calls to build suspense and create anticipation for this unseen menace.

Blum said “Unfriended” was based on a concept by Timur Bekmambetov, one of the film's producers, who had been considering the idea years before similar films taking place on computer screens like "The Den" and "Open Windows."

Blum admitted he is attracted to scary stories for his films. In an interview with WeGotThisCovered, he told the website that his scariest experience came when he was living in a New York City storefront apartment when a ghostly figure appeared at the foot of his bed. "I was downstairs, and I saw a figure at the end of my bed. It wasn’t menacing, it wasn’t nice, it was just there. It wasn’t a dream," he said.

The film stars Courtney Halverson, Cal Barnes, Matthew Bohrer and Shelley Hennig.