Available from Netflix, this miniseries starts with a kidnapping, and a live feed promising death to an abusive man at a certain number of views. Each episode centers on a different main character, The victim’s sister, a cop on the case, the victim’s wife, the victim’s son, etc.
The most standout aspect of this thriller/horror tale is the use of technology throughout. Many horror medias try to ignore, or eliminate modern technology for added tension. But this series weaves it all in, to excellent effect. Initially it’s the livestream of Nick under the promise of a live execution, and the family watching in horror as the video spreads and the view counter goes up as this horror goes viral. It doesn’t end there, however, as the social media blaze leads to a grassroots effort to hunt down the would be killers and explore possible dump sites through the city. One can easily find real life cases of “murder show fans” impacting real investigations.
I’ll avoid spoilers from here, but the use of social media and technology continues to expand with each episode, shining some light on truly terrifying, real world struggles that affect people every day. The tech-horror aspect weaves in with wonderful acting build not just a complex, drawn out plot (it’s not drawn out), but integrating believable emotions making this not just a murder-mystery thriller, but one that creates a complex web of affects and players that reflects how violence often ripples through the real world.
Chilling and emotional, Clickbait continues twisting and turning into its final minutes, making it a stellar watch for those whole devour dark media. Recommended for horror and murder mystery fans.