“Unfriended” sequel lacks original’s freshness and humor

★★55 Rated R. 88 minutes.

The computer-screen horror film hasn’t taken off quite like the found-footage subgenre — so far, the “Unfriended” franchise has pretty much cornered the market. The first film was a fairly clever body-count flick that unfolded entirely on the screen of a terrified girl’s laptop. The second, “Unfriended: Dark Web,” in which a stolen MacBook becomes the portal to a creepy corner of the internet, is less successful.

The thief in “Dark Web” is Matias (Colin Woodell), an otherwise good-hearted guy who needed a faster machine to build a signlanguage program for his girlfriend, Amaya (Stephanie Nogueras), who is deaf. Their relationship is on the rocks, though, and Matias seems distracted during game night with a group of friends via Skype.

Meanwhile, a mysterious figure nicknamed Charon contacts Matias to demand his laptop back. Charon is part of a secret society, The River, that commissions snuff videos with cryptocurrency, and he steadily homes in on Matias and his innocent friends. Though much of this cat-and-mouse game centers on uncinematic lists of file-folders and root directories, it builds a fair degree of tension. A chilling moment comes when Charon manifests in the real world as a faceless black shadow.

Since the first “Unfriended,” culture has changed more than technology has, and that’s reflected in the diverse cast of characters. Matias’ crew includes Lexx (Savira Windyani), a snarky music producer; Damon (Andrew Lees), a British hacker/programmer; and a budding Alex Jones type named, ahem, A.J. (Connor Del Rio), who runs a conspiracy-theory podcast out of his mom’s basement. As in the first film, the group has slots for two attractive fashionistas, only this time they’re a couple (Rebecca Rittenhouse and Betty Gabriel, both rather good).

What hampers the scares and shivers is the overly complicated screenplay by new writerdirector Stephen Susco (“The Grudge”). Matias survives using really tricky social media settings, which produce less-thanpulse-pounding results; the narrative also wanders far afield into life-or-death games and themes of online voyeurism. One small but important criticism: The film occasionally cheats, selectively enlarging portions of Matias’ screen for added effect.

“Dark Web” deserves credit for pushing a limited concept about as far as it can go. Like the first film, it might be a spookier experience if viewed on your own laptop.