Influencers heralds the arrival of your next favorite horror franchise. It’s the sequel to writer-director Kurtis David Harder’s 2023 feature Influencer; if you’ve seen that exceptional title, you’ll be primed on the sorts of tricks and reversals Influencers has up its sleeve. If you’ve not seen Influencer, stop reading this and watch it immediately. Part of that movie’s power is its manic unpredictability, and it’s impossible to talk about this sequel (streaming from Dec. 12 on Shudder) without spoiling a bit of the magic. That said, Influencers does its predecessor proud. It’s one of this year’s most exciting and energizing films.
Influencers Announces the Arrival of a New Horror Icon
In Influencer, persistent identity thief-cum-serial killer CW (Cassandra Naud) stole the life of social media maven Madison (Emily Tennant) after stranding her on a Thai island and leaving her for dead. Influencers picks up several months after those events, with CW successfully in hiding in France and Madison taking the blame for her crimes at the hands of overzealous true-crime content creators. As Madison decides to clear her own name, the arrival of another influencer (Barbarian's Georgina Campbell) at CW's hotel unsettles her temporarily stable existence with girlfriend Diane (Lisa Delamar).
Influencers Takes Social Media to Task
As with the original, it’s preferable to know nothing going into Influencers. Harder has consistently shown himself to be one of the most unpredictable and talented voices in modern horror, and he’s crafted a mostly stellar filmography packed with genre titles which offer respite from anonymous, cheap-looking streaming titles. In addition to Influencer, Harder directed the smartly satirical Spiral (2019), not to be confused with the Saw spin-off; and he produced What Keeps You Alive (2018) and Superhost (2021), both of which are deviously twisted and exceptionally entertaining twists on familiar genre concepts.
Shudder
Influencers is premiering on Shudder; but like its predecessor, it’s made to be seen in a packed cinema with a vocally appreciative audience. It’s similar, in its exhilarating momentum, to 28 Years Later and One Battle After Another—two of this year’s best movies, which, like Influencers, surge on a mutually understood affection for transgressive filmmaking that left willing audience members delightfully wrong-footed. What makes Influencers so satisfying is that, with both films, Harder actually has something cogent to say about the state of social media and technology at large. Amongst many, there's an interesting trick pulled here with the character of Jacob (Jon Whitesell), a male-rights podcaster who sets out to unmask CW.
It's One of the Year's Best-Looking Movies
This is not only one of the year’s most entertaining titles, but one of the best looking. Working with a small crew of just 15, Harder used documentary filmmaking techniques to photograph on location in Bali and France, amongst other luxurious locales. The result is a film which looks richer than most $200 million blockbusters. Of particular note is the tremendously assured aerial one photography, accomplished with drones (operated by Harder) but so seamless it could easily pass for helicopter work.
Shudder
A great deal of Influencers’ success is due to Naud and Tennant, who make an indelible double team as the conniving killer and her revenge-bent prey. Tennant is particularly good here in a serious about-face from her character in the previous film. Naud, imbuing this complete psychopath with great pathos, is one of the most enjoyable on-screen cuckoos of all time. Slashing and gnashing her way through this encore performance, she creates a horror anti-hero for the ages. CW could well and truly be transplanted into any environment—Influencer in Space, Influencer on the Orient Express—and lucky us. Part three can’t come soon enough.
Influencers is streaming on Shudder from Dec. 12.
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