Influencer is a horror film. You already know this as a result of it’s the newest from Kurtis David Tougher, whose credit embrace being a producer on V/H/S/94, and since you’ll discover it streaming on Shudder. Additionally, its opening shot reveals an isolated tropical island with a face-down physique on the seashore. So you’ve got a way of what you’re stepping into. However Influencer can also be a type of motion pictures that rewards going in as unaware as possible.
So worry not: no plot spoilers right here. After that eerie intro, we meet Madison (Emily Tennant, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Company), who’s vacationing alone at an opulent resort in Thailand. She’s placing on a bubbly present of selfies underscored with inspirational knowledge for her Instagram followers, however secretly she’s cursing her boyfriend, Ryan (Rory J. Saper), for ditching the journey last-minute. When the mysterious CW (Cassandra Naud, See) swoops in to rescue Madison from a sloshed fellow visitor on the lodge bar, Madison is thrilled to fulfill a buddy round her age who’s an skilled traveler and is aware of all of the rad native spots—and never simply due to the social-media content material alternatives. Fact is, Madison has been bored and lonely, and has began to second-guess her profession path in addition to her relationship.
Simply once you suppose you recognize the place Influencer goes, it pulls a switcheroo, enjoying into tropes (sure, there’s a “no cell service” second) whereas additionally setting you on edge once you notice you don’t have any concept what’s going to occur subsequent. Even the opening credit, which seem shockingly late into act one, will take you without warning. Just like the film itself, most of the performances in Influencer layer shocking depth beneath intentionally superficial first impressions. However better of all is how the film blends its very 2023 themes about social media (together with the warped sense of self that being too on-line can create—and the insidious methods know-how can be utilized to form perceptions of actuality) right into a nail-biting trip horror flick. It received’t make you need to keep away from new experiences, nevertheless it actually would possibly make you consider leaving your telephone turned off.
Influencer arrives Could 26 on Shudder.
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