A Thriller That Pushes Until It Snaps

Read Time:5 Minute, 38 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Influencers
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Genre: Horror, Thriller
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 1h 50m
Director(s): Kurtis David Harder
Writer(s): Kurtis David Harder
Cast: Cassandra Naud, Georgina Campbell, Lisa Delamar, Jonathan Whitesell
Where to Watch: streaming on Shudder December 12, 2025

RAVING REVIEW: INFLUENCERS is exactly the kind of sequel most genre fans hope to get but rarely do. Instead of repeating the same storyline in a different location or clinging to the original's safer elements, the film builds outward in ways that feel more daring. Kurtis David Harder targets the emotional core and even the moral balance of the story, resulting in something darker, stranger, and more confident. While the first film explored online performance and the constructed identities influencers rely on, this sequel delves deeper into the consequences of building an entire life on manipulation, deception, and curated charm.

Cassandra Naud returns (as one of the year's best horror performances) as CW, and the film immediately makes clear that she isn’t simply being placed back into the same setup. Set in the south of France, this chapter finds CW living quietly with her girlfriend, Diane. The peaceful atmosphere is almost suspicious from the start. Harder sets up an environment where everything feels a little too serene, and that restraint becomes a weapon. When Charlotte, an intrusive and overly curious influencer, crosses paths with the couple during an anniversary trip, the tension turns inward. The simplicity of the setup works in Harder’s favor: one encounter, increasingly reckless curiosity, and one split-second choice that starts the spiral.

What makes this sequel work so well is Harder's refusal to reduce CW to a familiar slasher archetype. She is still dangerous and often terrifying, but she is written with clear internal motives rather than the blank, omniscient menace genre films usually rely on. The script uses vulnerability as a structural tool. CW may be capable of brutality, but she also thrives on being underestimated, performing whatever version of herself it takes to get her through the next moment. That kind of flexibility keeps the audience alert because Harder never lets her become predictable. When she chooses violence, it’s not framed as just rage. It’s calculation, impulse, and opportunism colliding in ways that push the story into increasingly unstable territory.

Lisa Delamar provides the emotional counterbalance as Diane, grounding the film with a performance that lets suspicion grow slowly rather than erupt all at once. Diane’s gradual shift—from trust to concern to a quiet realization that something is wrong—anchors the entire third act. Her role works because Harder doesn’t push her into the usual horror partner-in-danger mold. Instead, she becomes an active part of the unraveling, and that involvement shapes the ending in ways that feel earned. Georgina Campbell brings an astute energy that makes Charlotte more than just a plot twist. Her scenes, especially early on, give the story its momentum.

The film also engages directly with the toxicity behind influencer personas without leaning into parody or cliché. Harder avoids cheap shots at social media culture, focusing instead on the specific types of people whose curated presence becomes dangerous when they step into someone else’s world. Charlotte’s curiosity is unsettling because it feels recognizable—people who treat strangers’ lives as open books and assume their presence is inherently welcome. That entitlement gives CW the opening she needs, but the fallout extends far beyond simply covering a single act of violence.

One of the film’s strongest qualities is how it builds pressure without resorting to a loud or exaggerated style. Harder’s direction remains stable, even when the plot grows more violent. He avoids the trap of making the sequel bigger simply because sequels are expected to escalate. Instead, the escalation comes through the relationships and through the consequences of CW’s earlier choices. That approach is what makes the final act so sharp. By the time the story reaches its most chaotic moments, the groundwork is already laid. Nothing feels random, and even the wildest moments feel like natural progressions rather than shock for the sake of shock.

Harder’s greatest achievement is his handling of CW. She is not subdued, redeemed, or reinterpreted. Instead, the film acknowledges the fascination audiences had with her in the first installment and uses that intrigue to guide the sequel’s tension. CW becomes a character who can carry an entire franchise without losing her complexity. Sequels often flatten characters into tropes, but here, the layers only deepen. She is charismatic, unnerving, charming, and horrifying—all depending on what she needs to be in the moment.

INFLUENCERS embraces its darker ideas without turning into a lecture or a morality play. Harder doesn’t punish characters for their online presence, nor does he excuse CW’s behavior. Instead, the film examines how identity—online or otherwise—can serve as armor, currency, and camouflage. The story never loses sight of that theme, and it is precisely that consistency that makes this sequel feel even more cohesive than the original.

INFLUENCERS is a thriller that understands the value of an unbalanced center. It trusts its performances, its atmosphere, and its willingness to explore uncomfortable territory. It feels more confident, more controlled, and more pointed than the first film. Harder delivers a sequel that not only advances the story but also lays a stronger foundation for future chapters. If the original hinted at franchise potential, this film confirms it.

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[photo courtesy of SHUDDER]

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