Influencer (2022) is one of those special films for me. It's not because I love it whole-heartedly - and it's not because it became a cult classic I’d watch. Truth be told, I haven’t returned to the film since I reviewed it back in 2022. Rather, it's special because it showed me that Shudder could be accessible for all audiences. Before Influencer (2022), I had only been exposed to the lower budget, more independent films in the catalog. In a way, I had begun to view Shudder like I view streaming platforms Dropout and Nebula. Platforms made for a specific audience. Shudder was for the horror aficionados - and maybe during October, it could be fun to subscribe and watch one new Horror picture each day. The minimal budget isolated potential audiences, and the quality of the films had constantly verged on good. Never great, but interesting and fun nonetheless. 

​

Influencer was the first film I watched on Shudder that made me rethink my biases. It was well shot, with an interesting cast of characters, a core mystery that sucked you into each scene, and was paced effectively. I didn’t love the writing - especially during the third act, when the clinging / controlling boyfriend became a savior - but the film ended strongly, and was an effective indictment of our modern relationship with the super-computer in your pocket. 

​

I didn’t expect a sequel to be released, and when I was asked to review the film, I was hesitantly optimistic. I wasn’t sure how the premise would be updated - but I was looking forward to returning to the tropic locations, and seeing how these characters adapted to the events of the past film. 

​

And with that...

​

Influencers (2025) is written and directed by Kurtis David Harder, and tells the story of CW’s (Cassandra Naud) tragic relapse into hunting down the rich, pompous, and self-aggrandizing influencers that she views as ruining her world. As CW returns to hunting down socialites, Madison (Emily Tennant) forms an unhealthy obsession with the mysterious woman who ruined her life - and decides it's up to her to hunt down CW to clear her name in the eyes of the public.

​

While there are a lot of elements of this film that do not work, I want to take a moment to praise the technical departments working on the film. As with its predecessor, Influencers looks good. Cinematographer David Schuurman makes each and every scene look and feel important, and gives the film a veneer of professionalism its script may not fully warrant. Any horror film that features violence will require some effective makeup, and Influencers is no different. The violence is ratcheted upwards in the sequel, and the makeup, done by Andy Le, conveys both the luscious lifestyle of the rich and famous, in addition to the brutality of their ends. 

 

Also, the score for Influencers is very much my type of score. Avery Kentis’ score echoes as a Reznor and Ross score would, and that hauntingly dark use of minimal synths and strings works so well for me. The score sets the tempo and rhythm of the film, and while it doesn’t reach the heights of a Reznor / Ross score, it was a joy for me to hear. The real shame is that the score isn’t available to listen to on Spotify - I’ve made a habit of writing reviews to the score from the film, and I’d like to re-listen to Kentis’ work on the film. It’s subtle, but effective.  

 

Emily Tennant does a phenomenal job returning to the role of Madison, one year later from the previous film. There's a segment within Influencers where Madison is the victim of cyber-stalking / harassment, and Tennant’s performance is riveting. Madison has evolved as a character between films, and Tennant creates a dynamic contrast between these performances through her tight posture and constantly scanning eyes. The strength of Tennant's performance, and of Madison's character, highlights the big issue with Influencers: Madison is largely a cameo performance. 

​

Our main character for the sequel is the mysterious CW (Cassandra Naud) - a computer genius who hates pretentious, self-absorbed influencers. Our villain from the last film has become the protagonist of Influencers, and that change heavily impacts the narrative weight of the film. Naud, as before, is great at playing the chameleon. CW is a villain that shifts their personality to trap their victim, and Naud’s determined performance creates a verisimilitudinous villain. There is an additional level of complexity included in Naud’s performance, as we see the softer side of CW in a relationship with a new character - Diane (Lisa Delamar). The interactions between CW and Diane create a tragic love story that is empowered by great work from these actresses. It also creates another narrative thread that is far more interesting than the narrative we watch unravel. 

​

This brings me to the critical problem at the core of Influencers (2025): What is the movie about, really? I’ve been asking myself this question for the last 24 hours since I finished watching the film. As with its predecessor, Influencers is a film that has some sudden genre flips. It starts with a brutal suicide cold open, setting the tone for the film - before going back in time, to focus on our reformed (?) villain CW as she drives through France, meeting with her partner, Diane. This story - the story about CW and Diane - is cut in two pieces in the film. I think it is the second strongest segment of the film - but during the moment, it was a confusing way to open this film. The writing and direction do a spectacular job of hiding just how important this relationship has become for CW, and while the film has enough narrative momentum to keep an audience interested, it never really gets you hooked into their love story. There are too many questions left unanswered for the audience - and most important of those, is why we should buy that our sociopathic murderer has fallen in love.

​

When we are re-introduced to Madison, we finally have some clarity on the plot. We know who Madison is and what her drive is - and the film has firmly become a cat and mouse chase. Except… Madison has a much smaller role in this film compared to the last. And now we are introduced to the new influencers, whom we will follow for the majority of the back runtime. CW is still our primary point of view, and yet, her goals are far less defined than those of Madison. The film loses so much energy in the back half, as the violence ratchets up, and the tension finally bursts. And worst of all, at the end of the film, I don’t fully understand what the point of the story is. 

​

Horror is always at its most interesting through the lens of metaphor and society’s anxieties. There are certainly some real anxieties explored in this film - such as life preserved after death through AI - but that theme isn’t explored to its full depth. The film also does a poor job of investigating influencer culture, and I can’t decide if the film wants us to revel in the death of the influencers. If it does - that message feels so spiteful and hateful that I can’t recommend the film. If it doesn’t - that isn’t clear from the film!

In short, Influencers (2025) is a mess. Influencer (2022) was messy - but its key character relationships were well defined and it made for an engaging story. Influencers (2025) has far too many short stories that lead nowhere, that are hard to follow and stay engaged with. Any one of these stories could have been an interesting film - but combined together, and ordered in this specific way… you have a messy, unfinished narrative that doesn’t deserve your attention.