Influencers Review

Directed by: Kurtis David Harder
Written by: Kurtis David Harder

Starring:
Cassandra Naud – CW
Emily Tennant – Madison
Georgina Campbell – Charlotte
Lisa Delamar – Diane
Jonathan Whitesell – Jacob
Veronica Long – Ariana
Dylan Playfair – Cameron

Running Time: 110 minutes
Not Rated.

Image Credit: Shudder

Social media-focused horror is a tricky one to get right. Any number of films have tried to bring terror into the digital age, and the results have been… mixed, to say the least. But there have been successes, and one of those was Influencer. Kurtis David Harder’s 2022 thriller found its groove through a twisty script and strong direction, but foremost with its compelling lead characters of CW and Madison, a women who preyed on social media influencers and the influencer who gets caught in her trap.

The ending of that film left audiences in that perilous spot between a one-and-done hit or a potential sequel that could risk screwing it all up. Fortunately, Harder knows exactly what he had with the first film and Influencers wisely builds on its success. Bringing back Cassandra Naud and Emily Tennant as CW and Madison, the new film – which arrives on Shudder on Friday – does what most good sequels do: expand the first film’s scope and story while retaining its magic formula.

When we last left CW, she was stranded on a desert island while Madison was piloting a boat to safety. Influencers picks up some time after that, with CW having somewhow found her way off the island. She’s now in France, happily dating Diane (Lisa Delamar). However, her past is not quite as far in the rearview as she might hope and old habits die hard when an influencer crosses paths with them on an anniversary weekend.

Meanwhile, Madison is trying to put her life back together after the events of the first film. She’s under a cloud of suspicion from media outlets who are stoking the belief that she was responsible for the murders. While police have cleared her, CW has completely escaped detection and Madison appears the only likely suspect. Doxxed and hounded by accusations and worse, Madison comes to realize that she’ll have to definitively clear her name – and there’s only one way to do that.

One of the greatest joys of Influencer came in how willing Harder was to flip the script. The first film went in a couple of hard left directions, almost becoming different films. That made for an experience where you didn’t really know what to expect.

Harder has leaned into that in Influencers, taking absolute delight in upending what we might expect. While Naud and Tennant are our primary characters, he keeps them apart for much of the proceedings. It’s a canny move, balanced well by the way he leans into the cat-and-mouse hunt and wider-angle shots that give the impression one or the other could show up in the other’s scenes at any minute in the background.

The bones of the original film are here, but he’s found a new avenue to point his incisive pen with hits here and there at conspiracy theorists, true crime podcasters, the toxic manosphere and more. Our titular influencers take the form of Jacob (Jonathan Whitesell), a streamer who spouts Adin Ross or Andrew Tate-like nonsense as his girlfriend Ariana maintains a conservative, glamorous “good girl” influencer image while running the show.

Harder is able to provide a sharper commentary than the first film’s more general approach through Jacob and Ariana, and how both CW and Madison interact with them. Situated in glamorous locales and homes, these are the kinds of characters we don’t mind seeing get destroyed, though each of them have little moments where they can let their empathy shine.

Naud and Tennant slip easily back into their roles as CW and Madison. These are characters who were profoundly changed by their experiences in the first film, and both actresses let us see the wounds their characters bear. Naud exhibits such effortless charisma that it’s hard not to root for her, monster that she is. And Tennant takes Madison go down some dark roads. Both characters show their exposed nerves in ways that make us want to root for them, diametrically opposed as they are.

As a director, Harder has improved by leaps and bounds with each film, and Influencers is no exception. He finds interesting angles to approach the story and as captivating as the characters and locals are, he doesn’t let them overwhelm the twists and turns. There’s an greater emotional depth to this film than the first. Even when the second act gets messy, he always finds something to smooth over the rough edges.

Influencers isn’t going to win over many fans that didn’t connect to the first. It’s doing similar things, but in elevated ways. Harder knows what the strengths of his franchise are, and leans into them. In doing so, he moves Naud’s CW one step closer to being a breakout horror/thriller icon.

Influencers premieres on Shudder on December 12th.

8.5

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

Kurtis David Harder takes the strengths of Influencer and turns out a bigger, better and (in a good way) messier sequel with Influencers. Cassandra Naud and Emily Tennant return to their lead roles without a single step lost, making the globe-trotting cat-and-mouse game between CW and Madison a must-watch. It's a funnier and sexier film than its predecessor but also stands strongly on its own merits, making a strong case for both leads' to become full-blown stars.