Influencer (2022)
A Thrilling Twist on Social Media Horror
Horror films surrounding technology are nothing new, but as tech evolves, the ideas are easily recycled into something fun and unique. Enter social media horror. While social media has been around for quite a while now, filmmakers haven’t overused this subgenre, and if they had, I don’t believe I would grow sick of it. Technology in horror presents a critical look into contemporary culture. Horror movies that specifically revolve around social media influencers tap into cultural relevance, making them of interest to a large audience.
Influencer does just that as we’re introduced to Madison, an Instagram influencer traveling alone in Thailand. In the film’s opening, we learn that Madison was supposed to travel with her boyfriend Ryan, but he canceled at the last minute. Stylistic camera shots show her alone on the beach after being seemingly connected with so many people via the internet.
Things look up when Madison is befriended by another young woman named CW. CW is around her age, very beautiful, and rescues her from an unsolicited bar conversation with a creepy older man. In other words, CW appears to be a safe person. But what the audience sees that Madison does not see is that CW has an oppressive, menacing way about her that likely comes off as mysterious and confident. At this point, the film seems to be set up in a way to tell a classic tropey horror story that we all have heard many times before.
The opening credits don’t show until almost 30 minutes into the film. That’s when you’ll realize that this isn’t the type of film you assumed it to be. This is also not the only twist of the movie as it goes on a very unconventional path to play out the story.
Unfortunately, there are quite a few plot holes that were quite distracting. Although the film has a conclusive ending, these plot holes are so blatant you’re left unsatisfied and confused. The solid acting and beautiful atmosphere though not enough to completely make up for its shortcomings, certainly save it from being a failure.
Overall, I truly enjoyed this film. Its imperfections kept it fresh in my mind, which is rare. Despite the plot holes, I found it consistently entertaining. I suggest watching it with friends for post-viewing discussions.
This film does not appear to have a lot of buzz around it yet, so if you’ve seen it, please share your thoughts in the comments!
