Shooting fish in a barrel has a modern-day equivalent – mocking social media influencers.
Gather a thin-skinned group of Instagram addicts and the social satire practically writes itself. Think recent films like “Dashcam,” “Spree,” “Superhost” and “Tragedy Girls.”
The “Influencers” franchise raises the stakes on a very 21st-century genre.
It helps that the series’ villain is unlike any movie monster we’ve seen before. And the second film in the saga, set to screen Oct. 5 at the Pittsburgh Moving Picture Festival, adds an A.I. twist that’s brutal and, yes, bittersweet.
Watch an exclusive clip from Kurtis David Harder’s Influencers
The film will have its world premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival on July 26 and release on Shudder later this year. pic.twitter.com/iaVeBAAyj6
— Letterboxd (@letterboxd) July 21, 2025
She’s ba-ack! The lethal Catherine (Cassandra Naud) AKA CW has found love with a fun and flirty French woman named Diane (Lisa Delamar). The smitten kittens run into a glamorous travel influencer named Charlotte (“Barbarian’s” Georgina Campbell), and Catherine’s old impulses rise up anew.
That’s not all.
Madison (Emily Tennant), who was lucky enough to survive a CW encounter last time, is back and trying to bring her to justice.
Add a dude-bro influencer (Jonathan Whitesell) and his alpha girlfriend Ariana (Veronica Long) and this sequel has some fascinating characters to keep the franchise humming.
Writer/director Kurtis David Harder isn’t working with a big studio budget, but both films look magnificent. The opulent settings have a definitive “White Lotus” vibe, though “Influencers” is far more satisfying than that show’s third season.
Sorry not sorry.
Even better? Harder incorporates elements of A.I. that weren’t plausible when the original film first hit streaming services. No spoilers here, but the A.I. in question gives surprising depth to CW while pushing the story forward.
This is a horror film, and you’ll have to accept some of the digital tricks CW pulls to keep her lethal lifestyle in play. The screenplay offers just enough plausibility to make it all work.
That’s the secret sauce that powers the better B-movies.
INFLUENCER filmmaker Kurtis David Harder is back with INFLUENCERS. Cassandra Naud returns to star opposite BARBARIAN’s Georgina Campbell.
Set in southern France, a young woman’s chilling fascination with murder and identity theft sends her life into a whirlwind of chaos. pic.twitter.com/UVzoHllYUY
— Bloody Disgusting (@BDisgusting) May 6, 2025
The rest is up to Naud, who downplays her character’s villainy to grand effect. She’s quiet and determined, unwilling to give her opponents an inch. She’s as cruel as Jason and Freddy but twice as beguiling.
That approach makes “Influencers” matter. Ham it up, and this saga wouldn’t be the same.
The sequel offers a mild tweak of conservative podcasters, but these elements are delicately assembled and never feel like a lecture. They make the story richer.
“Influencers” requires a dab of patience. The kills aren’t as frequent as in most horror films, and it takes a while for all the chess pieces to get to their necessary spots.
That leaves a wild third act that makes it all worthwhile.
NOTE: “Influencers” is tentatively slated for a late 2025 Shudder release.
HiT or Miss: “Influencers” isn’t just a sturdy, superior sequel. It’s a glimpse at what A.I. elements can do for the horror genre.