Ready to dive back into the chilling world of social media horror? Influencers, the sequel to the acclaimed 2023 film, has arrived on Shudder, bringing back the captivatingly monstrous CW, played by Cassandra Naud. This time, she's back to her wicked ways, expanding her trail of digital destruction in ways that will leave you breathless. But this is not an origin story, it's a deep dive into the mind of a social media psycho.
To truly appreciate Influencers, it's highly recommended to watch the original film first. It's a mere 90 minutes well spent, setting the stage for the sequel's twists and turns. Influencers itself runs slightly longer, a necessary expansion given its broader scope and timeline. Prepare to be hooked: the opening credits don't roll until almost 30 minutes in, giving you a hefty dose of CW's chaos to ponder.
The film immediately throws you into the deep end. The opening scene depicts a woman in the throes of a panic attack, bombarded by notifications, leading to a desperate act. As she bleeds out, her phone rings, and the caller ID reads "Catherine Weaver." Intriguing, right? We then cut to France, where CW, now going by Catherine, appears to be living a life of blissful romance with Diane.
Director Kurtis David Harder, who helmed both Influencer films and wrote Influencers, knows how to keep us guessing. Remember the last time we saw CW? She was stranded on an island, grinning at Madison, who escaped in the first film's final moments. Now, she's in a committed relationship. How did she get here?
Harder's specialty is pulling the rug out from under the audience, especially with a character as diabolical as CW. It's no spoiler to say that CW's circumstances soon shift, and her sinister impulses resurface.
New characters are soon drawn into CW's orbit, and they're the perfect targets: social media creators who are so focused on their online personas that they're blind to the manipulation and danger lurking around them. This time, the unlucky bunch includes a condescending Brit, a "manosphere" livestreamer, his best friend, and his girlfriend.
Are these characters so flawed that they deserve what happens to them? Influencers challenges you to consider this while making you question who you should be rooting for.
CW is a modern-day Tom Ripley figure, and Influencers confidently draws inspiration from Patricia Highsmith's stories. But CW is also a tech whiz. She can hack into any device instantly and even create incredibly realistic deepfakes, going far beyond the Instagram trickery of the first film. She's a digital ghost, with no real identity. She keeps a stash of passports, switching identities as quickly as she can steal a new one.
The one thing that consistently gives CW away is the prominent birthmark on her cheek. Naud's casting was brilliant, and this unique feature adds an extra layer of intrigue. Does she despise social media stars because they're obsessed with physical perfection? The film doesn't explicitly state this, and CW rarely tries to hide her birthmark. It's the one thing that makes her stand out, the one thing that prevents her from being a true ghost.
While CW's motives remain somewhat unclear, Madison's presence in the sequel is explained. She has unfinished business. She may have survived the first film, but her life was destroyed in the aftermath. She was cleared of the murders CW committed, but suspicion still clings to her. CW's manipulation of her social media accounts was so effective that she's become a pariah, targeted by true crime enthusiasts and stalkers.
So, Influencers is also a revenge tale. Madison picks up CW's trail by googling "dead influencer." It adds even more drama to a film that takes place in gorgeous, postcard-perfect locations.
Influencers is streaming on Shudder starting December 12.
What are your thoughts on the themes of manipulation, identity, and the dark side of social media that are explored in Influencers? Do you think the victims deserved their fate? Share your opinions in the comments below!
