Influencers Avoids a Common Horror Sequel Trap (Review)

Influencer became a surprising hit for Shudder in 2023, boosted by good word-of-mouth that praised its compelling core concept and flawless execution from director Kurtis David Harder. The movie dug into the vanity and entitlement that’s inherent to influencer culture without ever becoming preachy about the subject. Furthermore, the combination of clever plot twists, stunning visuals, and a career-making performance by Cassandra Naud as serial killer CW ensured the movie would be remembered as one of the best Shudder Originals of the decade. Director Harder is back with Influencers, a sequel that pulls a bait-and-switch on a tiresome horror sequel trope before unleashing a new wave of social media chaos.

Part of the fun in Influencers, like its predecessor, comes from how Harder pulls the rug from under our feet just as we think we know where the story is going. That means the less we say about Influencers‘ plot, the better. At the end of the first movie, CW is left stranded on a deserted island, as Madison (Emily Tennant) steals her boat, having unexpectedly survived for weeks thanks to her Girl Scout past. Instead of following that ending, Influencers kicks off a new story revolving around CW, now named Catherine. Catherine is in a loving relationship with Diane (Lisa Delamar), a French woman with whom she shares a home in Paris. On the couple’s first anniversary, Diane and Catherine go on a weekend trip, only to be rudely interrupted by Instagram celebrity Charlotte (Georgina Campbell).

Rating: 4/5

PROS	CONS
Cassandra Naud’s outstanding performance as CW	Pacing issues, especially in the mid-section, due to constant resets and a more complex structure
Creative plotting and twists that keep the audience guessing	Longer-than-needed runtime that slows momentum
Strong direction from Kurtis David Harder
Interesting thematic exploration of influencer culture and social media dangers
Maintains the franchise’s provocative tone without becoming preachy

When we meet CW in the first movie, she is a wild animal, moving intuitively between paradisiacal hunting grounds in Thailand while stalking her prey. Influencers completely changes the rules of the game by presenting a domesticated version of CW. The mystery of CW’s deadly obsession with social media celebrities, and the fact that we know nothing about her past, is part of what makes Influencer so enticing. Fortunately, instead of committing the recurring horror sin of overexplaining a villain, Influencers finds clever ways to explore new facets of CW while ensuring she remains an unsolved puzzle.

Influencers Works, Above Everything Else, Thanks to Cassandra Naud

While the acting on Influencers is overall great, with both main and side characters committing to their roles, there is no question that Cassandra Naud’s CW remains the main appeal of the sequel. Naud is nothing short of brilliant, seamlessly changing her presence on screen depending on the deceptive needs of her lovable psychopath. At each twist and turn of the story, as new challenges arise, she will use the technology at her disposal to fake it until she makes it, appropriating the very logic of social media to succeed in her murderous endeavors. That includes photo editing, deep fakes, voice changers, and even artificial intelligence trained to scour the web and find the data she needs to polish her lies. The entire process is mesmerizing. It’s fascinating to see CW work while also incredibly disturbing to think our online presence makes us all so vulnerable.

While the sequel remains critical, just like in the first movie, Influencers is not trying to hammer down a moral lesson. Instead, it uses CW’s journey to expose the shortcomings and dangers of social media. Yes, most people who end up in CW’s crosshairs are despicable, and the sequel will even shine an uncomfortable light on the growing red pill movement. Still, CW never stops being a villain, as fun as it is to watch her stalk and dispose of her victims. Harder achieves this delicate balance by refusing to give CW a clear motivation that would either justify her actions or push her into an irredeemable path. The moral ambiguity of the whole situation is what allows us to cheer for CW’s success while eventually pitying (some of) her victims, and without that, the franchise would lose its charm. Harder understood the assignment, and Influencers keeps being provocative in a way few movies are.

Influencers Pacing Issues Rob Some of Its Shine

The first Influencer had an almost episodic nature, with major narrative milestones shifting the course of the plot and unfolding a new layer of the mystery, until all the disparate threads converged in an exciting finale. Influencers uses the same structure, but it’s not as successful. There are more moving parts in the sequel than in the first movie, and the constant interruption and reset of the status quo drags the pacing down. That’s compounded by a lengthy runtime that could have been trimmed a bit to keep the dynamic rhythm of the first story. 

These factors are not enough to disrupt the flow, but they do get in the way of momentum, especially in Influencers‘ mid-section. Coincidentally, this time Harder penned the script solo instead of sharing writing duties with Tesh Guttikonda. We can’t help but wonder, then, if the pacing imbalance is only due to the ambitions of the sequel or the lack of an extra pair of hands.

While Influencers‘ script might stumble sometimes, Harder more than compensates with his impeccable direction style. The movie just knows when to shoot wide to turn tourist destinations into characters of their own, and when to focus on the people entangled in a web of distrust and betrayal. The sequel also doubles down on the creative uses of light and music that already marked the first movie. The result is a stylish experience that simultaneously condemns the obnoxious way of life of influencers while understanding the allure of the freedom that comes with money and internet clout. The result is another unique horror thriller that highlights why Harder is one of the most interesting horror creators to follow.

Influencers premieres on Shudder on December 12th.

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