The Influencer Project offers thrills and thoughtful social commentary about content creation
Many horror movies have dealt with influencer culture lately, including Deadstream, Influencer and its sequel, Influencers, the recent Faces of Death remake, along with a host of other films. Some, of course, are better than others. The Influencer Project, directed by Mike Nybroe and produced by the directors of The Blair Witch Project, is a thrilling ride about the worst aspects of influencer culture. The movie stars real life social media superstar and musician Chiara King, who's stalked and harassed during a trip to Copenhagen by a man with the username King Slyer. The result is a gripping film that also functions as a social commentary.
In the beginning of the movie, we're introduced to a young woman so desperate to go viral that she makes a video in which she hangs herself and commits suicide. It's quite a jolting opening that makes sense much later in the movie. It's not merely there for shock value, and it also shows the desperation some young people have for that viral moment and doing whatever it takes to achieve it. We're then introduced to Chiara, who essentially lands a deal as a brand ambassador for Copenhagen, which sounds like a really sweet gig. She's also filming a documentary, and the crew follows her everywhere. Chiara shops at store after store, trying on clothes that cost thousands and thousands of dollars, and all she has to do is make videos. She treks to various restaurants and gorgeous locations with breathtaking scenery. None of it, however, is on her dime. Meanwhile, her manager constantly says that the goal is to hit ten million followers, and as each day passes, Chiara's numbers do tick up.
Credit to the script for making Chiara a complex character, instead of a needy influencer desperate for likes and subscribers. The film underscores just how much work it is to constantly make new content and determine what people want to see. There's even a point when Chiara confesses to the film crew that she just wishes she could set her phone down and be present, but the algorithm won't let her, especially since this is her job.
Chiara's world is rattled when she's stalked by King Slayer, who sends her Instagram DMs threatening to murder and raper her dead body. The longer Chiara remains in the city, the more dangerous King Slayer becomes, filming her in pubic and eventually confronting her face to face. Meanwhile, Chiara becomes increasingly unnerved, and rightfully so, and in this regard, Chiara does a good job in the lead role showcasing her character's frazzled emotional state, coupled with the fact she has to keep filming to make money. Meanwhile, her follows eat up content that shows her scared. The more frightened she is, the more they comment and follow her channels.
Like The Blair Witch Project, the movie arrives at a startling conclusion. However, there is one aspect of the final act that's rather predictable, and it's likely some viewers will guess King Slayer's identity fairly early on, but the rest of the film still works well. Additionally, there's plenty of social commentary about the impact of social media on young people and even how often we're on our phones, but none of it feels overdone, not even the incel comments that come late, when King Slayer grows his own following. It also doesn't overshadow some of the film's most thrilling and riveting sequences.
Though aspects of The Influencer Project are a bit too predictable, the movie is still a roller coaster ride with plenty of suspenseful scenes and tense build-up. Chiara King offers a compelling lead performance, and hopefully we see her in more movies. The film contains more than a few edge-of-your seat moments, while offering thoughtful commentary about how far people will go for that viral moment, and also the ever-present incel danger lurking online.
The Influencer Project will have a limited release in U.S. theaters on October 2, and it will release in UK cinemas on October 16.
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