If you’ve ever wanted to take a meat clever to the Manosphere, get ready to live vicariously through your favourite social media sociopath in the lush Destination Thriller Influencers. Picking back up where he left off in 2023’s indie killer hit Influencer, writer/director Kurtis David Harder continues the story of the mysterious & deadly CW (Cassandra Naud) who, last we left her, was stranded on a desert island after hacking her way through a truck load of social media personalities. Influencers returns to the dark side of the digital world, bringing in updated tech and some new online assholes for CW to torment.
Reprising her role from Influencer (2023), Cassandra Naud delivers another diabolical performance as an identity-stealing techno serial killer, but Influencers also gives her the space to stretch and play with the character’s more emotional side. When Influencers begins CW is living in the south of France, about to celebrate a 1-year anniversary with her girlfriend Diane (Lisa Delamar, Survive). The two are madly in love, but the frays appear when their romantic getaway is upended by British travel influencer Charlotte, played by Georgina Campbell (Barbarian). Big mistake for Charlotte, because CW is very prepared to deal with influencers she doesn’t like…
“I would happily watch a new Influencer movie every summer”
But that’s only the opening act of this sprawling serial killer saga! Just like its predecessor, Influencers takes you across the world to some truly stunning locations for malicious social media mayhem. Along for the ride are mega shithead Jacob (Jonathan Whitesell, Hold The Dark), his bro-in-arms Cameron (Dylan Playfair, Letterkenny), and Jacob’s girlfriend Ariana (Veronica Long, Lights, Camera, Christmas) who you can’t wait to see CW utterly destroy. And also making a surprise appearance is Influencer Final Girl Madison (Emily Tennant) who’s desperate for revenge after CW ruined her life and left her for dead.
Without the return of Madison, Influencers could be a standalone film. Personally, that’s what I was hoping for because I would happily watch a new Influencer movie every summer to satisfy that yearly need for new Vacation Destination Horror. The cinematography in these movies is always gorgeous and as the internet continues to evolve CW would surely find no shortage of disposable digital celebs, but Madison’s return does make her a dangerous adversary for CW because of how intimately she knows her villain playbook.
“a real boiling pot of bad blood, toxic personalities, and some 21st century evil fresh out of the internet oven.”
What influencers brings to the table is a more action-packed fist fight where you come at the story from both the villain’s & the hero’s corner. It’s another journey into the internet’s dark side of town (which only seems to get darker and darker by the day) and Harder & Naud thankfully don’t shy away from exploring just how evil CW can be. It’s a real ugly scene desperate being shot in what could easily be the locale for White Lotus Season 4 but a real boiling pot of bad blood, toxic personalities, and some 21st century evil fresh out of the internet oven.
Influencers celebrated its World Premiere at the 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival, and will soon be available to stream on Shudder. Click HERE to follow our continued coverage of the fest, and HERE to listen to our 2022 interview with writer/director/producer Kurtis David Harder. And while you’re at, let us know which toxic internet personality you wish could “disappear” over in The Official Nightmare on Film Street Discord. Social Media is a Cesspool. Come Hang Where All The Cool Creeps Are.
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