Influencers: A New Thrilling Sequel Unleashed (Early Review)

Influencers is a sequel to the surprise 2023 Shudder hit Influencer that sees writer-director Kurtis David Harder reteam with star of the original film, Cassandra Naud. Taking place about a year after the events of the first film, where CW (Naud) escaped the island and avoided being arrested by authorities. Now in Southern France, she and her girlfriend Diane (Lisa Delamar) go off to celebrate their first anniversary together. However, things get rocky when they found themselves bumped from their room with the arrival of Charlotte (Campbell), a popular British influencer who clearly only cares about herself and her brand. Once Charlotte befriends the couple and seemingly won’t leave them alone, CW becomes irritated, and her old murderous habits begin to reemerge.

Bigger, broader, and better than the original, Influencers essentially starts off as a retread of its predecessor, before going in a different direction that takes a lot of big swings that mostly payoff. The type of horror thriller that is best going into as blindly as possible, that also means that certain aspects are difficult to talk about here. Harder has completely upped his game this time around, choosing against the obvious path for the sequel. A stand out in the original, Naud continues that streak here, absolutely going for it and delivering an even better and more unhinged performance. Now this film may not quite offer her the redemption some might expect, she definitely comes off as more likeable here, giving audiences a twisted sense of enjoyment as they watch her scheme her way in and out of situations against people who are arguably not the greatest or most likeable. Meanwhile, Emily Tennant’s Madison also returns with a much larger role, but she very much takes a backseat to Naud’s CW. On the other hand, out of the new cast, Campbell makes the most of her limited screentime as Charlotte.

All that being said, it is still a film that, at times, bites off a little more than it can chew. Diving into far fetched territory the further it moves along, this direction may become a point of contention for some audiences, as it strays from the more grounded approach of the original. However, while the first act is not bad by any stretch of the imagination, it is easily the film’s weakest section, simply for how it is almost a beat-for-beat rehashing of its predecessor. For this, that start can causes it to feel a little stale and predictable. But following that slow start, once the film finally gets going, it turns into a completely different film and one that progressively gets crazier and wilder with each passing minute.

In the end, Influencers is a wild sequel that goes bigger and delivers an effort that ultimately improves over its predecessor. Above all else, it is certainly an experience that is best going into as blindly as possible, if only to heighten the impact of its reveals, making them all the more shocking. Providing just enough closure for audiences, the story also leaves the door open for more, should there be a third film (and one that this reviewer hopes to see in the near future). For those who are fans of the first film, this sequel is a must watch, but for those who have missed out on Influencer, that issue can easily be rectified by finding it on Shudder right now before checking out the sequel. After all is set and done, we might have a new horror franchise and horror icon in Cassandra Naud’s CW on our hands.

still courtesy of IFC Films/Shudder

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Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/