Influencers is not rated because it has not undergone the official rating process by the Motion Picture Rating (MPA). Not recommended for younger children (under 13–14).
There’s a favorite myth that gets passed around Hollywood halls, one of those stories people retell with a grin because it flatters the idea that genius can be reduced to a single clever gesture. It involves James Cameron marching into a meeting, scribbling the word “Alien” on a sheet of paper, then casually adding an “s.” When that little curve didn’t seem bold enough, he drew two quick strokes through it, turning the letter into a money sign and supposedly, right then and there, the studio said yes. Whether it unfolded exactly that way hardly matters anymore. Folks in this business cling to the anecdote because it lets them imagine filmmaking as a game of swaggering simplicity.
But you can’t replicate that bolt of folklore, can you? I’d bet good money John Singleton didn’t stroll into Universal with a poster for The Fast and the Furious and pitch 2 Fast 2 Furious by doodling a couple glorified doodad “2’s.” Yet I found myself picturing some version of that mythological moment as I thought about how Kurtis David Harder might have sold the idea for Influencers, the follow-up to his razor-edged 2022 social-media thriller. I can almost see him walking into a Shudder meeting room, writing “Influencer” on a whiteboard, and then casually slapping the Shudder “S” logo at the end a wink, a dare, and maybe a promise of blood.
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Harder’s first film was a vicious little gem, centered on Cassandra Naud’s CW a woman who prowls the digital ecosystem in search of social media stars, lures them to a deserted Thai island, abandons them to a slow death, and then puppeteers their online presence to convince the world they’re still sipping cocktails and posting selfies. The movie sticks close to her first mark, Madison (Emily Tennant), until CW’s mask slips and we see the calculating monster underneath. What follows is a deliciously nasty Hitchcockian unraveling: CW’s beautifully crafted schemes start fraying thanks to curious boyfriends, unlucky coincidences, and the inevitable vulnerabilities that come with believing you’re smarter than everyone else.
That original film left CW cornered, battered, and seemingly out of options. And every time Influencers brings up the question of how she managed to wriggle free of that mess, Harder seems to shoot the viewer a deadpan look as if to say, “There’s a sequel. Isn’t that enough for you?” It’s almost chastising, but in the kind of playful way that makes you feel complicit in your own curiosity.
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But yes I do want a sequel. Very much. And Influencers delivers. Harder’s first movie wasn’t just one of the sharpest thrillers of 2022; it was one of the few films that seemed to genuinely understand how humiliating and hollow our online selves have become, as if Patricia Highsmith had been resurrected to diagnose Instagram culture with a stiletto in hand. The new film widens its scope, dives deeper into CW’s fractured psyche, and sharpens its satirical blade on fresh targets. It’s busier than the original maybe too busy with backstory and connective tissue to fully stand alone but as a continuation, it’s wickedly engaging.
Like its predecessor, Influencers begins in a fog of mystery. CW is now deeply in love with a French woman named Diane (Lisa Delamar), and during an anniversary getaway, their intimate escape is spoiled of course by a wandering influencer. You can feel the dread immediately; we know where this kind of interruption leads in CW’s universe. What’s less obvious is whether we’re watching an earlier chapter of her life or a direct continuation of the first film’s fallout. Harder toys with that ambiguity until the threads snap together, and the narrative splits in two: one timeline tracing CW’s newest con, the other following a surviving victim who’s committed to hunting her across continents.
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Eventually, the story introduces its newest sacrificial lambs: Jacob (Jonathan Whitesell), a swaggering manosphere profiteer, and Ariana (Veronica Long), his buttoned-up, ultra-conservative partner. Their venomous rhetoric is mostly an act a brand built on hate but that doesn’t make them any less deserving of CW’s particular brand of justice. Harder stages their comeuppance with a blend of terror and winking absurdity; the finale veers so hard into dark humor that it edges into camp, a tonal shift you may or may not be fully on board with. Still, it’s hard not to notice how much fun Cassandra Naud is clearly having as CW leans into the madness.
What makes these films work really work is the way Harder and Naud calibrate CW’s villainy. She’s unquestionably monstrous, her moral compass rotted down to splinters, but she’s also wildly intelligent. And audiences, perhaps against their better judgment, are suckers for a clever villain. We crave her downfall, yet we perk up every time she squirms out of a trap. She’s a kind of contemporary Tom Ripley, sculpted for an age where identity is something you filter and sell. We understand her loneliness, her cold logic, even as we recoil from her cruelty. And even when Influencers tries to soften her, just a hair, she remains hypnotically repellent.
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Still, one can feel the gears straining now. CW’s first scheme in Influencer was almost elegant in its simplicity airtight enough to be convincing, loose enough to let chaos seep in. But here, her new plan clicks together with such improbable neatness that even CW seems startled by how well things fall into place. There’s an unmistakable sense of divine intervention or, more accurately, the intervention of a writer-director who can’t resist giving his antihero one more lucky break.
Harder’s Influencer films feel like the wicked cousins of Paul Feig’s Simple Favor series same glamorous settings, same twisty energy but shaded with a bleakness that Feig never quite leans into, and splattered with far more gore. If these movies had arrived in the late ’90s, they’d have become cult staples with slipcased 4K restorations and adoring essays by critics who adore stylish sociopathy. Honestly, it’s something of a miracle that the original found enough of an audience in today’s cluttered streaming landscape to justify a follow-up. But it did, and we’re better for it.
Influencers is a wicked little entertainment, just like the first sadistic, stylish, and delightfully mean. And if Harder has pitch boards somewhere labeled Influencers 3: Parabellum or Escape from the Planet of the Influencers, I hope the scribbles are as audacious as that mythical Cameron dollar sign.
Detailed Content Breakdown for Parents
Violence & Intensity: Expect frequent and intense scenes of physical violence, including attacks, stalking scenarios, and bloody outcomes. The film leans into psychological dread as much as it does visceral shock, so even scenes without gore can be emotionally heavy. Characters are placed in dangerous, life-threatening situations with real consequences, and the tension rarely lets up. Parents should be prepared for a dark, suspenseful experience that’s more unsettling than cartoonish.
Language (Profanity & Tone): While this isn’t a cartoonish slasher where every other sentence is profanity, the dialogue does include strong language and adult tone consistent with a gritty thriller. There are moments of heated exchanges and verbal manipulation that mirror the edgy world these characters inhabit.
Sexual Content / Nudity: There are relationships depicted, including CW’s romantic partnership, but sexual content is not the focus. Any intimacy is brief and fits into the broader character dynamics, not meant for younger audiences.
Drugs, Alcohol & Smoking: There’s some adult lifestyle behavior alcohol at gatherings, characters in party settings, and nightlife but no glamorization of drugs or heavy usage that drives the plot. Still, scenes are clearly geared toward adult characters in adult situations.
Parental Concerns
This is not a family movie. Its graphic moments and mature themes are not suited for children and are likely to upset sensitive viewers. The pacing keeps you on edge, and some deaths or scenes of violence are disturbing because they feel believably human not cartoonish horror. There’s also an emotional coldness to CW that some younger viewers may find distressing or hard to process.
Recommended Age Range
Best for older teens (16+) and adults who are fans of psychological horror and social thrillers. Younger teens might handle individual scenes, but the thematic weight and intensity make it more appropriate for mature viewers comfortable with adult spiritual and moral ambiguity.
Influencers premieres on Shudder on December 12.
I am a journalist with 10+ years of experience, specializing in family-friendly film reviews.