Influencers (2025) Review: A Smart, Sadistic Sequel That Turns Social Media Into a Killing Game

In an era where attention is currency and identity is endlessly curated, Influencers (2025) understands something most horror films don’t: the scariest monster isn’t online — it is online.

Written and directed by Kurtis David Harder, Influencers is a direct sequel to the 2022 cult hit Influencer, and it doesn’t just repeat the formula — it sharpens it. Premiering at the 29th Fantasia International Film Festival on July 26, 2025, the film arrived on Shudder on December 12, 2025, where it quickly gained traction as one of the platform’s strongest horror releases of the year.

With a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score, brutal violence, and a venomous take on influencer culture, Influencers proves that this franchise isn’t a gimmick — it’s a commentary wrapped in blood.

🎬 What Is Influencers (2025) About?

Set against the sun-soaked beauty of Southern France, Influencers follows the return of CW (Cassandra Naud) — a serial killer who murders social media influencers and steals their identities to maintain a life of curated perfection.

At the start of the film, CW appears to have settled into a new existence with her French girlfriend Diane, celebrating their first anniversary abroad. But tranquility doesn’t last long.

Enter Charlotte, a wildly popular British influencer whose entitlement and obsession with attention force CW and Diane out of their hotel room — and into her orbit.

What begins as an uncomfortable intrusion quickly spirals into something far more dangerous.

🧠 A Killer Who Thrives on Visibility

Unlike traditional slasher villains, CW doesn’t hide.

She performs.

CW’s violence is tied directly to:

• Envy

• Visibility

• Identity theft

• The hollow promise of online fame

In Influencers, killing isn’t just an act of rage — it’s a rebrand.

Cassandra Naud once again delivers a chilling performance, playing CW as both magnetic and monstrous. She isn’t chaotic; she’s calculated. Every smile, every gesture feels rehearsed — just like an influencer’s feed.

🐍 The Cat-and-Mouse Game That Drives the Sequel

The sequel raises the stakes by bringing back a ghost from CW’s past.

Madison Returns

Madison (Emily Tennant) — the survivor from the first film whom CW abandoned on a deserted island — resurfaces, driven by trauma and revenge. Her presence turns the film into a vicious cat-and-mouse thriller, forcing CW into unfamiliar territory: being hunted.

New Blood, Same Hunger

The sequel also introduces:

• Jacob, an opportunistic male streamer chasing clout

• Peripheral influencers who treat tragedy as content

Each new character reinforces the film’s central thesis: the algorithm rewards cruelty.

🌍 Southern France as a False Paradise

One of the film’s most praised elements is its cinematography.

Southern France is framed as:

• Beautiful

• Seductive

• Artificially perfect

The contrast between idyllic locations and extreme violence creates a deeply unsettling tone. Horror doesn’t lurk in the shadows here — it happens in broad daylight, framed for maximum aesthetic appeal.

It’s Instagram horror — polished, filtered, and lethal.

🩸 Violence, Gore, and Tone: Not for the Faint-Hearted

Influencers (2025) does not hold back.

• Violence is severe

• Gore is deliberate

• Deaths are intimate and cruel

But unlike empty shock horror, the brutality serves a purpose. Each act of violence reinforces how disposable people become when they are reduced to content.

This is a film that wants you uncomfortable — and succeeds.

⭐ Reviews & Reception: Why Influencers Is Being Praised

• Rotten Tomatoes: 93% (Critics)

• Audience Response: Largely positive

• Genre Classification: Psychological thriller / horror

What Critics Loved:

• Twisty, unpredictable storytelling

• Cassandra Naud’s performance

• Sharp critique of influencer culture

• Stronger execution than the original

Many viewers have even called Influencers better than Influencer (2022) — a rare feat for a horror sequel.

🔥 Influencers Ending Explained (Spoiler-Light)

Without giving away every beat, Influencers ends on a high-stakes confrontation that leaves multiple outcomes unresolved.

The finale:

• Exposes how deeply CW’s identity theft has warped her

• Forces Madison and CW into a reckoning

• Ends on an open-ended cliffhanger

The implication is clear :this story isn’t over.

The final moments tease a potential third film, suggesting the cycle of obsession, performance, and violence will continue — perhaps in an even more public way.

📺 Where to Watch Influencers (2025)

Influencers is now available to stream.

Streaming Platforms:

• Shudder

• AMC+

• Apple TV Channels (via Shudder)

• Amazon Prime Video Channels (via Shudder)

Release Date: December 12, 2025

Runtime: 110 minutes

Language: English

Countries: Canada, United States

🧠 Final Verdict: Is Influencers (2025) Worth Watching?

If you’re tired of:

• Generic slashers

• Empty social media satire

• Sequel cash-grabs

Then Influencers might surprise you.

This is a smart, vicious, and deeply contemporary horror film that understands how modern identity works — and how easily it can be weaponized.

It’s not just scary.

It’s uncomfortably accurate.