Like And Subscribe: The 7 Best Horror Films About Influencers
Vanessa Maki
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Influencer culture is worthy of critiquing because it’s never-ending. Sometimes generalizing isn’t good, as there are layers to discussing folks who happen to be popular. However, there’s nothing wrong with recognizing how detrimental it is to people’s perception of themselves when they compare themselves to influencers who carefully craft their online presence. Therefore, influencer horror takes what’s generally annoying and makes it scary.
If you’re itching for horror films where influencers make various decisions to maintain or gain fame, then you might have hit the jackpot. I’ve chosen what I consider to be some of the best influencer horror films. No pressure to like and subscribe (I’m full of jokes)!
Tragedy Girls (2017)
Ride or die takes on a whole new meaning for this comedy slasher. Tragedy Girls follows best friends Sadie (Brianna Hildebrand) and McKayla (Alexandra Shipp) who are social media-obsessed serial killers hoping to become famous. Sadie and McKayla are the perfect unsuspecting killers, and that’s part of what makes the film so fantastic. It’s a critique of influencer culture, proving how far people might go to become famous. Aside from the commentary, it’s a fun-as-hell watch with queer subtext and loads of blood.
Spree (2020)
It’s one thing to want to be famous, but failing at the task because of a pathetic obsession is another. Spree follows Kurt Kunkle (Joe Keery) a rideshare driver that is obsessed with going viral and becoming a social media sensation. Instead of giving up his quest, he turns to murder and insanity to achieve his goals. Joe Keery’s performance is great because he doesn’t depict a romanticized version of social media fame. Every famous person that appears in the film is the absolute worst. Watching the film will remind you how influencer culture is addicting and often toxic.
Superhost (2021)
There’s seldom a fine line between villain and victim that influencers straddle in horror. Superhost is one of the cases where they are just annoying, but they don’t actually deserve their fates. The film follows Claire (Sara Canning) and Teddy (Osric Chau), an influencer couple that film travel vlogs and pick the worst superhost that turns out to be murderous. Their safety comes second l because of the possibility of boosting their YouTube channel again. Ultimately, that decision isn’t too far-fetched because of the lengths people go for the possibility of clicks. It’s a film that will leave you surprised by the ending and twists.
Sissy (2022)
It’s rare to actually cheer for an influencer in horror, but Sissy takes the cake in this case. The film follows Cecilia (Aisha Dee) who gets invited to her childhood best friend’s bachelorette weekend. But there, she’s confronted with her childhood bully, which leads to a lot of murder. Aisha Dee nails the performance of someone who seeks validation from her followers and ultimately goes over the edge. It’s not entirely explored, but her being a Black (and subtextually queer) influencer does add to the conversation about the art of being perceived. And she comes across as a person who happens to have a lot of followers. Despite how Cecilia is seemingly the villain, the people she’s surrounded by are horrible, including her former best friend. The ending is shocking, but satisfying—especially if you were rooting for Cecilia.
Deadstream (2022)
Dealing with insufferable characters isn’t a new thing in horror, but Deadstream takes it a step further with its main character. Deadstream follows an influencer who’s lost respect due to problematic behavior and decides to stay overnight in a haunted house to gain viewers again. The film is unique in how the spirit tortures Shawn (Joseph Winter) and it’s a whirlwind. He’s annoying and one of those influencers that’s whiny and loves to have a pity party instead of presenting a genuine apology for shit behavior (without the expectation that anyone has to forgive you). All of that lends to why the film works and how entertaining and funny it actually is.
Influencer (2022)
If you go into Influencer with expectations then you will likely be proven wrong. The film follows influencer Madison (Emily Tennant) who travels to Thailand and meets a friendly woman named CW (Cassandra Naud). However, instead of making a new friend, CW’s intentions end up being sinister. CW’s manipulation throughout the film is a fascinating critique of how fake influencers’ lives often are. She’s able to become a chameleon just by studying a person’s behavior. The fakeness and the carefully constructed online presence that influencers maintain is perfectly highlighted in the film. And that’s part of why it’s so effectively eerie.
#ChadGetstheAxe (2022)
Found footage horror is the most perfect way to explore influencers because of how online they are. #ChadGetstheAxe follows a group of influencers who go to a manor where satanic cultists supposedly lived. Naturally, things go awry, and the group must fight to survive the night. The humor and scares are blended perfectly to critique the current overall culture surrounding influencers. Whether it be saying problematic things for clicks, not caring who your audience is as long as you make money, or not caring about invading spaces. It’s an incredibly effective found footage horror flick and will make you wonder if you are rooting for any of them.
Categorized:Editorials
