Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Solid horror-thriller has disturbing violence, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Influencer
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In INFLUENCER, Madison (Emily Tennant) is a social media influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram. She's taking a backpacking vacation to Thailand, with lots of selfies and vlogged reflections on travel and life. She's brooding about how her relationship with her boyfriend Ryan is on the rocks when she meets CW (Cassandra Naud), a seemingly free-spirited and enigmatic (no social media presence) local. CW takes Madison to local bars and restaurants, showing Madison the adventures she thinks she needs while earning her trust. But things take a sinister turn when CW takes Madison to a deserted island on her boat, ostensibly for a camping trip, but when Madison wakes up to find CW and her boat gone, she knows that CW has very bad intentions. These intentions are soon revealed when CW pretends to be Madison on social media, steals her identity and financial information, then pretends to befriend another social media influencer traveling alone.
Is It Any Good?
This is a good, if not great, horror-thriller that uses the conventions of the genre to convey some messages on our collectively fraught relationship with social media. Influencer has very good acting in each of the roles, even if most of the characters lack a certain depth that would make the story and conflicts that much better. As the psychotic stalker killer CW, Cassandra Naud conveys a convincing sinister presence lurking beneath the superficial charm she conveys to the social media stars and addicts she meets. The suspenseful moments are thoroughly engaging, and there's enough to the story to maintain interest through the end.
Unfortunately, the movie's shortcomings become all too evident by the third act. For instance, while they show a brief scene featuring influencer Madison when she meets her soon-to-be-boyfriend Ryan, we're never really given any reasons as to why CW manifests such psychopathic hatred for social media influencers, beyond shopworn commentary about social media narcissism, not living in the moment, entitlement, etc. It stays at surface level, and isn't convincing. Also, the "plot twist" at the end isn't the least bit surprising. Still, it's a horror-thriller with some good moments.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about horror-thriller movies like Influencer. How is this similar to and different from other horror-thrillers you've seen?
What commentary does the film seem to be making about social media, social media "celebrity," and living in the moment versus living through a smartphone?
Was the cigarette smoking and binge drinking necessary to convey the lives of the characters, or did it seem gratuitous? Why?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : May 26, 2023
- Cast : Emily Tennant , Cassandra Naud , Sara Canning
- Director : Kurtis David Harder
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Shudder
- Genre : Horror
- Run time : 92 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : December 19, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate