Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Social media thriller has suicide scenes, blood, swearing.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Influencer Project
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In THE INFLUENCER PROJECT, popular TikTok/Instagram star Chiara King (playing herself) hires a manager, Alice (Jazmine Summer), who cooks up a new idea for online engagement. Chiara is invited to Copenhagen for a week, where she'll plug several products and post some nice things about the city, earning a tidy paycheck as well as new followers. At the same time, a documentary crew—including Mike (director Mike Nybroe) and Victor (Luca Storm)— has been hired to follow Chiara and make a film about the life of an influencer. Unfortunately, a deranged fan calling himself king_slayer_xx99, hidden by a creepy mask, starts sending her threatening messages. Before long, he begins showing up in person. Terrified, Chiara decides to use the power of her fans to try to flush him out and shut him down.
Is It Any Good?
King does a decent job playing herself in this not-so-scary found-footage horror-thriller, but the movie itself is an aggravating combination of obnoxious and brainless. The Influencer Project has been advertised as "from the makers of The Blair Witch Project," but, in reality, only one of that movie's two directors, Eduardo Sánchez, appears in the credits, and it's in a list of 19 producers, so it's unlikely he contributed much. The movie—which opens with a disturbing scene of teen suicide—takes a look at the dark side of online fame, but it also seems envious of it, as Chiara eats at Michelin-starred restaurants and collects free clothing while enjoying her free trip.
It doesn't go very deep in either direction, as the horror part consists mainly of underwhelming jump scares and lots of shaky-cam as characters run around in the dark. The longer it goes on, the less it makes sense. In the climax, the killer chases Chiara around as both of them film with their phones, and their footage is somehow neatly cut together. What's more is that if you think about the ridiculous plot for even a second, it completely falls apart. None of it makes any sense, including a series of increasingly dumb twists. Even the trip to Copenhagen is a very large unexplained coincidence. The Influencer Project is very unlikely to go viral.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about The Influencer Project's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
How does the movie depict cyberbullying? What are some real-life ways of handling a cyberbullying situation?
Do you think the movie depicts influencers and social media in a positive way? Why, or why not?
Chiara says she's on her phone "14, 15, 16 hours a day." What does the movie have to say about screen time?
Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes enjoy being scared?
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 2, 2026
- Cast : Chiara King , Jazmine Summer , Luca Storm
- Director : Mike Nybroe
- Studio : Icon Film
- Genre : Thriller
- Topics : Travel
- Run time : 102 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : strong bloody violence, suicide, and language throughout
- Last updated : October 12, 2026
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