Influencer Review: Terror in Paradise

Pack your bags, phone, and tripod because we’re heading off to Thailand in Shudder’s newest thriller, Influencer! This film follows a social media influencer, Madison (Emily Tennant), on a solo backpacking trip on an island in Thailand. After meeting a young woman, CW (Samantha Naud), her idyllic vacation in paradise transitions into a nightmare.

Throughout the beginning of the film, we follow Madison through a montage of her vacation as she documents everything to social media. As what any social media influencer would do to promote and produce content consistently. Although what she posts appears exciting and fun to her followers, the reality is she is alone and not having fun. What was supposed to be a backpacking trip turns out to be Madison spending her time on empty beaches taking selfies, surrounding herself with luxury, and still upset that her boyfriend, Ryan (Rory J Saper), flaked at the last minute.

She later meets and is befriended by an enigmatic woman named CW, who ends up showing her around the island introducing her to local spots. CW, who also has money, is completely opposite of Madison. She travels as well, but more at ease and stays off social media, preferably living in the moment. Once they return, they stumble upon Madison’s hotel room broken into and ransacked, with her passport stolen. What else can go wrong? CW offers Madison to crash with her until her replacement arrives, extending her vacation. Madison begins to enjoy her vacation more freely shying away from her “influencer mindset” and CW decides to surprise Madison by taking her to a deserted island off the grid. What’s the worst that could happen? Plenty!

Influencer is a twisted thriller that had my jaw dropped to the floor and definitely tips the scale past ten on the creepy-meter. The vibes gave me Single White Female - vacay style. This movie definitely kept my attention because I was curious to know what direction it was heading in and how it was all going to end. I like how this film highlights the dangers of traveling alone and why you should be careful when you encounter strangers on vacation - or practically anywhere you go.

Director Kurtis David Harder (Spiral, V/H/S/94) explores the fine lines between social media and reality, and how looks can always be deceiving. Madison portrays to her followers a fun in the sun vacation, but in reality it’s the complete opposite of the narrative she shares via social media. Like many vacation horrors we see portrayed in film and television, Influencer teaches us a valuable lesson on self-awareness and the dangers of social media instilling a sense of fear and obsession. Is there a thing such as oversharing? Are people actually putting a target on their backs posting their location?

Furthermore, I also enjoyed performances from both main actresses Emily Tennant and Cassandra Naud, one creative death involving a high heel shoe, and the opening credits dropping about twenty-six minutes into the movie. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good movie to watch because this will absolutely keep you on your toes.

Influencer is now streaming on Shudder with a runtime of 92 minutes.