'Influencers' is an Entertaining Yet Under-Whelming Follow Up [Fantasia 2025 Review]

Back in 2023, director Kurtis David Harder dropped audiences into the world of Influencer, in which a psychopathic killer known only as CW (Cassandra Naud) murders popular influencers and steals their online identities. Now, Harder, Naud and co-star Emily Tennant (Madison) have returned with Influencers—which just played at the Fantasia Film Festival—a sequel that takes a step down from the first film but is nevertheless bristling with the tension and standout performances that earned the original a like and subscribe from audiences.

A year after the events of Influencer, CW has managed to escape the island where she was left for dead and has made her way to Indonesia. Madison, meanwhile, is suspected by the world at large to have committed the murders CW is responsible for, though without evidence, the charges against her have been dropped. Still, she now leads a quiet, offline life, attempting to fade from the public eye, death threats following her wherever she goes. That all changes when Madison discovers that CW is still alive and decides to track her down, intent on ending her reign of terror for good.

​Influencers starts strong, reminding audiences that CW is someone not to be trifled with. We discover that she’s now dating a woman she met in France, Diane (Lisa Delamar). The two are celebrating their anniversary at a hotel on vacation, where they encounter influencer, Charlotte (Georgina Campbell). The pretty poster takes an immediate liking to Diane, sending CW into a fit of jealousy and igniting her murderous tendencies. This is all just the first segment, finishing on a brutal title drop that’ll have fans giddy for what’s to come. And in nearly every respect, Harder’s sequel delivers on what returning viewers want. The scenic locations are breathtaking. The soundtrack pulses with banger after banger. The atmosphere is tense. But where Influencer felt like a fresh take on poster culture, the sequel struggles to expand the foundation set down by the first film.

Aside from a chilling performance by Naud, what made Influencer so unsettling was in how it opened eyes to just how easy it could be to steal someone’s online identity. To the credit of Influencers, the film seems to understand it can’t pull off the same trick twice and instead turns its observations to the online tracking of individuals, with both Madison and CW using their social media skills to hunt each other. This leads to an engaging cyber game of cat and mouse yet doesn’t have anywhere close to the same eerie effect. Also different this time is who finds themselves in the crosshairs of CW. While Influencer involved your average beauty product queens and the sadness that exists in a life lived online, Influencers focuses on CW mixed up with a “manosphere” dude-bro named Jacob (Jonathan Whitesell), spouting his toxic “men need to become men again” bullshit. And while it’s fun to watch her manipulate this complete and utter moron to get his help in capturing Madison, it also means there’s a lot less tension in the possibility of her being discovered. The premise just isn’t as gripping this time around.

Harder’s sequel is much murkier than the original when it comes to CW and the film’s ultimate intent. Through Diane, Influencers attempts to empathize with CW in a way that, whether it’s warranted or even necessary, becomes forgotten in the hunt of the second half and has little impact. Curious as well is the left turn in the portrayal of influencers. Whereas the first film emphasized a certain loneliness in the profession that goes unseen, this sequel seems more of a furious reaction to the toxicity that has become more apparent within the industry. Between Charlotte’s rude crashing of CW’s anniversary, podcasters who humiliate Madison and a handful of Joe Rogan types, the film appears to ask if the killer is justified in her belief that influencers are destroying the next generation. Now, I don’t think the intent is to say that CW is right, but it does mean that the stakes of the situation feel far less dire when we as the audience are only waiting for these characters to get their comeuppance…especially with Madison once again disappearing for a good chunk, pushed to the side to allow more time for the film’s villain to shine.

​That said, Naud is brilliant as CW, and with the Influencer films, she makes a strong case for more roles that put her front and center. So, if you’re coming to this sequel to experience more of the magnetic chills that she brings to the screen, you won’t be disappointed. Influencers isn’t a bad follow-up by any means. It’s tense. It’s fun. It has its fair share of satisfying moments. But it comes off as a sequel unsure of where to go with this franchise, making for an entertaining yet underwhelming follow.

By Matt Konopka