"The Influencer Project" is an Offensive Found Horror Movie

I’m going to say something that will sound completely dismissive yet somehow uncontroversial: I think very little of influencers and what they do for a living. Yes, I acknowledge the irony in holding this position as someone who records podcasts and posts weekly out-of-theater reactions—where my opinion and I are the center of the universe. That isn't lost on me. I’ve also taken sponsorships before (and, because bills need to be paid, remain open to them as of this writing). Finally, while I may share personal stories in my writing and videos, there are obviously aspects of my life I keep private because, frankly, the difficult parts are none of your damn business.

Yet The Influencer Project comes frustratingly close to asking hard questions about influencer culture, the fake lives presented as "real," and the harm done to kids who can't recognize the bullshit for what it actually is. The fact that the film stars real-life influencer Chiara King (@chiaraking, because she may as well build her empire off these stupid reviews) meant there was a genuine opportunity for an influencer to make a fictional film that seriously examines the pitfalls of this culture. Making the story revolve around a stalker who turns out to be far more than just a stalker was a great narrative choice, and there were moments where I was truly engaged and eager to hear what the film had to say.

Sadly, The Social Network this is not. The Influencer Project ultimately angered me because the filmmakers took potentially serious subject matter and decided the best way to tackle it was by making a modern-day version of Halloween. It was just… so baffling, for so many reasons. First of all, we’ve seen modern-day Halloween movies, and they aren’t very good, so why anyone would want to imitate them is beyond me. More importantly, influencer culture has grown to the point where doctors and psychiatrists are labeling it a social epidemic that feeds kids a false illusion of reality. Watching the film, I sensed Chiara King knows this.

To her credit, she is very good in the movie. She is likely playing a fictionalized version of herself, but since she probably does that on a daily basis anyway, she’s arguably playing the part she was born to play (ho, ho). From this alone, she seems acutely aware of the dangers influencers face regarding stalkers, the false reality she puts out daily, and how manufactured everything actually is. Throw in the fact that the film's producers directed the revolutionary The Blair Witch Project all those years ago—given how much digital cameras have opened up the found footage genre, there was a very real possibility of capturing lightning in a bottle twice, and it would have been great to see them reclaim the genre they arguably helped create.

Again, though… someone decided to turn this into a slasher film. Look, that’s not inherently a problem—the story of a stalked influencer lends itself well to the concept, and had they committed to it, this likely would have been a fun but disposable piece of entertainment. What doesn’t work is that the filmmakers, rather than picking a cohesive direction, decided to make two entirely different movies at the same time. The result falls completely apart because one of those genres is far too serious to treat lightly. By the time the credits rolled and a post-credits scene set up a franchise, I wanted to throw my soda at the screen.

We live in a world where smartphones have turned the public into raging narcissists, and kids who once dreamed of becoming doctors, scientists, or athletes now want to pose in front of a camera all day, getting paid as glorified salespeople. But like every other churned-out movie review, the lasting impact of these lives is about as disposable and unfulfilling as common junk food.

The Influencer Project is one of the worst movies of the year—not just because it squanders a great idea, but because it wastes a genuinely important topic. The movie won’t be in theaters long; it hits streaming on November 16, capping off a brief 30-day theatrical run. The producers are framing this as a bold distribution method for a film that asks tough questions. The reality is far simpler: they know they have a shit movie and are cutting their losses early. Social media continues to be a real problem, but if you're looking for a thoughtful film about its negative effects, this isn't it. Maybe The Social Reckoning next week?