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Like and Subscribe: 6 Horror Films Where Online Influencers Must Face Reality

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Ah, the internet. It’s both an endless gateway to all the knowledge we possess and a bizarre wasteland where the cult of personality reigns supreme. With the abundance of content creators, social influencers, and memes, we’ve come to a time where literally anyone can become famous. 

We still have big-name celebrities on the silver screen, but there’s a growing market of YouTube stars, Instagram models, and TikTok… people. Online influencers have boomed in popularity as the next wave of names to know and follow. They’re gathering hordes of followers and popping up in reality shows, movies, and marketing campaigns. 

It’s a bizarre concept, where normal people live carefully designed (and heavily produced) lives in the public eye. It’s become such a global (and financially viable) phenomenon that the horror genre has taken interest, creating some shocking situations where online influencers (and aspiring influencers) are forced to face reality. I’ve collected a list of 6 such films that teach micro-celebrities a thing or two about the fame game. 

 

Spree (2020)

Starring Stranger Things’s Joe Keery as Kurt Kunkle, Spree follows a rideshare driver obsessed with increasing his follower count. He’s been operating his channel and handle — KurtsWorld96 — for years, and with only a measly number of subscribers to show for it. Kurt decides to take things to the next level with #TheLesson, his own personal guide to going viral (that stacks up a pretty impressive body count). 

Keery is fantastic as Kurt; he seems perfectly pathetic. His desperation to become the next big thing is heartbreakingly evident. Keery and director Eugene Kotlyarenko studied online personalities like Logan Paul and Ninja as research into the caricature of influencers. Through every character, Spree takes time to examine our personal, almost pleading need to be acknowledged and liked and seen, and carefully shines a light on influencer culture and the strange phenomenon of having an online presence. 

Spree is a brash satire — it waltzes in the murky waters of spree killers who find their fame online, and the dark celebrity that can be born from their terrible deeds. The film also stars SNL alum Sasheer Zamata as social influencer/comedian Jessie Adams, David Arquette as Kris Kunkle, Kurt’s skeezy DJ dad, and Joshua Ovalle (of Vine’s “Jared, 19” fame)

Where to watch: Hulu, Hoopla

Making Monsters (2019)

A social media prankster, Chris (Tim Loden), and his prime target/fiancée, Allison (Alana Elmer), are invited to a quiet weekend in the country to stay with an old friend. After a night of partying with their host’s partner, the couple wake up with no power, no heat, and a suspicion that something is terribly wrong. They find that they’re trapped in a deadly game on the dark web, where the stakes are life and death. 

Though there’s a lot happening in Making Monsters (hallucinations, deception, masks), it goes to some dark places. It’s a deeply twisted “just desserts” for a man who’s made a lucrative living scaring the ever-loving hell out of his poor fiancée. Of course, she’s thrown under the bus in the process, but the main takeaway here is that the internet can be a pretty terrible lure for some awful people. 

Where to watch: Available in Canada for rent on Google Play, Apple TV, and YouTube

Shook (2021)

After a tragedy takes the life of a fellow make-up influencer, Mia (Daisye Tutor) decides to cancel her livestream party plans to dogsit for her sister. While looking after canine Chico, she receives a mysterious and disturbing phone call and is pushed into a series of challenges that put the lives of her loved ones on the line. But is it real, or just a game at her expense?

Featuring real-life make-up and social media influencer Genelle Seldon, Shook really emphasizes the shallowness of our online persona and everyone’s personal “brand”. Mia’s friends — fellow influencers — are… kind of the worst. When she decides not to attend their livestream, they continually complain about the loss of her presence, lamenting that she has the most followers. Even Mia’s decision to dogsit is a calculated plan to appear “selfless”. Despite how sincere she may feel, it’s really all about her public image. 

Director Jennifer Harrington uses some really clever techniques to bring what’s happening on screen — and in the back of Mia’s mind — to light. It’s pretty neat, but it also really does drive home the point that everything we do online is performative. 

Where to watch: Shudder

The Cleansing Hour (2019)

“Father” Max (Ryan Guzman) hosts a wildly popular livestream where he performs an exorcism each episode. Max is a recognizable celebrity (there’s souls to be saved and tasteless merch to be sold) even though his exorcisms are (secretly) totally fake. When he’s about to perform his latest miracle, the possessed/actor never arrives, and the producer’s fiancée, Lane (Alix Angelis) reluctantly steps in to save the show. But as the livestream starts, it becomes evident that somehow Lane has actually become possessed, and it’s up to Max and producer Drew (Kyle Gallner) to stop the demon and save some souls. 

The Cleansing Hour is a bit of a spin on the classic possession film, mixing in a modern, egocentric twist. The demon turns Max’s celebrity against him and uses his massive number of followers to its own advantage. It’s a neat way to take the topic of social influencer horror and throw a supernatural edge on it, while highlighting the effect that Max’s celebrity has had on his relationship with Drew, and the way he relates to others. 

Where to watch: Shudder

Follow Me (aka No Escape, 2020)

Influencers

Not to be confused with 2019 British film #Followme (a found footage film, also about a YouTuber), Follow Me follows a YouTuber named Cole who — for 10 years — has hosted #ERL (Escape Real Life), a channel in which he goes on all sorts of wild experiences and films them for the sake of the internet. This time, he’s headed to Moscow with his friends for a surprise adventure (a custom made, personalized escape room). As you can expect, things… do not go well. 

Cole — ever the new-experience junkie — gets far more than he bargained for. It strips away all his performing pretense and turns him into a raw, bloody mess of a man. You can probably guess how the film will end (it’s predictable), but it does a good job of showing the shift in Cole’s demeanor when his feed is streaming.

Where to watch: Hulu

Cam (2018)

Influencers

Alice (Madeline Brewer) is an ambitious camgirl with her sights set on livestream success. Her numbers soon jump and she finds herself quickly climbing the ranks, but while her channel continues to produce content, she’s not the one making it. Her exact likeness is pushing boundaries she’d never cross, and Alice is left to try and regain control of her online identity. 

Of all the “influencer horror” out there, Cam is the most empathetic. Written by former camgirl Isa Mazzei, it takes the audience behind the screen to see the highs and lows of life as a camgirl. Behind the lashes and lace, there’s a real person who takes the time to get to know her clients, putting time and energy into building connections and a personal brand. 

It’s a respectful contrast to the mindless self-indulgence that we see in other influencer-based horror films (as it should be, all things considered), but still shows how our life online is so much more carefully constructed, and how its overflow into real life can be rather jarring. 

Where to watch: Netflix

Honorable Mention: Followed (2021)

Influencers

To gain more subscribers, a controversial social media influencer stays at a cursed hotel to terrifying results.

Why just an honorable mention? Because it’s not out in Canada yet, so I haven’t seen it. Americans, you can catch this one on Amazon Prime.

Honorable Mention: New Year, New You (Into the Dark, 2018)

A group of old friends — including one popular Instagram influencer — gather for a girl’s night on New Years Eve. But as they begin to rehash old memories, many of the gripes they’ve been harboring manifest in murderous ways.

While — essentially — a self-contained feature-length film, it’s still technically a TV episode, so I’m just adding it as an honorable mention here.

Where to watch: Hulu

For more lists, check out 10 Hilarious Horror Parodies Made on a Microbudget

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‘Immaculate’ Stars Reveal Which Horror Villains They Would “F, Marry, Kill”

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Sydney Sweeney is just coming off the success of her rom-com Anyone But You, but she’s ditching the love story for a horror story in her latest film Immaculate.

Sweeney is taking Hollywood by storm, portraying everything from a love-lusting teenager in Euphoria to an accidental superhero in Madame Web. Although the latter got a lot of hate among theater-goers, Immaculate is getting the polar opposite.

The film was screened at SXSW this past week and was well-received. It also gained a reputation for being extremely gory. Derek Smith of Slant says the, “final act contains some of the most twisted, gory violence this particular subgenre of horror has seen in years…”

Thankfully curious horror movie fans won’t have to wait long to see for themselves what Smith is talking about as Immaculate will hit theaters across the United States on March, 22.

Bloody Disgusting says that the movie’s distributor NEON, in a bit of marketing smarts, had stars Sydney Sweeney and Simona Tabasco play a game of “F, Marry, Kill” in which all their choices had to be horror movie villains.

It’s an interesting question, and you might be surprised at their answers. So colorful are their responses that YouTube slapped an age-restricted rating on the video.

Immaculate is a religious horror movie that NEON says stars Sweeney, “as Cecilia, an American nun of devout faith, embarking on a new journey in a remote convent in the picturesque Italian countryside. Cecilia’s warm welcome quickly devolves into a nightmare as it becomes clear her new home harbors a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors.”

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Michael Keaton Raves About “Beetlejuice” Sequel: A Beautiful and Emotional Return to the Netherworld

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After more than three decades since the original “Beetlejuice” film took audiences by storm with its unique blend of comedy, horror, and whimsy, Michael Keaton has given fans a reason to eagerly anticipate the sequel. In a recent interview, Keaton shared his thoughts on an early cut of the upcoming “Beetlejuice” sequel, and his words have only added to the growing excitement surrounding the film’s release.

Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice

Keaton, reprising his iconic role as the mischievous and eccentric ghost, Beetlejuice, described the sequel as “beautiful”, a term that encapsulates not only the visual aspects of the film but its emotional depth as well. “It is really good. And beautiful. Beautiful, you know, physically. You know what I mean? The other one was so fun and exciting visually. It’s all that, but really kind of beautiful and interestingly emotional here and there. I wasn’t ready for that, you know. Yeah, it’s great,” Keaton remarked during his appearance on The Jess Cagle Show.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Keaton’s praise did not stop at the film’s visual and emotional appeal. He also lauded the performances of both returning and new cast members, signaling a dynamic ensemble that is sure to please fans. “It’s great and the cast, I mean, Catherine [O’Hara], if you thought she was funny last time, double it. She’s so funny and Justin Theroux is like, I mean, come on,” Keaton enthused. O’Hara returns as Delia Deetz, while Theroux joins the cast in a yet-to-be-disclosed role. The sequel also introduces Jenna Ortega as Lydia’s daughter, Monica Bellucci as Beetlejuice’s wife, and Willem Dafoe as a dead B movie actor, adding new layers to the beloved universe.

“It’s just so fun and I’ve seen it now, I’m gonna see it again after a couple little tweaks in the editing room and I confidently say this thing is great,” Keaton shared. The journey from the original “Beetlejuice” to its sequel has been a long one, but if Keaton’s early rave is anything to go by, it will have been worth the wait. Showtime for the sequel is set for September 6th.

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‘The Unknown’ From Willy Wonka Event is Getting a Horror Movie

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Not since the Fyre Festival has an event been so lambasted online as Glasgow, Scotland’s Willy Wonka Experience. In case you haven’t heard about it, it was a children’s spectacular that celebrated Roald Dahl’s offbeat chocolatier by taking families through a themed space that felt like his magical factory. Only, thanks to cellphone cameras and social testimony, it was actually a sparsely decorated warehouse filled with flimsy set designs that looked like they were bought on Temu.

The famous disgruntled Oompa Loompa is now a meme and several hired actors have spoken out about the inelegant party. But one character seems to have come out on top, The Unknown, the mirror-masked emotionless villain who appears from behind a mirror, terrifying younger attendees. The actor who played Wonka, at the event, Paul Conell, recites his script and gives some backstory to this frightening entity.

“The bit that got me was where I had to say, ‘There is a man we don’t know his name. We know him as the Unknown. This Unknown is an evil chocolate maker who lives in the walls,'” Conell told Business Insider. “It was terrifying for the kids. Is he an evil man who makes chocolate or is the chocolate itself evil?”

Despite the sour affair, something sweet may come out of it. Bloody Disgusting has reported that a horror movie is being made based on The Unknown and may get a release as early as this year.

The horror publication quotes Kaledonia Pictures: “The film, gearing up for production and a late 2024 release, follows a renowned illustrator and his wife who are haunted by the tragic death of their son, Charlie. Desperate to escape their grief, the couple leave the world behind for the remote Scottish Highlands – where an unknowable evil awaits them.”

@katsukiluvrr evil chicolate maker who lives in the walls from willies chocolate experience in glasgow x #glasgow #willywonka #wonkaglasgow #scottish #wonka #theunknown #fyp #trending #foryou ♬ its the unknown – mol💌

They add, “We are excited to begin production and look forward to sharing more with you as soon as possible. We are actually only a few miles from the event, so it is quite surreal to see Glasgow all over social media, worldwide.”

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