Of all the movie genres, horror seems to be the most reactive - with filmmakers often taking contemporary concerns and trends and quickly twisting them into the stuff of nightmares.
For instance, just look at how the rise of vacation rental services like Airbnb has inspired a wave of horror films like Barbarian, The Rental and Superhost.
Another major trend in recent years is that of influencers, people who seek to persuade many of their social media followers to do, buy or use the same things that they do - often getting paid or given free products in exchange for their efforts. That said, though there has been a handful of horror movies of late that featured characters who happened to be influencers, there hasn't really been a major scary film that fully capitalised on the influencer craze.
That could change with the horror streaming service Shudder's upcoming flick which is aptly titled Influencer and will be released later this month. Shot on location in Thailand, the movie revolves around a social media influencer named Madison (Emily Tennant, Riverdale) who, while struggling on a solo backpacking trip, meets CW (Cassandra Naud, See).
Travelling more with ease, CW introduces Madison to a more uninhibited way of living. However, CW's interest in Madison eventually "takes a darker turn".
Co-starring Sarah Canning (The Vampire Diaries), Influencer has earned some positive reviews on the festival circuit. Currently sitting on an 83% Rottten Tomatoes score, one critic called the film "a brutal and incisive look at social media addiction," while another said that the "taut Thailand-set thriller follows the anxiety, emptiness and increasing isolation of online celebrity".
Boasting the tagline "Be careful who you follow", Influencer will be available to watch in Ireland and the UK from 26 May on Shudder. You can check out its creepy trailer right here:
Earlier in the week, JOE covered the teaser for the Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story in a separate article.
Meanwhile, for more of the big trailer releases in the world of film and TV this week, see below.
406 Days - The Debenhams Picket Line
Starting with films, this documentary about the longest industrial dispute in Irish labour history lands in Irish cinemas on 26 May,
Come Out Fighting
In this WWII movie featuring amongst its cast Dolph Lundgren and Tyrese Gibson, a small and specialised squad of US Army African American soldiers are sent on a dangerous unofficial rescue mission.
Come Out Fighting will be released on DVD on 4 July.
Dune: Part Two
The second part of director Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's epic sci-fi novel will hit cinemas on 3 November.
Moving onto TV, this Australian psychological thriller series focused around a cult features amongst its cast Teresa Palmer, Miranda Otto and Guy Pearce and premieres on Disney+ on 24 May.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 16
The Gang from Paddy's Pub are coming back for their 16th season, which will premiere in Ireland sometime after its US release on 7 June.
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