Kelly (Marie Luciani-Grimaldi), is your typical blonde, purty, perky all-American cheerleader. Unfortunately for her, she’s also a renowned social media influencer. Equally unfortunately, she’s just woken up to find herself tied to a chair, held captive in a grim-looking boiler room by a cloaked psychopath in an evil mask who describes himself as a DEinfluencer, which as we all know usually marks a horror character as an anonymous nutter-on-a-mission (think Ghostface from Scream crossed with Gene Simmons from Kiss; for the latter those under a certain age may have to consult Google).

For a moment it seems this fellow (Simon Phillips) has a modicum of decorum, when in measured English tones he introduces himself as Charles. Then he goes and ruins that by revealing himself as a despiser of the entire concept of the social media influencer who won’t hesitate to shoot her in the head should she attempt escape.

He’s not just her captor for his own sadistic amusement. As we are to find out, there’s a real agenda behind his ruthless demeanour; one he intends to fulfil at any cost, though taking Kelly’s life turns out not to be the central point of his actions. By now as horror lovers I’m sure we’re all getting pretty used to films which emphasise the darker side of social media, and the dangers of the internet as an open doorway to a playground for predators, particularly those focusing on influencers, and moreover, very often those they influence.

With the internet and all that goes with it now being such inextricable elements of everyday life, the barrage of (mainly horror) films zoning in on it from a variety of angles was inevitable. Rather like the innumerable post-apocalyptic/pandemic avalanche, there’s enough material there to keep a thousand filmmakers busy for decades and then some. Doubtless like many of you, I’ve lost count of the number (and names) of most of these aforementioned movies, and while DEinfluencer shares many similarities regarding the theme, the victims, the villain, and so on, there’s something about it which whispers of differing from the masses.

There’s an intensity about the perpetrator positively screaming of a heartfelt reason behind his actions; something borne out of more than a simple thirst for personal satisfaction in cruelty or revenge, as is the case with many of his contemporaries. In short, his is a calling beyond the basic bloodlust of what we’ve come to expect.

The result of DEinfluencer is a startling double hit that’s not completely surprising, but exemplary acting on the part of Phillips (and Luciani-Grimaldi, being no slouch herself) take director and writer Jamie Bailey’s approach to a familiar, high-trending theme to a level that’s way beyond middling. Watch on, you’ll love this one.

9 out of 10 Surprising Slashers