Stephen King-Approved Horror Movie With 96% RT Score Leaves VFX Artists Rattled

While the movie has already proven to be one of the year’s biggest horror hits, Infested is getting a glowing review from Corridor Crew. Co-written and directed by Sébastien Vaniček, the French horror movie centered on an exotic animal lover who acquires a spider, which unknowingly unleashes a venomous threat on his rundown apartment complex. Following a successful run in its home country, Infested premiered internationally on Shudder, where it garnered further rave reviews from critics and audiences, including Stephen King, currently holding a 95% “Certified Fresh” approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

Just over two months after the movie’s Shudder premiere, the VFX artists at Corridor Crew have taken a look at Infested in the latest episode of “VFX Artists React”.

The episode segment, which can be seen above, finds Niko introducing clips from Infested to Niko and Wren, the latter of whom is generally afraid of spiders and is humorously unnerved as the segment progresses. The group go on to share their glowing reactions to the movie’s blend of practical spiders and visual effects, with Niko taking note of how the spiders were “animated so well” to create an effectively spine-tingling journey.

Infested Is A Promising Sign For Horror’s Future For 2 Reasons

Though it may have been a streaming-only release in international territories, Infested‘s success proves to offer a number of exciting signs about the future of the horror genre. One of the biggest reasons is the possibility of a resurgence in spider-driven horror movies, with the subgenre generally seeing comedic takes in more recent years. With 2024 not only bringing Vaniček’s film, which holds just as much social commentary as it does genuine chills, but also the somewhat lighter-toned Sting, its clear filmmakers are keen to explore the real terrors of arachnids.

Another reason why Infested is an exciting sign for the genre’s future is what Vaniček has lined up following his feature directorial debut. Just prior to the movie’s Shudder release, it was announced that the writer/director had been hired to develop a new Evil Dead spinoff, which he will co-write with his Infested collaborator Florent Bernard. Beyond its unique exploration of class issues in France and brutal law enforcement treatment, Vaniček displayed a strong grip on a filmmaking style that felt reminiscent of original Evil Dead director Sam Raimi, namely the hallway sequence seen in the Corridor Crew review above.

Given the Evil Dead franchise has generally been known for its practical-driven horror, Vaniček’s ability to blend both practical spiders and spine-chilling CGI arachnids in Infested points towards him being another great filmmaker to carry Raimi’s franchise forward. The 2024 movie also offers some insight for how he could blend a deeper story with the grandiose Deadite murders it’s known for, as Vaniček and Bernard’s script never lets its themes overpower its spider-driven horror. Plus, with King’s vocal support of Infested, and the platform’s release of the viral hit Late Night With The Devil, Shudder could very well see a major boost in subscriptions.

Source: Corridor Crew

Infested (2024)

Director Sébastien Vanicek makes his feature film debut with a story that follows Kaleb, who is about to turn 30 and has never been lonelier. He’s fighting with his sister over a matter of inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a bazaar and brings it back to his flat. It only takes a moment for it to escape and reproduce, turning the whole place into a dreadful web trap. Starring Théo Christine (Suprêmes), Finnegan Oldfield (Final Cut), Jérôme Niel (Smoking Causes Coughing), Sofia Lesaffre (Les Misérables) and Lisa Nyarko.

Director

Sébastien Vanicek

Release Date

April 26, 2024

Studio(s)

My Box Films

Distributor(s)

Shudder

Writers

Sébastien Vanicek , Florent Bernard

Cast

Théo Christine , Sofia Lesaffre , Jérôme Niel , Lisa Nyarko , Finnegan Oldfield , Marie-Philomene , Nga

Runtime

106 Minutes

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