dir. Sylvia Caminer

Jess Peters (writer Dani Barker) is an aspiring social media star hoping to go viral by secretly filming encounters she experiences through job postings. However despite her online persona, in real life she’s struggling to cope with feeling isolated from her family and the prospect of being kicked out of her apartment. So when she answers a job advert for a screenwriter in a psychological thriller she falls into the trap of the enigmatic Tom (Luke Cook), realising too late that she’s been cast as the lead in a perverse game of cat and mouse.

The topics of social media and its misuse are not new to the horror genre, though Caminer’s feature debut explores the intense voyeurism that’s associated with being an influencer and how exposing so much of one’s life can lead to vulnerability. Tracking questions of how safe influencers actually are – and how complicit are those who watch their downfall – Follow Her is an interesting take on this modern personality craze with an added tinge of Peeping Tom (1960).

At times however the acting can feel forced and unnatural, which strains audience belief. But despite this the final half still racks up tension, landing as a taught morality tale for the TikTok generation.

© Ygraine Hackett-Cantabrana

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This film screened as part of Frightfest 2022. For more information on the festival, please visit http://www.frightfest.co.uk.