On the surface, "Deadly Influencer" is a critique of the shallowness of social media, the danger of becoming addicted, and mindlessness of "followers," "votes," and internet "friending." However, the core of the film is really about a sociopathic Svengali on the loose, a nefarious "manager" who takes control over young women on the internet with the goal of making them social media stars.
The nut case is Skylar Madison, a young woman who first engineered the meteoric rise to fame of Monica Davis, prior to pushing her over a balcony, then administering a lethal injection in the hospital. Skylar had also murdered her mother from whom she inherited the genes of a control freak. With the death of the mother, Skylar inherited the family home.
The most interesting character in the film was Doreen, the hard-drinking cousin of Skylar. When Doreen gets wise to her cousin, she could have turned her in to the authorities. But Doreen did not follow her conscience, but insisted on becoming a "partner" in Skylar's scam. As a consequence, Skylar paid the ultimate price.
There was a heartfelt bonding with Jessica Lake and her dear mother, a widow and a school teacher. But the theme of the hazards of social media was lost in the evil way that Skylar was narcissistically manipulating Jessica. Thus, the message at the end of the film that J-Lake TV was a failure and we should instead be focusing on IRL (in real life) interactions was never very convincing.
The nut case is Skylar Madison, a young woman who first engineered the meteoric rise to fame of Monica Davis, prior to pushing her over a balcony, then administering a lethal injection in the hospital. Skylar had also murdered her mother from whom she inherited the genes of a control freak. With the death of the mother, Skylar inherited the family home.
The most interesting character in the film was Doreen, the hard-drinking cousin of Skylar. When Doreen gets wise to her cousin, she could have turned her in to the authorities. But Doreen did not follow her conscience, but insisted on becoming a "partner" in Skylar's scam. As a consequence, Skylar paid the ultimate price.
There was a heartfelt bonding with Jessica Lake and her dear mother, a widow and a school teacher. But the theme of the hazards of social media was lost in the evil way that Skylar was narcissistically manipulating Jessica. Thus, the message at the end of the film that J-Lake TV was a failure and we should instead be focusing on IRL (in real life) interactions was never very convincing.