According to the latest published statistics on Google.com, a surprisingly low percentage of the population is affected by arachnophobia … or the fear of spiders.
Seriously? No greater than seven percent?
Now, I expressed my genuine surprise because – in all honesty – yes, I consider myself among the seven percent afflicted. While my fear is far from debilitating on any level, I can appreciate what those who do experience full-blown fright must endure when faced with the sight of any creepily crawling critter. A move to Arizona several decades back introduced me to an even greater fear – that of scorpions – which I’ve read does fall under the same category of phobias; and, of course, I’ve had to face it with the grim determination like any Arizonan could, would, and should. Spiders? I’ve read that they have their time and place in the global kingdom, but, frankly, I could do without them.
So … it should go without saying that I approached a complimentary screening of a little something-something called Infested (2023) with more than modest trepidation. I’ve seen spider-specific-themed Horror flicks before; and because I’ve had little trouble with them, I decided to give this one a go. The advertising looked very good; and I do love a good fright. While this one let me down just a bit (I’ll explain more below), it still earns high marks for being what I’ve often called an ‘old school chiller.’ It doesn’t seek to be anything greater than a momentary distraction from the trials and tribulations of life. It doesn’t hint of any deeper meaning than to just give you a good case of the willies. And there isn’t the promise of a sequel anywhere in sight.
I respect that level of efficiency … and this one pays off nicely.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re a reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Residents of a rundown French apartment building battle against an army of deadly, rapidly reproducing spiders.”
Look. It may not be all that manly of me to admit that, yes, like so many I’m frightened appropriately of bees, bugs, and whatnot. Having been either stung or bitten far more times than I care to recall, I’ve learned that it isn’t so much emasculating as it is just damn prudent policy. If it crawls and it has teeth or a stinger or a pincher or whatever, then it deserves to be killed. That’s just good diplomacy in my book.
So, yes, I found it a bit hard to identify with Kaleb (played by Théo Christine), a young French entrepreneur who wants to springboard his fascination with insects into a professional career dealing in bugs. (There is such a thing? Good Lord!) So when one of his illicit suppliers suddenly comes up with a ‘hot’ new species of spider brought in from what appears to be some God forsaken desert in the Middle East, Kaleb can’t help himself and purchases the single specimen outright. Not a lot is known about the arachnid, but his dealer assures him that he should exercise extreme caution with keeping it indoors.
As Fate would have it, this particular breed of spider is somehow magically endowed with Darwinian-level powers: apparently, it reproduces at a rate required for it to physically match in size and scale whatever threat its environment poses. Once it has been removed from the desert and placed in proximity to, say, human beings? Well, you guessed it! This arthropod ignores the bookish requirements of hundreds if not thousands of years of evolutionary development and, instead, morphs into the size of domestic dogs and cats literally overnight! And speaking of dogs and cats? Well, guess what it apparently has a hankerin’ for?
Seriously? No greater than seven percent?
Now, I expressed my genuine surprise because – in all honesty – yes, I consider myself among the seven percent afflicted. While my fear is far from debilitating on any level, I can appreciate what those who do experience full-blown fright must endure when faced with the sight of any creepily crawling critter. A move to Arizona several decades back introduced me to an even greater fear – that of scorpions – which I’ve read does fall under the same category of phobias; and, of course, I’ve had to face it with the grim determination like any Arizonan could, would, and should. Spiders? I’ve read that they have their time and place in the global kingdom, but, frankly, I could do without them.
So … it should go without saying that I approached a complimentary screening of a little something-something called Infested (2023) with more than modest trepidation. I’ve seen spider-specific-themed Horror flicks before; and because I’ve had little trouble with them, I decided to give this one a go. The advertising looked very good; and I do love a good fright. While this one let me down just a bit (I’ll explain more below), it still earns high marks for being what I’ve often called an ‘old school chiller.’ It doesn’t seek to be anything greater than a momentary distraction from the trials and tribulations of life. It doesn’t hint of any deeper meaning than to just give you a good case of the willies. And there isn’t the promise of a sequel anywhere in sight.
I respect that level of efficiency … and this one pays off nicely.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re a reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Residents of a rundown French apartment building battle against an army of deadly, rapidly reproducing spiders.”
Look. It may not be all that manly of me to admit that, yes, like so many I’m frightened appropriately of bees, bugs, and whatnot. Having been either stung or bitten far more times than I care to recall, I’ve learned that it isn’t so much emasculating as it is just damn prudent policy. If it crawls and it has teeth or a stinger or a pincher or whatever, then it deserves to be killed. That’s just good diplomacy in my book.
So, yes, I found it a bit hard to identify with Kaleb (played by Théo Christine), a young French entrepreneur who wants to springboard his fascination with insects into a professional career dealing in bugs. (There is such a thing? Good Lord!) So when one of his illicit suppliers suddenly comes up with a ‘hot’ new species of spider brought in from what appears to be some God forsaken desert in the Middle East, Kaleb can’t help himself and purchases the single specimen outright. Not a lot is known about the arachnid, but his dealer assures him that he should exercise extreme caution with keeping it indoors.
As Fate would have it, this particular breed of spider is somehow magically endowed with Darwinian-level powers: apparently, it reproduces at a rate required for it to physically match in size and scale whatever threat its environment poses. Once it has been removed from the desert and placed in proximity to, say, human beings? Well, you guessed it! This arthropod ignores the bookish requirements of hundreds if not thousands of years of evolutionary development and, instead, morphs into the size of domestic dogs and cats literally overnight! And speaking of dogs and cats? Well, guess what it apparently has a hankerin’ for?
Given this massively improbably scientific development, I did find it pretty difficult to take Infested seriously only as a dramatic vehicle. Essentially, it’s little more than a monster movie – one powered by its own innate ‘spider sense’ (to borrow a phrase) – and in that estimation only it works wonders. Like any good carnival thrill ride, this one pits its likeable and young cast – all of them just trying to get by and make the proper choices in their respective lives despite the usual angst of the age group – against a horde of crawling predators that will stop at nothing … not even a can of Raid. Once the original specimen gets loose, it goes into a hyper state of reproduction, overrunning the apartment complex entirely within a matter of hours.
Again … realism be damned … Infested works despite its narrative and/or scientific weaknesses. When it wants to chill you to the bone, it spins a web that’ll keep you trapped in its dire embrace for the duration of your stay … just don’t expect for all of it to make perfect sense in the big climax.
Written (in part) and directed for the screen by Sébastien Vanicek, Infested manages to deliver thrills and spills, though it does take a respectable amount of time to set up this world and its young cast. Structurally, it flows similar to 2007’s fabulous Zombie/Horror flick REC in which residents of a tenement-style structure find themselves quarantined within once the killer virus has begun infecting one resident after another. In the same fashion, Kaleb, his sister, and their friends endure a analogous nightmare scenario when French authorities suspect some kind of biological outbreak might be in progress; and they seal off the building, leaving the survivors to fend entirely for themselves. Though the project follows the formula a bit too closely if not predictably, there’s still a cool efficiency to its forward progress that makes for a grim procedural.
Note to those afraid of spiders: yes, they’re in here. In spades. However, as the film spools on and they grow larger and larger (for theatrical purposes, mostly), it does get marginally easier to watch them do what they do. But … for those who suffer from the highest levels of arachnophobia? You might wanna stick with something simpler.
Infested (2023) was produced by My Box Productions, Tandem, Netflix, and a few other participants. (For a full accounting, please check out IMDB.com.) According to quick Google.com search, the film is available presently for streaming via Amazon.com’s Prime Video and Shudder. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I found the provided sights-and-sounds to be pretty exceptional from start-to-finish. There are several sequences that take place in extremely low lighting that could’ve been improved, but methinks they were going for that look in order to preserve the horrific atmosphere. Lastly, as I viewed this production via streaming, there were no special features under consideration.
Recommended.
I did go into Infested (2023) thinking I would have greater difficulty with the overall experience. I’m not ashamed to admit to being concerned about spiders and snakes, and I would caution those who have serious serious serious issues with them to perhaps seek entertainment solace elsewhere. But if you want to experience an effective and efficient thrill ride, then this is about as good as anything I’ve had the good fortune to stumble across as of late. It is French language – meaning it’s subtitled – so perhaps reading some of the dialogue also softened the Horror tropes to the point wherein they weren’t as visually powerful as they could’ve been otherwise.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Shudder provided me with complimentary streaming access to Infested (2023) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Again … realism be damned … Infested works despite its narrative and/or scientific weaknesses. When it wants to chill you to the bone, it spins a web that’ll keep you trapped in its dire embrace for the duration of your stay … just don’t expect for all of it to make perfect sense in the big climax.
Written (in part) and directed for the screen by Sébastien Vanicek, Infested manages to deliver thrills and spills, though it does take a respectable amount of time to set up this world and its young cast. Structurally, it flows similar to 2007’s fabulous Zombie/Horror flick REC in which residents of a tenement-style structure find themselves quarantined within once the killer virus has begun infecting one resident after another. In the same fashion, Kaleb, his sister, and their friends endure a analogous nightmare scenario when French authorities suspect some kind of biological outbreak might be in progress; and they seal off the building, leaving the survivors to fend entirely for themselves. Though the project follows the formula a bit too closely if not predictably, there’s still a cool efficiency to its forward progress that makes for a grim procedural.
Note to those afraid of spiders: yes, they’re in here. In spades. However, as the film spools on and they grow larger and larger (for theatrical purposes, mostly), it does get marginally easier to watch them do what they do. But … for those who suffer from the highest levels of arachnophobia? You might wanna stick with something simpler.
Infested (2023) was produced by My Box Productions, Tandem, Netflix, and a few other participants. (For a full accounting, please check out IMDB.com.) According to quick Google.com search, the film is available presently for streaming via Amazon.com’s Prime Video and Shudder. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I found the provided sights-and-sounds to be pretty exceptional from start-to-finish. There are several sequences that take place in extremely low lighting that could’ve been improved, but methinks they were going for that look in order to preserve the horrific atmosphere. Lastly, as I viewed this production via streaming, there were no special features under consideration.
Recommended.
I did go into Infested (2023) thinking I would have greater difficulty with the overall experience. I’m not ashamed to admit to being concerned about spiders and snakes, and I would caution those who have serious serious serious issues with them to perhaps seek entertainment solace elsewhere. But if you want to experience an effective and efficient thrill ride, then this is about as good as anything I’ve had the good fortune to stumble across as of late. It is French language – meaning it’s subtitled – so perhaps reading some of the dialogue also softened the Horror tropes to the point wherein they weren’t as visually powerful as they could’ve been otherwise.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Shudder provided me with complimentary streaming access to Infested (2023) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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