WHAT’S IT ABOUT
When aspiring social media influencer ‘DropTheMike’ is offered a lucrative sponsorship to grow his channel, he gathers a video crew made up of friends for a visit to one of the most haunted hotels in America for a weekend of thrill-seeking. What begins as a fun investigation into the hotel’s deadly past quickly descends into a personal hell of true evil, begging the timely question: how far would you go to pursue internet fame?
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
Followed isn’t a great movie, but in certain areas, it seems like they really tried to make it work. The story is messy, and the main character, Mike, is intentionally unlikable but goes beyond that to the point of being loathsome. Despite these drawbacks, some themes in the screenplay are worth checking out. Mike, played by Matthew Solomon, is a vlogger known as DropTheMike on YouTube. His significant other, Jess (Kelsey Griswold), doesn’t like his true crime-focused content. Mike takes his crew, including friends Chris (Tim Drier), Dani (Sam Valentine), and Nick (Caitlin Grace), to the haunted Hotel Lennox for his vlog. Strange things start escalating from odd to dangerous as secrets about the hotel and Mike’s personal history come to light. The film cleverly critiques social media, particularly the character of Mike, an obnoxious vlogger. Despite the generic scare scenes, the movie finds humor in Mike’s over-the-top persona. The film explores true crime ethics, with Mike initially making fun of victims until he discovers a personal connection to a crime. This highlights his hypocritical perspective, typical of the privileged white male outlook. As the story progresses, the film confronts the shallowness of social media fame, represented by Mike’s relentless pursuit of sponsorship from a boutique called “Haute Gothic.” Mike’s disrespect for everything but money and status reflects a caricature of a straight white 20-something. The film also delves into the horror genre’s reception, mirroring how critics often look down on horror until a critically acclaimed film emerges. Mike embodies internet fame, insulting his fans and assuming they’re all virgins. His treatment of houseless people encountered on the way to the hotel reveals his true contempt. Despite a late attempt to redeem himself with a documentary on houseless people, it’s too little too late. While Followed falls short as a social media critique and doesn’t offer a unique take on horror, it succeeds in being disarmingly mean and sometimes funny. Matthew Solomon’s performance as Mike adds humor to the film, portraying a character that’s easy to imagine in real life, if only in small doses. Despite its flaws, the film manages to be entertaining on the journey to its predictable conclusions. So, as I stated earlier, it’s not a great movie, but if you need to fill ninety minutes, Followed will be waiting for you.
OUR RATING – A HORROR-BLE 5