‘Appofeniacs’ Review – Stylish Blood-Soaked Finale Saves Uneven Tech Nightmare [FrightFest 2025]

Just like any new technology, AI has quickly found its way into our lives and, sadly, also rapidly altered the notion of truth, reality, and society. Yes, those AI-generated cat videos do brighten up your day for a brief moment, but this fast-rising technology can also change our lives horrifically in the blink of an eye. That’s precisely the starting point of Chris Marrs Piliero’s directional debut. The concept of the digital nightmare created by AI is a rich breeding ground for a filmmaker. While Appofeniacs doesn’t become the powerhouse of a movie it wants to be, the truly disturbingly effective third act certainly ensures that the film ends on a high note.

The road to that satisfying ending is, however, very bumpy. Piliero certainly isn’t afraid to delve straight into the deep with a sex tape (fake or not) with deadly consequences. However, during that scene, it becomes clear that a) the movie will rush its kills sometimes and b) that nothing is what it seems in this feature. That deepfake video sets a whole deadly string of other AI-generated content in motion, including the financial advice video from a celebrity, the racist rant of a young woman and people taking on new identities to gain access to vital information from others. It’s all content we’ve seen before or have been warned against, and it’s excellent and especially relatable to see the first-time writer and director using that in his feature.

Still, he cuts from one video and its context and aftermath to the next. There’s no coherent structure in this feature, and it all feels too compartmentalized. Writing in different chapters for different characters, rather than crafting one big story for a central lead, seems Piliero’s preferred way of working. It might have worked for the bold and stylised music videos he created, but it doesn’t work for the complete 100% in this full-length feature, as the movie feels disjointed. What do the girl with the bright blue hair (Simran Jehani), a woman (Paige Searcy) working in a shop, and a rich and famous cosplay costume designer (Sean Gunn) have in common? Nothing apart from the fact that they’ve encountered the same person who’s making their life a miserable hell.

The fact that they’re strangers to each other is both a blessing and a curse for this feature. It highlights again that, if you’re a victim of disturbing AI videos, the perpetrator might be someone who just had a brief and seemingly innocent encounter with you. A stranger in line for coffee, the person next to you on the bus, or someone serving you, one look, phrase or gesture they don’t like can be enough reason for them to turn your life upside down.

On the other hand, however, the fact that the characters barely know each other makes the movie feel more like a collection of short films connected by the same dark theme, rather than a full-blown horror movie. Therefore, the movie struggles to build the tension it so desperately needs, especially in acts one and two. There are the chaotic, blood-soaked and bonkers scenes that will undoubtedly hit the spot for horror lovers, but overall it feels weirdly tame.

Luckily for Piliero, the energetic, dynamic, and standout performances by Will Brandt (Animal Kingdom), Aaron Holliday (Cocaine Bear), and Jehani (Providence), along with the nail-biting soundtrack, guide you from the more underwhelming scenes into the splatterfest this movie aimed to be. Because once the blood starts flowing, it doesn’t stop at all. With the use of practical effects, Appofeniacs delivers on the horror premise and shows us why it had its world premiere at FrightFest 2025.

From a ghastly scene in which Holliday’s character is glued to the table with the strongest adhesive in the world to a peaceful dinner scene turning into a gruesome and funny killing spree, this work has some true horror goodness to offer after all. Also, your usual murder weapons, such as knives and guns, do get an excellent upgrade to true-to-life cosplay weapons, twisted chainsaws and eye-popping spears. The filming of those gruesome scenes even resulted in Piliero’s house, where this movie was partly made, being permanently blood-stained. Something he’s very proud of.

Also, the biggest weapon in this film undoubtedly is AI (and the person using it), and the filmmaker never loses track of that true enemy. The ongoing theme of technological entrapment, combined with the changing view on tipping hospitality workers, racism and women fearing for their lives, is fully present and certainly underscores the current events we’ve all witnessed in real life and/or in the media.

Appofeniacs definitely fails to gain momentum after its explosive beginning and is far from perfect due to its disjointed feel. However, its ideas are bold, its topics are contemporary, and its third act is indeed a magnetic feast for the eyes, resulting in a feature that delivers the stylish, blood-soaked chaos you’re after.

Appofeniacs had its World Premiere at FrightFest 2025. 

Director: Chris Marrs Piliero

Writer: Chris Marrs Piliero

Rated: NR

Runtime: 90m