Infested: spider-filled French thriller acquired by Shudder

Director Sébastien Vanicek’s debut feature Infested, a spider-filled French thriller that was formerly known as Vermin (which I feel is a better title than the overused Infested), is set to have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, then it will be heading over to Fantastic Fest. But before it starts making the festival rounds, it has already secured distribution through the Shudder streaming service! Shudder is planning to release the film in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand sometime in 2024.

Scripted by Vanicek and Florent Bernard, Infested has the following synopsis: Kaleb is about to turn 30 and has never been lonelier. He’s fighting with his sister over a matter of inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a bazaar and brings it back to his flat. It only takes a moment for it to escape and reproduce, turning the whole place into a dreadful web trap.

Théo Christine, Finnegan Oldfield, Jérôme Niel, Sofia Lesaffre, and Lisa Nyarko star.

Vanicek provided The Hollywood Reporter with the following statement: “The idea was always to make a movie that’s worth your ticket, a spectacle worth showing up for. To make a film to blow your mind, your ears, and to hit you in the gut. It’s also a very personal film which depicts French suburbs I know, far from the eeriness of the auteur films or the caricature of the comedies. It’s a genre film that shakes you to your core, moves you, makes you shiver, because it seems to me that through emotions you end up concerned and involved.“

Shudder’s Emily Gotto added, “Infested terrifies, on a multitude of levels. The film is full of horror, suspense and some serious bite. Sébastien is an incredibly talented director, and we are thrilled to bring his feature film debut to the Shudder audience.“

Sounds interesting to me!

Infested is coming our way from Charades and WTFilms. It was produced by Harry Tordjman of My Box Films.

Does Infested sound like a movie you’d like to check out on the Shudder streaming service? Let us know by leaving a comment below.