Fantasia 2025 I A Simplistic Review: Lurker (2025)

Throughout film history the para-social/stalker trope has been a constant in thrillers. From ‘The King of Comedy’ to ‘Single White Female’ and even what I like to call ‘The Fan Trilogy’ with ‘Der Fan,’ ‘The Fan,’ and ‘Big Fan,’ '(hell, fan it a quadrilogy with ‘Swimfan’ even) it’s the subgenre that keeps on giving.

Now in 2025 the subgenre has gone mainstream with society at-large where people ‘feel’ obligated to be a part of their favorite people’s lives by naming their kids after them, demanding selfies and the only classic now; throwing things on stage at concerts that normally hit people in the face. This is now NORMAL behavior.

‘Lurker’ isn’t upending the genre in any significant way, however in the deft hands of writer/director Alex Russell, who you might know from TV’s ‘Dave,’ ‘The Bear’ and ‘Beef,’ there is something fresh and unnerving about what direction things might, and that’s what makes it so compelling.

The MVP here is Theodore Pellerin. Starting from an unassuming store clerk into a malicious mastermind of his own design, his role as Matthew is probably one of my favorite of 2025 (so far).

The hierarchy created by pop star Oliver (played by Archie Madekwe) is something we can all relate to at some point in our lives, and the continued pressure of the gig/hustle culture weighs heavily across everyone in the entourage that leads to some great moments where the stakes are constantly raised, expect for Zack Fox, who plays Oliver’s friend Swett, who is hilarious in every scene, but still exudes some menace.

Overall, ‘Lurker’ is a tight thriller that really leans into what today’s para-social climate is like today and is certainly worthy of your time.

The 2025 Fantasia Film Festival runs from July 16th to August 3rd.