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Infested, directed by Sbastien Vaniek, has received high praise by Stephen King and others for being scary, gross, and well-made. The film follows Kaleb, who brings home a venomous spider that quickly escapes and turns his apartment into a deadly trap. Vaniek is set to direct the next Evil Dead spin-off, citing the creative freedom he will have on the project as a major draw for him.

Before Sbastien Vaniek releases his anticipated spin-off of the Evil Dead franchise, audiences were treated to his old-fashioned spider film that delivers on everything it promises, Infested. The French flick by the director is currently streaming on Shudder, and has been earning high praise all around, including a positive endorsement from the master of horror himself, Stephen King.

Infested (2024) 5/5

Release DateApril 26, 2024DirectorSbastien VanicekCastTho Christine, Sofia Lesaffre, Jrme Niel, Lisa Nyarko, Finnegan Oldfield, Marie-Philomene, NgaRuntime106 MinutesMain GenreHorror

King took to X (formerly Twitter) recently...

Stephen King praises Infested for being "scary, gross, well made" in a glowing review on X. Infested received overwhelmingly positive reviews for delivering compelling thrills and developing human characters. The spider-centric horror film has a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Stephen King offers praise for Infested, a new skin-crawling horror movie with a near-perfect 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes from the critics. Directed by Sbastien Vaniek in his feature debut, with a script he co-wrote with Florent Bernard, the French-language horror film (originally titled Vermines) follows the residents of an apartment building as they battle against an army of deadly, rapidly reproducing spiders. The cast includes Tho Christine (Suprmes), Finnegan Oldfield (Final Cut), Jrme Niel (Smoking Causes Coughing), Sofia Lesaffre (Les Misrables), and Lisa Nyarko.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, King shared a glowing review for Infested, calling it "scary, gross" and "well made." Read his full post below:

Infested (Shudder): Spiders,...

Stars: Theo Christine, Sofia Lesaffre, Jerome Niel, Lisa Nyarko, Finnegan Oldfield, Marie-Philomene Nga, Mahamadou Sangare, Abdallah Moundy, Ike Zacsongo-Joseph, Emmanuel Bonami, Xing Xing Cheng, Samir Nait, Malik Amraoui | Written by Sébastien Vanicek, Florent Bernard | Directed by Sébastien Vanicek

Arachnophobes are in for a bit of a rough time, because streaming platforms and cinemas will be positively crawling with spider-based monster movies before you know it. Well, two, anyway. First up is French spider-thriller Infested (out now on Shudder), with Australian creature feature Sting creeping into cinemas on May 31st.

Also known as Vermines, Infested is the feature debut of French director Sebastien Vanicek. Set in present-day Paris, the film centres on hustler Kaleb (Theo Christine), who shares a flat with his sister Manon (Lisa Nyarko) in a run-down apartment building that’s home to several other multicultural tenants.

When exotic animal enthusiast Kaleb brings home an illegal spider, he names...

Director Sébastien Vaniček has been set to helm the next Evil Dead movie, and it’s easy to see why with his feature debut, the spider horror movie Infested. Playing like a cross between Attack the Block and Arachnophobia, Infested makes you care about its characters while delivering no shortage of skin-crawling spider horror moments.

Available now on Shudder, Infested follows Kaleb (Théo Christine), a lonely 30 year old who’s estranged from his best friend and at odds with his sister over their crumbling apartment. His dreams of opening a reptile zoo get drastically thwarted when he brings home an illegally acquired desert spider, one that happens to be gravid, and it gets loose. One hatched egg sac gives way to hundreds more, plunging the apartment building into a visceral arachnophobic nightmare.

It’s not just that Infested employs real spiders for many of the skin-crawling horror moments that make it so effective,...

A humanist approach to horror shines through in Infested, which delves into layers of social commentary and fear beyond spiders. Arachnophobia and claustrophobia work hand in hand, creating a thrilling ride filled with terror-inducing elements. Infested not only presents spiders as monsters but also sheds light on a more sinister evil lurking within humanity itself.

One of the most common fears people have is arguably that of spiders, and Infested the title alone is enough to make anyone's skin crawl takes full advantage of this. Indeed, Shudder's newest film deftly maintains throughout its runtime that all-too-familiar anxiety of feeling like something is crawling up your arm, thrumming with a steady paranoia as the characters duck around web-covered corners. In this way, it essentially operates as a great survival movie that skates into creature-feature territory, while also weaving in psychological and body horror elements. That said, Infested's most remarkable trait is how,...

One of my favorite horror films of the year thus far, Infested pits an eclectic group of apartment tenants against rapidly reproducing spiders. As thought-provoking as it is palpably horrifying, Infested has now skittered onto Shudder, and I had the pleasure of catching up with director/co-writer Sébastien Vaniček in a video interview to discuss his new movie, including the spider-centric research that went into the making of the film's realistic effects, the movie's exploration of socioeconomic divisions, as well as the excellent performances from the cast, and Sébastien also shared his excitement for his upcoming Evil Dead movie!

Synopsis: "Kaleb is about to turn 30 and has never been lonelier. He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a...

In an odd quirk of distribution timing, this month has seen the arrival of no less than two imported, semi-comedic thrillers featuring decrepit apartment building invaded by giant spiders. Already playing U.S. theaters is the Australian “Sting,” which is fun, if formulaic. In a whole other class, however, is French “Infested,” a first feature by director Sebastien Vanicek following several impressive shorts. An instant minor genre classic, it is fun and then some — a conceptually unremarkable but resourceful, energetic, stylish and good-humored creature feature with above-average human character interest.

That achievement has been duly noted: Intended as a streaming premiere, “Vermines” (the original title) pleased its producer such that he apparently insisted on a home-turf theatrical release, despite the long delay that imposes on its launch in other formats under French law. It’s seen big-screen release in numerous nations since late last year, though in the U.S.

Infested is more than just a creature feature - it's a character-driven ensemble piece about disaster and community. The film explores pandemic-era themes like isolation and quarantine, along with police violence and racial discrimination. While the spiders in Infested are terrifying, the true source of tension comes from the well-developed characters and realistic horrors.

To call Infested (Vermines) a creature feature is both literally true and somewhat misleading. The French horror film by writer-director Sbastien Vaniek is, at the literal level, about an apartment building that becomes the hunting ground of absurdly dangerous spiders. But that's only part of what's going on in this movie, and perhaps its weakest element. The spiders aren't exactly shortchanged; arachnophobes will undoubtedly find this tough to sit through. They just aren't the true source of tension.

Infested (2024) 7/10

Fascinated by exotic animals, Kaleb finds a venomous spider in a bazaar and brings it back to his flat.

April showers scare up new horror films and series on Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, for its annual Halfway to Halloween horror-thon. Too much fun to celebrate just once a year, the streamer celebrates the halfway point to Halloween every April with a killer lineup of Shudder Original Film premieres, Live viewing parties for Shudder’s Original series The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs, and more. The horror celebration is timed to Shudder TV’s launch on AMC+ with new events including marathons of signature series and Live watch parties for new film premieres.

Fans are invited to follow along on @shudder social for #HalfwaytoHalloween recommended films to watch all month long.

Shudder’s Halfway to Halloween highlights include:

Baghead (Shudder Exclusive Film)

New Film Premieres Friday, April 5

Following the death of her estranged father (Peter Mullan), Iris (Freya Allan) learns she has inherited a run-down,...

Director Sébastien Vaniček has been set to helm the next Evil Dead movie, but up first from the filmmaker is the creepy crawly spider horror movie Infested. An exclusive new clip gives a discomfiting closer look at the spider terror, and it’ll make you intensely afraid of all bathroom drains and fixtures.

Infested will induce a new wave of arachnophobia this week; the spider horror film arrives on Shudder on April 26, 2024.

If you’re brave enough to face your fears, watch the new clip below to get a feel for the unrelenting wave of spiders that the characters (and the audience) will face in the film.

In the film, “An underprivileged suburb has been thrown into chaos following an invasion of venomous spiders. Ordered to be placed in quarantine, the project sees inhabitants living on lockdown alongside terrifying spiders that are becoming bigger and bigger.

“The story revolves around Kaleb,...

What’s that? Another Eight new horror movies are releasing this week?! The fresh horrors on tap include a prequel to a box office hit, a violent thriller produced by Sam Raimi, the feature debut of a horror master’s daughter, and a skin-crawling nightmare filled with spiders.

Here’s all the new horror releasing April 22, 2024 – April 28, 2024!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

First up we have a TV series rather than a movie, but we wanted to remind you that Prime Video’s “Them: The Scare,” the second season of the anthology series, premieres on April 25.

The first season of “Them” (now retroactively dubbed “Covenant”) debuted back in 2021, and this second installment of the anthology series will consist of eight episodes.

“Them: The Scare” will once again be set in Los Angeles…

The story centers on LAPD Homicide Detective Dawn Reeve, who is...

Infested continues the recent resurgence of spider-focused horror movies with a terrifying atmosphere, effective visuals and engaging characters. Co-writer/director Sébastien Vaniek held nothing back in making his feature directorial debut, wanting to ensure he made the "best first feature" possible with crazy effects and a layered story. Vaniek also praises Sam Raimi for the creative freedom he's being given on the next Evil Dead movie, which he teases will break a lot of the franchise's rules.

The spider-based horror genre continues to enjoy a creepy resurgence with Infested. Hailing from French filmmaker Sébastien Vaniček in his feature directorial debut, the movie comes at a time in which arachnids are finding a new life on screen, releasing near the somewhat comedically-driven Australian-American production Sting, which centered on a troubled young girl befriending an alien spider, only for it to go on a brutal murder spree in her rundown apartment building.

For movies about killer spiders, the things that are generally of primary concern are the size and the volume of the spiders. With that in mind, connoisseurs of this horror subgenre should be pleased to find that Sébastien Vaniček’s feature-length debut, Infested, delivers on both of those fronts. While the spiders here, a highly poisonous and aggressive desert species, may initially emerge at a deceptively normal size, they gradually balloon to larger proportions as they overwhelm an apartment block in a French banlieue. They’re also a rapidly reproducing breed, to the point where their offspring and their offspring’s offspring are eventually scampering all over the building’s walls, ceilings, air ducts, and residents.

In expected creature-feature form, Infested is quick to explain how these deadly arachnids made their journey to an unfamiliar urban environment. Following a frenzied opening in a patch of Middle Eastern desert where three...

Spiders can be scary, but it’s our reaction to them that’s traumatic.

The jolt of panic you feel when a tickle just hits wrong is a hard-wired evolutionary response that’s been explored in horror for decades. Humans developed the “Holy shit, get it off me!” feeling as a protection against the pests we can’t always see. And while hobbyists claim arachnids are misunderstood — playing a critical role opposite insects — the bone-deep distaste we have for spiders has cast as antagonists since the dawn of film. From “Tarantula!” and “Arachnophobia” to “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” if something is on eight legs and in a movie, you know what comes next.

Directed by Sébastien Vaniček, and co-written by the French filmmaker and Florent Bernard, “Infested” premiered to buzzy acclaim at 2023 Venice Film Festival, got more flowers at Fantastic Fest, and screened again at The Overlook...

Exclusive: Shudder has unveiled the programming you can expect from its monthlong Halfway to Halloween horror-thon, kicking off today.

In addition to the premieres of the service’s record-breaking theatrical hit Late Night with the Devil, the creature feature Infested and supernatural horror Baghead, viewers will be treated to live watch parties of B-movie celebration The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs, and more.

A trailer teasing Shudder’s Halfway to Halloween can be found above. For more of what you can expect from the horror celebration, timed to Shudder TV’s launch on AMC+, as well as information on all the new films coming to the streamer this month, read on.

Halfway to Halloween programming includes:

Baghead (Shudder Exclusive Film)

New Film Premieres Friday, April 5

Following the death of her estranged father (Peter Mullan), Iris (Freya Allan) learns she has inherited a run-down, centuries-old pub. She travels to Berlin...

Before he directs the new Evil Dead spinoff (as previously reported by Deadline), filmmaker Sébastien Vaniček is delivering spider-centric scares to the screen with his new movie Infested, and we have a look at the trailer ahead of its April 26th streaming release on Shudder.

Director: Sébastien Vaniček

Screenwriters: Florent Bernard, Sébastien Vaniček

Cast: Théo Christine, Finnegan Oldfield, Jérôme Niel, Sofia Lesaffre and Lisa Nyarko

Producer: Harry Tordjman

Cinematographer: Alexandre Jamin

Editor: Thomas Fernandez, Nassim Gordji Tehrani

Composer: Xavier Caux, Douglas Cavanna

Languages: French

Country of Origin: France, United States

Running Time: 106 minutes

Synopsis: "Kaleb is about to turn 30 and has never been lonelier. He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce,...

Director Sébastien Vanicek’s debut feature Infested, a spider-filled French thriller that was formerly known as Vermin, won’t be released through the Shudder streaming service until April 26th, but it has already proved to be impressive enough to those who have already seen it (like Sam Raimi) that it landed Vanicek the job of directing the next Evil Dead movie. In anticipation of the Shudder release, a trailer for Infested has made its way online, and you can check it out in the embed above.

Shudder will be streaming the film in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

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...

"If it wasn't a needle, what caused it?" Oh hell no!! Shudder has revealed the official US trailer for another extremely scary spider horror movie titled Infested - this one is from France. It's also arriving this spring, around same time as the other spider horror movie called Sting. Infested, originally known as Vermines in French, first premiered a the 2023 Venice Film Festival, with stops at Sitges, Fantasy Filmfest, L'Étrange, Splat!, Slash, and other genre film festivals around the world. Residents of a rundown French apartment building battle against an army of deadly, rapidly reproducing spiders. This is the film that supposedly used actual, real spiders to film with - though clearly there's a point where they become CGI and this gets even crazier. Infested weaves its eerie tale on Shudder starting April 26th. Starring Théo Christine, Finnegan Oldfield, Jérôme Niel, Sofia Lesaffre, and Lisa Nyarko. Yeah I'm way, way...

Sébastien Vaniček has been hired to direct the next installment in the Evil Dead film franchise, but first we need to experience the film that landed him the hot directing gig in the first place. It’s a spider horror movie titled Infested (Vermines), and the nightmarish trailer is here.

Look for Infested to hit Shudder on April 26, 2024.

Watch the creepy, crawly trailer for Infested below, which looks a bit like Evil Dead Rise… with spiders. It’s already easy to see why Vaniček was chosen to direct an Evil Dead movie!

In the horror film, “Kaleb is about to turn 30 and has never been lonelier. He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce,...

Director Sébastien Vaniček has been set to helm the next Evil Dead movie, but up first from the filmmaker is the creepy crawly spider horror movie Infested. New images give a closer look at the arachnophobia-inducing terror ahead.

Look for Infested to arrive on Shudder on April 26, 2024.

Check out the new images below, giving a closer look at the characters and the spiders that have laid siege to their building.

In the film, “An underprivileged suburb has been thrown into chaos following an invasion of venomous spiders. Ordered to be placed in quarantine, the project sees inhabitants living on lockdown alongside terrifying spiders that are becoming bigger and bigger.

“The story revolves around Kaleb, who’s 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.

“Passionate about exotic animals, he comes home...

In his review out of Fantastic Fest last year, Bloody Disgusting’s Trace Thurman raved that Infested (aka Vermines) is “one of the best spider attack movies in years,” noting in his 4-star review that the creature feature uses practical spiders – Real Spiders – as much as possible. The film has been acquired for U.S. release by Shudder, but we don’t yet have a date.

In the meantime, a brand new French teaser trailer for Infested has arrived this week, and trust us when we say it’s as creepy crawly as you’re probably afraid this one is going to be.

Sébastien Vaniček directed the upcoming Infested, which is set in the French projects.

In the film, “An underprivileged suburb has been thrown into chaos following an invasion of venomous spiders. Ordered to be placed in quarantine, the project sees inhabitants living on lockdown alongside terrifying spiders that are becoming bigger and bigger.

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...

Arachnophobes beware, you’re in for a scare with new Shudder acquisition Infested, previously titled Vermin.

Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thrillers and the supernatural, announced today it has acquired North American, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand rights to Charades and Wtf Films’ thriller Infested ahead of its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

In the film, “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. At the same time, the police lock down the building where the residents are ambushed. Only option for Kaleb...

Paris-based sales company will also bring Directors’ Fortnight opener The Goldman Case to the market.

Paris-based Charades has boarded a slew of starry Cannes titles including Mona Achache’s just-announced Special Screening film Little Girl Blue starring Marion Cotillard and Directors’ Fortnight opener The Goldman Case.

The company is also selling Kamal Lazraq’s Hounds premiering in Un Certain Regard, Katell Quillévéré’s Along Came Love set for a Cannes Premiere screening and Chicken For Linda! selected for parallel section Acid, plus will unveil first images from new acquisition Sébastien Vanicek’s Vermin.

Little Girl Blue is inspired by the life of Achache’s mother.

Computer-generated spiders need not apply for the job of starring in Vermin, an upcoming horror movie from Charades and WTFilms that will feature Real Spiders, Variety reports.

Sébastien Vaniček is directing Vermin, which is set in the French projects.

In the film, “An underprivileged suburb has been thrown into chaos following an invasion of venomous spiders. Ordered to be placed in quarantine, the project sees inhabitants living on lockdown alongside terrifying spiders that are becoming bigger and bigger.

“The story revolves around Kaleb, who’s 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. Passionate about exotic animals, he comes home one day with a venomous spider and accidentally let it slip away.”

Théo Christine (“Suprêmes”), Finnegan Oldfield (“Final Cut”), Jérôme Niel (“Smoking Causes Coughing”), Sofia Lesaffre (“Les Misérables”) and Lisa Nyarko star.

Charades and WTFilms have teamed on “Vermin,” a horror movie set in the French projects with a cast of local up-and-coming actors, who star alongside real spiders.

The movie will mark the feature debut of Sébastien Vaniček, who previously directed critically acclaimed shorts such as “Mayday.” Harry Tordjman at My Box Films is producing.

“Vermin” stars Théo Christine (“Suprêmes”), Finnegan Oldfield (“Final Cut”), Jérôme Niel (“Smoking Causes Coughing”), Sofia Lesaffre (“Les Misérables”) and Lisa Nyarko.

The film is currently in shooting in Paris, with a March 3 end date. It will distributed in France by Tandem. France Télévisions pre-bought the movie and Netflix got the pay TV window in France.

“Vermin” is set in an underprivileged suburb that has been thrown into chaos following an invasion of venomous spiders. Ordered to be placed in quarantine, the project sees inhabitants living on lockdown alongside terrifying spiders that are becoming bigger and bigger.