‘Infested’ (2023): Arachnophobia or Xenophobia?

Directed by: Sébastien Vaniček || Produced by: Harry Tordjman

Screenplay by: Sébastien Vaniček, Florent Bernard || Starring: Théo Christine, Sofia Lesaffre, Jérôme Niel, Lisa Nyarko, Finnegan Oldfield

Music by: Douglas Cavanna, Xavier Caux || Cinematography: Alexandre Jamin || Edited by: Nassim Gordji-Tehrani, Thomas Fernande || Country: France || Language: French

Running Time: 105 minutes

Certain groups of animals that often give me the willies include various types of menacing arthropods (e.g. coconut crabs [Birgus latro], gigantic centipedes [genus Scolopendra]), as well as far less menacing, but highly fecund polyphyletic lineages such as cockroaches (order Blattodea), the latter of which are often associated with human filth and general uncleanliness. Arachnids, the class of arthropods that includes scorpions, ticks, mites, and true spiders, among other groups, reside at an intersection of fascination and intimidation for yours truly. On the one hand, their formidable weaponry like tail stingers and chelicerae mouthparts appeal to the predator specialist in me (they also consume many of the aforementioned species I dislike), but their ubiquity and venomous tools also encourage me to keep my distance.

One of the better horror and monster-movies I’ve seen in recent years that examines those complex, sometimes contradictory human feelings toward arachnids is the feature-film directorial debut of Sébastien Vaniček, Infested (Vermines is the original French title, or literally Vermin). As much an unpreachy social commentary as it is a straightforward creature-feature, Infested studies the crossroads of human fascination with and repulsion by arachnids, large venomous spiders in particular, through a combination of effective special FX, relatable characterizations, a memorable soundtrack, and top-notch narrative pacing.

The spiders of Infested look great under a variety of blocking and lighting setups, from close-ups to long-shots and both soft and low-key lighting.

Infested’s structure is standard to most monster movies but is impressive where it counts in filmmaking, the execution. After a concise yet tense prologue where Arab smugglers capture our primary spider antagonists, Infested launches into a slick montage sequence depicting how the illegal pet trade transports dangerous exotic species across the globe, supported by pulsating French-language hip hop music that pervades the rest of the film. Our protagonist, an exotic animal lover and banlieue resident portrayed by Théo Christine, thereafter introduces us to his low-income housing neighborhood and the relatable yet not overbearing supporting cast. The remainder of the film is vintage quality creature-film tropes and screenplay formatting, with steady escalation of the arachnid threat through clever parallel editing and memorable chase sequences in our limited urban apartment location.

The extensive yet seamless special FX of the titular creatures deserve special accommodation, as the filmmakers’ technique of digitally enlarging actual spiders (giant huntsman [Heteropoda maxima]) on-set works like a charm. You get the natural movement animations common to computer generated imagery without the cartoony feel, and you never notice a moment of artificial digital composition.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of Infested beyond its quality FX and admirable structure, though, is the overarching comparison of its arachnid antagonists to the relatable human cast. Infested makes as many overtures to French urban inequality as Athena (2022), BAC Nord (2020), Burn Out (2017), and A Prophet (2009), but does so without pandering to specific audiences or political agendas; no particular social group is demonized beyond the limited perspectives of our main characters. If Vaniček or others behind the film had an obvious sociopolitical bias when making Infested, it is not apparent in the final product.

I would recommend Infested to most any audience interested in creature-features, science-fiction horror, or social commentary-oriented genre cinema based in urban settings. Sébastien Vaniček’s work recalls the recent films of Jordan Peele (Get Out [2017], Us [2019], Nope [2022]) in an American context, just without the snarky humor that I feel distracts from many Hollywood genre movies’ central premises. Infested maintains its serious disposition throughout by treating its characters, creatures, and overall story with respect, trusting the audience to understand its sociopolitical undertones without spoon-feeding them. Thanks to that quality execution of monster-movie formula, established in mainstream cinema since at least Jaws (1976), Infested makes the most of people’s ongoing anxiety toward eight-legged creepy-crawlies.

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SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION: As unsettling for arachnophobes as it is enlightening for audiences raised outside the Arènes de Picasso of Paris’ Noisy-le-Grand neighborhood, Infested mixes instinctual human anxieties toward the animal kingdom with the social claustrophobia inherent to urban settings. Impressive yet unobtrusive special FX, a sizeable yet not engorged supporting cast, and pitch-perfect editing make Infested a wild, worthwhile cinematic thrill ride.

— However… I allege a minor complaint toward the film’s incessant, though realistic dialogue where characters constantly talk over one another.

—> RECOMMENDED; one doesn’t need to understand the cultural subtext of Infested to appreciate the film, though a familiarity with the illegal pet trade adds a nice sense of humor.

? Vaniček references Alien (1979) and Green Room (2015) as inspirations, but I argue the human corpses cocooned in spiderwebs recall Aliens (1986) more than anything.