Not only does Sébastien Vanicek’s debut feature impress to the point where you seriously take notice of his creature feature, but it did so to the point that a certain Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert have confidently placed him in the directorial chair for the next instalment of the Evil Dead franchise. 

Upon watching the film, you can see why as it places a group within the confines of a set location while they fend off beasties, left, right and centre.

In this instance, said beasties come in the form of a hostile and deadly species of desert spider. These arachnids are of a significant size and as they breed, which is frequent, their spawn increases in size and population to such a degree that they have quickly infested the block of flats that lays the setting of the movie.

We’re quickly introduced to the toxic, killing creatures from the beginning when three men capture the specimens, somewhere in the MIddle East, and come immediately under siege, proving that these creatures are going to be the headliners, and Vanicek doesn’t hold back, going bigger with every moment they arrive on screen.

The narrative picks up when Kaleb (Théo Christine) picks up one of the specimens from a Parisian pawn shop to add to his bug collection. Once home, though, he places the spider in a cardboard shoe box, before being embroiled in an on-going argument with his sister, Manon (Lisa Nyarko). This sibling confrontation is the heart of the movie, struggling to turnover their apartment since losing their parents and struggling to meet on agreed terms, but are forced to come together in order to find a way out of their diabolical situation. This in itself is a symbol for the detriment of their poverty stricken society, as both Kalen and Manon are a group of many citizens, trying to make ends meet, and making decisions along the way that they may regret, forcing a wedge amongst them. Can they put their differences aside and climb out of the infested rubble they call home?

Vanicek also does a superb job of crafting out the tension as the mismatch of misfits, wrangle their way through apartments and corridors, searching for the meaning behind the initial outbreak, cocooned inside by the police who have quarantined the area; to then searching their way out of the web of infiltration. 

The Prognosis:

There is a reason this movie has been the talk on Hollywood’s lips. Director Vanicek does an outstanding job for his directorial debut feature, building up the tension, placing the characters in a tightly, wound up situations and stretching the unbelievable arachnid feature, into one of jaw-dropping fun. Do yourself a favour and welcome the spider contagion, for it’s a cracker of a flick and will burrow into your mind and impregnate the cerebellum to become a hot contender for horror flick of the year.

• Saul Muerte

Infested will be streaming Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ from Friday 26 April