Infested is a relentless survival horror that taps into one of humanity’s oldest fears: the swarm. Set in a crumbling apartment complex on the outskirts of Paris, the film thrusts its characters into a nightmare where an invasion of deadly, fast-breeding spiders turns their home into a death trap. What begins as a quiet, everyday struggle for tenants quickly spirals into chaos as the walls, ceilings, and dark corners become alive with skittering terror.
At the heart of the story is Kaleb, a young man struggling to find purpose after the death of his father. His search for meaning leads him to collect exotic animals, a hobby that soon brings catastrophe when one of his spiders escapes and begins to reproduce. Within hours, the entire building becomes overrun, trapping its residents in a claustrophobic fight for survival. With electricity cut, hallways collapsing, and escape routes blocked, neighbors who once barely spoke must now rely on each other to stay alive.
What makes Infested particularly chilling is its combination of realism and primal horror. The film uses tight, confined spaces to amplify tension, ensuring the audience feels just as trapped as the characters. Every creak, every shadowed corner, carries the possibility of an ambush. It is not just a creature feature but also a portrait of fear consuming a community already fractured by poverty and neglect.
Director Sébastien Vanicek crafts a visual style dripping with dread, using dim lighting and unflinching camera work to highlight both the brutality of nature and the fragility of human bonds. The film lingers not only on the horror of the spiders but also on the desperation, courage, and betrayals of those fighting to survive.
In the end, Infested is more than just a monster movie—it is a suffocating descent into survival horror, where the true terror lies in how quickly civilization unravels when predators overrun the dark.
