Stranger Things ' Joe Keery Plays a Rideshare Murderer in Spree : Watch the Trailer
Joe Keery is taking on influencer culture in his newest film Spree.
The satirical horror flick follows the Stranger Things star as Kurt, a rideshare driver with a murderous affinity — but it's all for clout. The first trailer shows how obsessed Kurt is with becoming notable and the lengths he'll go to get there.
"For all of you out there who don’t know me, get ready. 'Cause you’re about to know me. I’m Kurt," he says at the beginning.
His first murders come from a tainted water bottle offered to his passengers, with Kurt injecting a lethal substance.
“Does this water have like a taste to it?” one passenger says before he starts coughing and dies.
Kurt then explains his madness — and directly parodies lines that could easily be heard from any influencer.
“If you’re not documenting yourself, you just don’t exist,” he says. “What we’re doing here is important. We’re creating a brand.”
The rest of the trailer shows glimpses at his other grisly murders and how Kurt starts gaining a following, fulfilling his dream to be famous.
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Dreamcrew Entertainment
The film also features David Arquette, Sasheer Zamata, Mischa Barton, Frankie Grande, Vanderpump Rules star Lala Kent and more.
The movie's director Eugene Kotlyarenko explained at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year how Kurt is motivated by trying to fit in as an influencer.
“He’s been trying to do this influencer thing for almost a decade,” Kotlyarenko said at Variety’s Studio at Sundance. “He finally came up with this breakthrough viral concept, and he’s just going to take it to the limit. This is Kurt’s big moment.”
The director drew inspiration from YouTubers like Logan Paul, who was criticized for sensationalizing the suicide of an unknown person in a Japanese forest.
“Influencers are kind of iconic and also caricatured versions of a normal person because they’re also living for the clout and the likes,” Kotlyarenko said. “I was like, yeah this doesn’t feel great that these are the people shaping the culture. What is the most horrific and also funniest way to make fun of them?”
“Obviously in America, we have this problem with violence and mass murder,” Kotlyarenko said. “Often times, that’s based on the need for attention."
Spree is in select theaters, On Demand and Digital HD August 14.
