Hannah Barlow, Kane Senes/ Australia/ 2022/ 102 mins

While the trend of ‘influencer horror’ appears to be a new one, its roots lie deeper in cinematic history. Films like Dashcam, Spree, and the upcoming Deadstream tap into the online phenomenon where damaged people can equate viewer engagement with validation in a way that makes them monstrous, and the satirical Antipodean horror Sissy undoubtedly fits comfortably into this mould. But in its examination of fame, and the madness induced by the potential loss of that fame Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes’ perceptive, hugely entertaining film also lies firmly in the tradition of the likes of Sunset Blvd. and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? 

Cecilia (Aisha Dee) is an online influencer who has built up a following espousing wellness and self-care. Her own equilibrium is shaken when she bumps into Emma (co-writer and director Barlow), her best friend from primary school. Delighted to see her old chum, Emma invites Cecilia to her hen party weekend. Cecilia hopes to rekindle their bond, but she reckons without the presence of Alex (Emily De Margheriti), the bully who ‘stole’ Emma from her at school, and against whom ‘Sissy’ (as Alex mockingly called her) committed a shocking act of violence when pushed too far. As Alex and Emma’s new band of friends take against Cecilia, and Alex threatens to expose Cecilia’s past to her adoring fans, things quickly get out of hand.

Dee excels in the title role, as a damaged young whose carefully-constructed public visage is threatened by her past smashing heavily into her present. Cecilia as a character needs to be able to provoke pathos and empathy even as her actions get increasingly extreme, and Dee achieves this with aplomb. Audience sympathies are nudged further in Cecilia’s direction by the majority of Emma’s friends being fairly repellent characters. Full marks especially for the willingness to make Daniel Monks‘ gay, disabled character Jamie such a piece of work. While it’s true that most of the character-building beside Cecilia amounts to little more than Baroque sketches, the writing probes the quick dopamine fix of online culture, and the apparent willingness for some audiences to equate visibility with authority. Emma’s fiancee Fran (Lucy Barrett) turns out to be an actual qualified therapist, and her gentle questioning of Cecilia’s suitability to be dishing out mental health advice leads to Cecilia hiding in the bathroom soaking up her fans’ appreciation as a salve.

Apart from the scathing script, the practical gore effects are impressive and Barlow and Senes are happy to put their characters through the toughest of wringers. There is however a hint of this being too much of a good thing. The duo seem so pleased with one moment of head-squishing carnage that they show it in slow-motion. It’s a strange decision given that it’s the only use of the technique. And it also takes an instance where earlier foreshadowing (involving a kangaroo, for added Aussie points) leads to a darkly comic payoff and makes it feel even more mean-spirited than it’s meant to be, and at the expense of the one of the few genuinely sympathetic characters. Still, it can’t be denied that it’s a particularly memorable part of a spectacularly full-blooded final act.

For the most part Sissy succeeds in its precarious balance of tones, and its push-me-pull-you impulses between genuine psychological insight and full-on gonzo slasher. It’s one of the finest horror films to come out of Australia since The Loved Ones, and would also slot neatly into the glossy but scabrous likes of Bodies,Bodies Bodies,. Deftly weaving a real sense of compassion around a very dark heart – there’s a genuine nihilism in its coda that’s as shocking as any rending of flesh – Sissy is a real dark treat.

Available to stream on Shudder now