I have watched more than 130 new releases this year, and there have been some outrageously intense, unsettling, and downright terrifying experiences along the way. In that respect, however, nothing has come close to touching Lurker, the 2025 movie written and directed by Alex Russell, a writer from acclaimed TV series The Bear, Beef, and Dave (the Li'l Dicky show, not the 1993 Kevin Kline classic). Going in, I had a feeling this would be a tension-ridden, anxiety-inducing psychological thriller, but it was something far more unnerving.
Let me tell you, this movie starring Théodore Pellerin as a socially awkward retail worker who infiltrates the inner circle of a rising pop star played by Archie Madekwe starts at like a seven and then slowly turns the dial. I won’t give anything away, but this is one of the most uncomfortable movie experiences I’ve had since watching a certain Jake Gyllenaal movie from a decade ago...
