Duke doesn’t hack anyone. He doesn’t need to. All it takes, according to the new trailer for “Appofeniacs,” is a phone and a few taps — and by the time the fake footage starts circulating, somebody’s life is already unraveling.
That premise sits at the center of writer-director Chris Marrs Piliero’s feature debut, which Bloody Disgusting describes as a dark horror satire built entirely around AI misuse. Duke, played by Aaron Holliday, treats deepfake tools like a party trick — until the videos he churns out start getting people hurt, and worse.
The film isn’t structured as one continuous chase. Per Dread Central, it follows several intersecting storylines that all get caught in the fallout of Duke’s “petty pastime” — among them Poppy (Simran Jehani), Clinto Binto (Sean Gunn) and a stranger named Lazzy (Paige Searcy) who happens to pick the wrong coffee shop on the wrong day. The rest of the cast includes Jermaine Fowler, Will Brandt, Michael Abbott Jr. and Harley Bronwyn.
Piliero, a music video director who’s worked with artists including Ariana Grande and Britney Spears, has said the film isn’t really about the technology itself. “I never intended this to be a story about AI coming to take over or some kind of unstoppable supercomputer threat,” he explained to Variety before the film began its festival journey last year. He’s said the goal was closer to Tarantino- or Paul Thomas Anderson-style ensemble storytelling — using deepfakes as a device to show how quickly an ordinary life can spiral, not as a stand-in for AI turning sentient and hostile.
That approach has already been tested in front of audiences. “Appofeniacs” premiered at FrightFest in London before playing Fantastic Fest and Screamfest, and currently holds a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes, according to Collider. Bloody Disgusting’s own review called it “a pleasant surprise and a strong debut for Piliero,” while flagging some style-over-substance stretches and a notably high body count.
Distributor Magenta Light Studios is opening the film exclusively in theaters on October 2. “It is bold, original and built for audiences who want discovery,” Magenta Edge head Bill Vergos said of the release.
Given the subject matter, it’s worth noting the new trailer carries an age restriction on YouTube, and the film leans into graphic violence rather than shying away from it.
