Lurker
MUBI | Release Date: August 22, 2025 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
78
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
20
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Original-CinChris KnightAug 28, 2025
Films about stalkers and obsession tend toward on-the-nose titles like Crush, Watcher, Creep or, well, Obsession, and Stalker. Lurker is thus, right from the title card, a refreshingly original take on the genre. Read full review
91
The PlaylistGregory EllwoodJan 31, 2025
Lurker is the sort of film that lingers with you for days. Read full review
90
Screen RantGrant HermannsAug 24, 2025
In addition to providing a great script, Russell proves to have an excellent eye in the director's chair. He and cinematographer Pat Scola nicely mix a range of visual styles for their scenes, making particular use of handheld close-ups, putting us right into the emotion of each scene. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesAmy NicholsonAug 20, 2025
Lurker is a teeth-grittingly great dramedy that insists there’s more tension in the entourage of a mellow hipster than a king. Read full review
88
Washington PostTy BurrSep 5, 2025
Writer-director Russell, a producer and co-writer of TV’s “The Bear” and “Beef,” knows his Hollywood existentialism — the dread that you’re not anybody unless you know a Somebody, the easy California vibe that hides gnawing insecurity, the understanding that a friend today can and certainly would cut your throat tomorrow. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comClint WorthingtonAug 22, 2025
As the film progresses, Russell’s grasp of the subtle can sometimes get away from him; while “Lurker” doesn’t lapse fully into violent thriller territory, the stakes of each one of Matthew’s calculations grow larger and larger to the point where the script sometimes gets away from the filmmaker’s otherwise impeccable sense of control. Read full review
85
Paste MagazineJim VorelAug 21, 2025
A squirmy delight with real insight into both celebrity culture and exploitative relationships, it stands out as one of 2025’s most promising debuts. Read full review
83
IndieWireNatalia WinkelmanJan 31, 2025
If Lurker eventually succumbs to certain genre tropes and a handful of story bumps, it makes up for its limitations in perspicacity and the overall strength of its filmmaking. Read full review
80
Little White LiesHannah StrongDec 12, 2025
Lurker is an excellent showcase for the talents of Théodore Pellerin (quietly marvellous in every role he takes) and an intriguing first step as a feature filmmaker for Alex Russell. Read full review
80
Rolling StoneDavid FearAug 25, 2025
A portrait of a sycophant as a pure, unbridled sociopath, Lurker understands the relationship between fame and fandom all too well. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)Alison WillmoreAug 22, 2025
Matthew is a ruthless worm who demonstrates in disturbing ways how far he’s willing to go to preserve his place at Oliver’s side, and Pellerin — who was previously seared into my mind as the persistent creep on the bus in Never Rarely Sometimes Always — delivers a masterful performance always riding the edge of cringe. Read full review
80
The New York TimesAlissa WilkinsonAug 21, 2025
It takes its time at first, but once it really gets going, Lurker is snaky and disconcerting and smart. Read full review
80
The Daily BeastNick SchagerAug 21, 2025
Distinguishes itself by putting a distinctly 21st-century spin on its time-honored template, as well as via a black sense of humor. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyFeb 5, 2025
The movie arguably takes a little too long to kick in, but once its sense of danger — devious, disturbing, wryly amusing — is established, it never stops. Read full review
80
The GuardianBenjamin LeeJan 31, 2025
While there’s a cynicism that clearly comes from someone who has done his time in both Los Angeles and the industry, it’s ultimately about something more human, and more unsettling, than just Hollywood. There are, after all, lurkers everywhere. Read full review
80
VarietyOwen GleibermanJan 31, 2025
A tight, nifty, and unsettling little parable of the pathology of fame in our time. Read full review
75
LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenAug 31, 2025
Writer-director Alex Russell, making his feature debut, offers a creepy, Talented Mr. Ripley-style character study that doubles as a meditation on celebrity and authenticity. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubJacob OllerAug 21, 2025
Of course things get out of control—it’s not like the dark underbellies of music-world organizations haven’t always exceeded our worst expectations. The strength of Lurker, though, is when it’s operating as a slick, slimy social-engineering thriller that anyone could relate to. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineMarshall ShafferFeb 19, 2025
The artist and audience member are coequal—and codependent—in this perceptive drama about a parasocial relationship that enters the realm of reality. Read full review
70
Next Best PictureAlex PapaioannouNov 6, 2025
Lurker is an eerie and chilling thriller that keeps its viewer stuck in an endless feedback loop of disconcerting behavior that’s only becoming more common. Read full review
60
Screen DailyAllan HunterJan 31, 2025
Lurker is sometimes a little too on the mark. Read full review
50
ColliderTaylor GatesJan 31, 2025
Though there are shocking moments, it mostly plays things safe, refusing to fully embrace the intensity it occasionally flirts with. Read full review
42
The Film StageAlistair RyderAug 21, 2025
The film doesn’t work as a thriller for this reason, stretching credulity in how it finds new ways to keep Matthew returning to the fold, and doesn’t succeed particularly well in critiquing the vapidness of modern fame. Read full review
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