Director Chris Marrs Piliero knows his Quentin Tarantino films, and really wants you to know it. His ensemble piece Appofeniacs is a modern-day Pulp Fiction, spanning several intersecting narratives, each related to our modern world and the ill-intended consequences of abusing deepfake technology.
As a steamy hot tub party and a cosy night in both go awry, app-happy Duke (Aaron Holliday) sets into motion a terrible sequence of events which will result a bloody denouement for all involved… and then another one, on top of that. Swapping gimp suits and ball gags for weaponised Karen rants and giant anime swords, it’s an eclectic blend of Tarantino-esque violence and Black Mirror-style fearmongering. Some of the Tarantino references are a bit on the nose, but Piliero’s screenplay does a good job of aping the filmmaker’s signature style in a way that so many have failed to do before.
Where Appofeniacs is at its most successful is when it does its own thing, such as an early sequence involving a hot tub and a masturbating man in a kilt (Michael Abbott Jr, who channels Trainspotting’s Begbie to steal the whole film). Sean Gunn also gives a strong showing as anime arms dealer Clinto Binto.
Appofeniacs is perhaps too beholden to its love affair with Tarantino for its own good, but it’s an enjoyable collection of pulpy techno-terrors.
APPOFENIACS premiered at UK FrightFest on August 22, 2025.
