Appofeniacs [Fantastic Fest Review]

by Mike McGranaghan

Apophenia is a term for the human tendency to make false connections between unrelated things. It’s the basis for most conspiracy theories. The characters in Chris Marss Piliero’s Appofeniacs, which screened at the 2025 edition of Fantastic Fest, are the victims of this psychological phenomenon. And sometimes the perpetuators of it, too. The movie is about the potential of deepfake technology to ruin lives.

In the opening scene, a guy murders his girlfriend after being sent a video of her having sexual activity with another man. That video is not real. An AI-fixated punk named Duke (Aaron Holliday) is responsible, and he shows criminal Cedrick (Jermaine Fowler) how he uses the tech to get revenge on people he doesn’t like.

This launches several interconnecting subplots about the effect of his malicious plans. Impacted are Uber driver Texas Tim (Will Brandt), his passenger Poppy (Simran Jehani), whose fashion choices are inspired by anime, and Clinto Binto (Sean Gunn), a guy who makes high-end cosplay gear. There’s also shop owner Lazzy (Paige Searcy), a young woman who makes the mistake of intervening as Duke berates a barista.

Appofeniacs finds obvious inspiration in Pulp Fiction. The individual arcs overlap each other and the time frame is jumbled around. Otherwise, it forges its own twisted path. Piliero brings a lot of sordid details to the plot, from Poppy wanting to have sex with Texas Tim in a hot tub while her husband watches to an absolutely incredible finale that finds one of the few surviving characters using Clinto Binto’s ultra-realistic weapon reproductions to fend off an attacker. Extreme violence and offbeat humor meld together throughout, causing you to laugh just as you’re horrified.

I’m not sure the picture is saying anything profound about the AI/deepfake phenomenon, but the way it envisions worst-case scenarios is not without bite. A few minutes tinkering with an app gives Duke the power to produce heavy damage. Watching the movie, it’s hard not to envision yourself being on the other end of such tinkering. Buried inside is the suggestion that deepfakes hold the potential to become an extremely dangerous weapon capable of doing as much harm as a gun or a knife.

Appofeniacs contains good performances, particularly from Gunn and Jehani, the latter of whom exudes a strong onscreen charisma. She’s an actress to keep an eye on. The film’s wild energy is another benefit. It offers regular surprises because nothing is off the table, including the startling use of Crazy Glue as a form of torture. (A scene, incidentally, I won’t soon forget.) This is a bold, attention-grabbing work whose fun is derived from a willingness to push the envelope.

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