Deleter – Grimmfest 2023 (Film Review)

This piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labour of the actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn't exist.

The dark side of the internet has been thoroughly examined across genres in the past decade. From haunted Zoom chats to cursed video games, possession facilitated by social media, and serial killers using our online presence to reach a wider audience, the uncontrollable advancement of technology has proved fruitful for horror films.

Following his success with Rekorder and Birdshot, Filipino director Mikhail Red has dived into the world of digital with Deleter, a loaded social commentary on social media and the devastating effect its lawless content can have on users that is sure to spark debate among viewers.

Starring actor, TV presenter, model and singer Nadine Lustre, Deleter focuses on Lyra (Lustre), who works as a content moderator online sifting through material deciding what is appropriate and what isn't, spending her days forced to watch everything from mundane home videos to pornography and brutal violence. Her job has left her desensitized to the real world until she is sent a video showing a co-worker's suicide which forces her to confront her own demons and the prospect of a malevolent entity latching onto her.

The dark, oppressive, blue-tinged world of Deleter goes gruesomely hand-in-hand with the narrative, devoid of hope, told through the apathetic Lyra. She is the perfect example of how we can so easily be moulded by what we interact with online, and how a bombardment of horrifying content can slowly but surely numb us to real-life trauma until it is impossible to deal with.

Outside of these themes, the narrative of Deleter is not something fresh and exciting and plays out much as many viewers would expect. There are a few jumpscares sure to spook audiences while placing viewers alongside Lyra as her story slowly unfolds keeps tensions high as we experience each twist and turn with our protagonist. We are given a front-row seat to the horrors she endures each day in her work and almost become deadened to it with her.

Lustre's magnificent performance as Lyra is enough to keep viewers gripped as she is pushed closer and closer to a mental break by the onslaught of scarring footage she is exposed. The subtleties of Lustre's imagining of Lyra make her all the more believable, and the events that unfold all the more skin-crawling.

Though the plot loses pace at points, Deleter is a thought-provoking look at extreme content and the effect it can have on a person told brilliantly through Lustre's evocative performance as the leading lady pushed to the limit.

Deleter screened at Grimmfest 2023 on October 7. It will play as part of Cine-Excess 2023 on October 27.