Kurtis David Harder

Last updated
Kurtis David Harder
Born
Occupation
  • Filmmaker
Years active2017–present

Kurtis David Harder is a Canadian filmmaker. He has directed at least five feature films. [1] His work as a director includes Incontrol (2017), Spiral (2019), as well as Influencer (2022) and its sequel Influencers (2025). [1] His work as a producer includes Still/Born (2017), What Keeps You Alive (2018), and V/H/S/94 (2021). [1]

Contents

Career

Born in Calgary, Alberta, [2] Harder began his career working as a cinematographer in 2017. He has also produced various feature films such as Still/Born (2017), What Keeps You Alive (2018), and V/H/S/94 (2021). [1]

Harder has directed at least five feature films. [1] Harder made his feature-length debut with Cody Fitz (2011). [3] [4] His second feature film, Incontrol , was released in 2017. [5] [6] Harder wrote the first draft of the screenplay for Incontrol in 2013. [4]

Another feature film, Spiral, was released in 2019. [7] [8] [9] [10]

In 2022, he directed the feature film Influencer (2022), which was acquired and released by Shudder. [11] [12] Influencer had its world premiere on October 16, 2022, at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival. [13] Brandon Yu of The New York Times wrote, "Harder has made good and entertaining use of a premise that could have become a simple gimmick, and Naud and Saper prove strong leads as their characters try to read each other between the likes." [14]

A sequel titled Influencers premiered at the 29th Fantasia International Film Festival in July 2025. Cassandra Naud reprised her role from the first film. [15] [16] It was also the closing film at FrightFest, where made its UK premiere in August 2025. [17] The film will be released on Shudder on December 12, 2025, after screening as the closing night film at Blood in the Snow in Toronto. [18] [19]

Reception

In 2020, Harder was described by Wicked Horror "one of the most fascinating and inventive voices working in horror today." [6]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleDirectorProducerWriterNotes
2011 Cody Fitz YesYesYes
2017 Incontrol YesYesYes
2019 Spiral YesYesNo
2020 Summerland YesYesYes
2023 Influencer YesYesYes
2025 Influencers YesYesYes

Producer only

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Kurtis David Harder Movies List | Rotten Tomatoes | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
  2. Volmers, Eric (December 30, 2016). "16 rising stars of film and TV from Alberta who made a mark in 2016". Calgary Herald.
  3. Volmers, Eric (September 24, 2012). "Calgary International Film Festival: Locally shot drama Cody Fitz examines the life and death angst of youth". Calgary Herald.
  4. 1 2 "How six friends with one camera and no money travelled nearly 10,000 kilometres for an indie road movie". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
  5. Red Carpet News TV (2017-09-02). In Control Director Kurtis David Harder Interview FrightFest 2017 . Retrieved 2025-11-12 via YouTube.
  6. 1 2 Keogh, Joey (2020-09-29). "Kurtis David Harder Hopes Spiral Won't Still Be Topical 10 Years From Now [Interview]". Wicked Horror. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
  7. "Spiral (2019) | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
  8. "'Spiral' Review: Kurtis David Harder Takes Queer Horror to New Level". We Live Entertainment. 2020-09-16. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
  9. ""Spiral" goes for twists but ends up tangled". The Spool. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
  10. "Spiral movie review & film summary (2020) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
  11. Hoad, Phil (2023-05-25). "Influencer review – smart thriller about Instagrammers in mortal peril". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  12. "Emily Tennant is in Thailand in 'Influencer' Horror Trailer on Shudder". FirstShowing.net. 2023-05-04. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  13. Miska, Brad (2022-10-05). "'Influencer' Poster Unfollowed Ahead of Brooklyn Horror Fest". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  14. Yu, Brandon (2023-05-25). "'Influencer' Review: Reading Between the Likes". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  15. Grober, Matt (May 6, 2025). "Cassandra Naud Reteams With Filmmaker Kurtis David Harder On Shudder Thriller Sequel 'Influencers'". Deadline. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  16. Minton, Matt (May 8, 2025). "Steve Pink's 'Terrestrial' and Julie Pacino's 'I Live Here Now' Among Fantasia 2025 First Wave Line-Up (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety .
  17. "FrightFest Unleashes 2025 Line-Up". Starburst . July 10, 2025.
  18. Blacktooth (2025-10-24). "Terror Returns to Toronto: Blood in the Snow Marks 14 Years of Canadian Horror Mayhem". Horror Society. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
  19. "Influencers Trailer: Travel Blogger's Globe-Trotting Murder Spree Catches Up to Her in Shocking Sequel (Exclusive)". People.com. Retrieved 2025-11-12.