Infested: parents' guide
Best for ages 16 and up. Not formally rated.
A gross, frenetic French horror film for older teens who are not afraid of spiders, about a young sneaker dealer whose exotic spider breeds and overruns his apartment block outside Paris. Victims are bitten and die with blistered skin and bleeding eyes, spiders crawl out of mouths, and a bitten man is hacked to death by his companion. Police beat and gas residents during a lockdown. Expect constant f-words, young men smoking cannabis and a dog found dead. It streams on Shudder without a US rating. The gore, relentless tension and language are why we suggest 16; arachnophobes should skip it.
What's in it
Violence
StrongSwarms of spiders bite and kill residents, leaving bloody, blistered bodies. A bitten smuggler is killed with a machete, a man is beaten with a crowbar, police choke, knee and gas young people, and a character is shot in the leg.
Language
StrongFrequent f-words in many forms, plus 's--t,' 'bullshit,' 'bitch,' 'asshole' and 'whore,' and a middle-finger gesture. The film is in French, so viewers will see it in subtitles or hear it dubbed.
Sex and nudity
MildNo sex scenes or nudity. The young adults make a few brief references to relationships.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
StrongThe BBFC notes young men are shown smoking cannabis, and characters smoke cigarettes. A neighbor repeatedly accuses the hero of dealing hash and cocaine and assumes a death was an overdose.
Scary or intense scenes
StrongMade to terrify arachnophobes: spiders pour through vents and drains, a large one emerges from a woman's mouth, and giant ones lurk on walls. Long chases through dark stairwells in a sealed building. Flashing lights may affect photosensitive viewers.
Sensitive topics
- Animal death
Worth talking about
When the building is sealed off, the police treat the residents as the threat. What is the film saying about how authorities see young people in poor neighborhoods?
On our lists
Similar picks around 16+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, bbfc.co.uk, Wikipedia. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.