Infinity Pool (2023) Review – A Depraved and Psychedelic Cronenberg Trip

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are looking at Brandon Cronenberg’s sexually charged sci-fi horror: Infinity Pool.

Science fiction horror

Infinity Pool follows couple James and Em Foster. James is a struggling novelist; looking for inspiration, the pair head off on holiday. While there, they meet a young woman called Gabi. Gabi claims to be a fan of James’ writing. Inviting the couple to accompany her to dinner, the group end up spending the day together at the beach. While there, they become intoxicated. Deciding to drive home regardless of their drunken state, the group’s lives are turned around when James hits an unsuspecting villager with the car.

“Infinity Pool is a movie I really enjoyed but I can, absolutely, see how it will simply not appeal to some. Brandon Cronenberg falls victim to many of the overindulgences of his father.”

The first thing that is, perhaps, necessary to point out about Infinity Pool is its strangeness. This isn’t a movie for everyone, despite the positive critical reception it has received. Brandon Cronenberg falls victim to many of the overindulgences of his father. A propensity for abstract camera angles, gratuitous sexualisation, and graphic violence all stand as themes that will split viewers right down the middle.

Some will love just how bizarre and ridiculous these movies feel. Others will find them a dull, overstylised, overhyped chore, drowning in the excesses of their mad scientist creator. However you feel about David or Brandon Cronenberg’s movies, Infinity Pool will not change your mind. I stand somewhere in the middle, able to appreciate the pros while acknowledging the cons. Infinity Pool is a movie I really enjoyed but I can, absolutely, see how it will simply not appeal to some.

Graphic, disturbing themes

Feeling like a fairly typical horror to start with, Infinity Pool quickly injects the story with science fiction based themes. Themes that, despite their ridiculous nature, seem rooted in the here and now. Whereas Cronenberg’s earlier movie, Antiviral, presented its science fiction themes in a sanitised, bright white manner, complete with a believable near-future look, Infinity Pool feels dirty and a little bit gritty. The luxury holiday resort the group are spending time at is stunning but it hides a corrupt and impoverished country replete with the societal issues that come along with that and a draconian system of law.

Acting as something of a social commentary on the contrast between the rich and the poor, this is a movie keen to explore the way the latter suffers for the excesses of the former. Infinity Pool has some important things to say but doesn’t quite know how to say them.

Instead, it chooses to drag the viewer into a world of hypersexualisation, extreme corruption, and twisted views of morality. It’s fairly compelling stuff, though. Cronenberg has inherited many of his father’s traits including the ability to keep the viewer watching, despite wanting to turn away.

Violent and hyper sexual

Infinity Pool is a movie that is graphic in a number of different ways. Taking the very real eccentricities of the rich and upper class, placing them under a microscope and inflating them to farcical levels. It bombards the viewer with a consistently renewed cycle of violence and gore. All set to a backdrop of drug and alcohol use and layered with excessive bodily functions and sex.

“Infinity Pool forgoes attempts to get into your head with psychological torment. Instead, it opts to tuck its dick in between its legs like Buffalo Bill, standing there naked and hoping for a response.”

Scenes of deliberate and drawn-out violence stand out for the manner in which they are depicted. Graphic and psychedelic sex scenes aim to provoke discomfort in the viewer. Featuring full frontal male and female nudity frequently, Cronenberg prods at the more reserved, desperate for a response. It’s a commendable use of these elements. Often exploited for titillation, they are used here to disturb, something which said scenes frequently accomplish.

The question is, do these themes provoke the intended response? To a degree, yes they do. But it has to be said that this is not horror in the traditional sense. Scenes of violence feel very deliberately forced. They linger; keen to indulge in the horror of it all, as do the sex scenes and moments of uncomfortable nudity. This is a movie that wants the viewer to feel off-base and, to do that, it sacrifices a cohesive and well-structured plot.

Infinity Pool forgoes attempts to get into your head with psychological torment like Hannibal Lecter. Instead opting to tuck its dick in between its legs like Buffalo Bill before standing there naked and hoping for a response. It wants to shock you and does so in any way it can. For much of its length, if feels rather needless and lacking in purpose. Still, the themes and bizarre imagery, somehow, keep you watching.

Well acted, underdeveloped characters

Alexander Skarsgård is great as writer James Foster, feeling like a genuine and, at times, vulnerable character. As his situation sinks deeper and deeper down into the pit of depravity, Skarsgård brings to life the very real decline of the character. Cleopatra Coleman, as Em, is great, managing to feel like the only normal person in the entire movie.

“The standout performance here is Mia Goth. Playing the role with her usual confidence, she puts on one of the most fun and memorable horror performances in quite a while.”

The standout performance here however, is Mia Goth as Gabi. Playing the role with her usual confidence, she really comes to life later on. She puts on one of the most fun and memorable horror performances in quite a while.

Cinematography is excellent. Cronenberg’s style is sure to divide. Psychedelic shots and a focus on the insignificant will not be for everyone. Slightly abstract camera angles abound. The gorgeous setting of Croatia is minimised in the lens of the camera; Cronenberg, instead, choosing to focus on the grittier sides of the country. This is a great looking picture, though, feeling unique while, at the same time, being rather traditional as if it has been dragged, kicking and screaming, back from the 70s.

I imagine some will really dislike how lacking the story is here. The characters are vapid and two dimensional by design. They are rich people looking for rich people thrills; they don’t have personality. But the story really loses its way towards the end and doesn’t ever find it back. It becomes fairly clear that the only direction the film is going is towards mayhem and there won’t be anything else of note at the end of the road. Still, it is hard to deny how much fun that destination is and there is plenty of interesting scenery to look at on the way.

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Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.

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