Assimilate

Three friends set out to document life in their quiet town by turning everyday footage into a web series. What starts as a playful project quickly reveals something off about the people around them as a wave of disappearances hits the neighborhood. Their footage captures neighbors who behave in unsettling ways, as if a familiar face wears a new mask. The group follows clues through late night shoots, messages, and improvised interviews, hoping to uncover a rational explanation. As fear spreads, trust fractures and the town grows suspicious of everyone, including the filmmakers themselves. The suspense comes from watching ordinary life tilt toward something dangerous and unseen. The trio's footage becomes a mirror for town anxieties and their bonds strain.

Directed by John Murlowski from an original screenplay by Steven Palmer Peterson, Assimilate arrives as a horror thriller blending a faux documentary frame with a sci fi premise. Cast centers on Andi Matichak, Cam Gigandet, Calum Worthy, and Joel Courtney.

Box office details for Assimilate are not widely publicized, reflecting its limited theatrical exposure and strong emphasis on streaming platforms. In most markets it earned modest sums and found audiences through digital rentals and on demand services at release today.

Critics praised the brisk setup and the lean runtime, while noting the film’s examination of trust and community paranoia. Assimilate uses a documentary vibe to ask how easily ordinary people can be misled when fear blurs moral judgment and shifts on screen. Its practical effects keep tension high for viewers.

Cultural impact remains limited for Assimilate, which sits among mid tier horror thrillers that explore doubles and infiltration. It nods to familiar fears of suburban horror while offering a contemporary frame about how online storytelling shapes what we consider real or fake. The film has sparked conversations about digital ethics.