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PRIVATE PROPERTY |
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WARNING: MATURE CONTENT |
- ❝ Fear wears many faces!❞
- ―Movie tagline
Personalized 2: Inhumanity is a 2025 American psychological horror thriller film directed and written by Nick Frost and Ari Aster. A sequel to Personalized (2024), the film stars Emma Myers, Brooklynn Prince, Carlos Valdes, Katie Finneran, Alec Baldwin, Bryce Gheisar, Mckenna Grace, Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, and Natalia Dyer. The story is set three years after the events of the first film and follows a rising actress whose struggles with schizophrenia intensify as a series of brutal murders plague her film set.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2025, and was released worldwide on Netflix on February 24, 2025.
Plot[]
In the sequel to the original film, seven years have elapsed, and we follow Lynn Sattler, a young actress suffering with trauma and schizophrenia. Haunted by a shadowy figure from her past, which has contributed to her split personality disorder since her teenage years, Lynn’s life takes a tumultuous turn when she falls for a charismatic horror author. However, her newfound love triggers paranoia rooted in her traumatic experiences, leading to drastic personality shifts that jeopardize the safety of her film crew. As Lynn battles her internal demons, the line between reality and her terrifying past blurs, creating a suspenseful narrative of love, fear, and psychological struggle.
Synopsis[]
The film opens with a flashback to Bethany Scott, a teenager with schizophrenia, staring at a blood-stained knife after a hallucinatory episode. As shadow figures of her deceased family and friends materialize and drag her away, she awakens in a panic, only to be fatally stabbed by a real shadowy assailant.
Three years after the events of the first film, Lynn Sattler is a successful actress starring in a psychological thriller directed by Sandeep Shekhar. Despite her professional success, she privately battles severe schizophrenia, trauma, and dissociative identity disorder, which she manages with medication and therapy. Her overbearing parents, Rebecca and Philip, serve as her producer and studio manager, adding to her stress. Her younger brother, Ricky, is a junior actor on the set, while her best friend and co-star, Kathy, provides her only stable support.
Lynn meets Enrico Ramon, a charismatic horror author consulting on the film, and they begin a romance. As their relationship deepens, Lynn's mental state deteriorates. Her hallucinations of a "Shadow Figure" that has haunted her since adolescence become more frequent and vivid. Her therapist, Dr. Tina Carell, suspects Enrico may be triggering her past trauma.
The production descends into chaos when a young actress, Jessica, is found dead on the studio grounds, her body severely decomposed. Senior Officer Liam Paulson is assigned to the investigation. Lynn's increasingly erratic behavior makes her the prime suspect. The situation worsens when Kathy, after arguing with Lynn about Enrico, is found strangled in her trailer. Convinced the Shadow Figure is framing her, Lynn's paranoia escalates. Sandeep confronts her parents, demanding she be removed from the film, but is later trapped in a screening room and burned alive by the Shadow Figure.
Fearing for Lynn's safety, Rebecca and Philip decide to have her institutionalized. Ricky overhears their plan and, in a misguided attempt to protect his sister, poisons his father and bludgeons his mother to death with a hammer. Meanwhile, Dr. Carell discovers that the murders mirror the plots of Enrico's unpublished novels. Realizing he is the killer, she attempts to call Officer Paulson but is attacked by Enrico as the Shadow Figure, who throws her from a high-story window to her death.
Lynn returns home to find her parents murdered and Ricky tied to a chair, stabbed through the chest—a scene staged by Enrico to complete her isolation. Consumed by rage, Lynn realizes her visions were a premonition of a real killer. She confronts Enrico, who drops his charming facade and confesses to being the Shadow Figure. He reveals that he is a serial killer who feeds on the trauma of others, viewing Lynn's psyche as his muse. He admits to murdering Bethany seven years prior, as well as Jessica, Kathy, Sandeep, Dr. Carell, and her family, all to push her to what he calls her "purest, most beautifully broken state."
A brutal fight erupts throughout the film studio. Lynn uses her acting skills and survival instincts to fend off Enrico. The chase leads to an elaborate set where Officer Paulson arrives but is knocked unconscious. As Paulson's gun slides across the floor, Lynn grabs it and shoots Enrico five times, killing him.
Standing over his body, Lynn believes she is finally free. However, the fight has damaged the rigging holding a heavy grand piano prop suspended above. A chain snaps, and the piano plummets, crushing a screaming Lynn to death just moments after her victory. Paulson regains consciousness to witness the horrific scene. He finds Enrico's leather-bound journal—his "cursed shadow book"—and takes it. In the final scene, Paulson drives to a secluded lake and throws the book into the water, walking away as the sole survivor.
In a post-credits scene, the shadow book is shown resting on the lakebed. A deformed, shadowy figure suddenly appears over it, laughing maniacally, as Lynn's final scream is heard.
Cast[]
- Emma Myers as Lynn Sattler, a successful young actress who suffers from schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder stemming from past trauma.
- Brooklynn Prince as a 15-year-old Lynn in flashbacks.
- Carlos Valdes as Enrico Ramon / The Shadow Figure, a charming horror author and Lynn's love interest, who is revealed to be a manipulative serial killer.
- Katie Finneran as Rebecca Sattler, Lynn's overbearing mother and film producer.
- Alec Baldwin as Philip Sattler, Lynn's father and the studio manager.
- Manoj Sood as Sandeep Shekhar, the director of the film Lynn is starring in.
- Bryce Gheisar as Ricky Sattler, Lynn's younger brother and a junior actor.
- Mckenna Grace as Kathy, Lynn's best friend and co-star.
- Steve Carell as Senior Officer Liam Paulson, the lead detective investigating the murders.
- Kristen Wiig as Dr. Tina Carell, Lynn's psychotherapist.
- Natalia Dyer as Jessica, a young actress and the first victim discovered on the film set.
- Willa Fitzgerald as Bethany Scott, the victim from the first film who appears in the opening scene.
Deaths[]
- Bethany Scott: Stabbed to death by the shadow-figured person seven years ago in opening scene.
- Jessica: Beaten up to death, her decomposed corpse was later found in the garden.
- Kathy: Strangled to death by the shadow-figured person.
- Sandeep Shekkar: Burned alive by the shadow-figured person.
- Philip Sattler: Poisoned to death by Ricky because his parents planned to sent Lynn to psychiatric hospital.
- Rebecca Sattler: Bashed by Ricky with hammer because his parents planned to sent Lynn to psychiatric hospital.
- Dr. Tina Carell: Fallen to death by the shadow-figured person.
- Ricky Sattler: Found tied on the chair with blood in his chest by the panicked Lynn.
- Enrico Ramon / Shadow Figure: Shoot five times to death by Lynn Sattler in revenge.
- Lynn Sattler: Crashed to death by the fallen piano, claimed the last victim just like Bethany Scott, her parents and younger brother.
Survivor(s)[]
- Senior Officer Liam Paulson: After he witnessed Lynn killed by the fallen piano, he escaped after thrown away Enrico's cursed shadow book into the lake.
Production[]
Development[]
Following the unexpected streaming success of Personalized in 2024, Netflix quickly green-lit a sequel. Mike Flanagan, director of the first film, was unable to return due to scheduling conflicts with his upcoming series adaptation of The Dark Tower. Nick Frost, who co-produced the original through his Stolen Picture banner, stepped in to direct. Frost brought in Ari Aster to co-write and co-direct, citing a desire to blend his own character-driven sensibilities with Aster's expertise in psychological dread and family trauma. The duo conceived the story together, aiming for a darker, more visceral tone than the predecessor.
Casting[]
Emma Myers and Brooklynn Prince were the first to be confirmed, playing their roles as the adult and young versions of the protagonist. In July 2024, Carlos Valdes, Alec Baldwin, Steve Carell, and Kristen Wiig were announced as new additions to the cast. Mckenna Grace was cast as Lynn's best friend after a strong chemistry read with Myers. The casting of veteran comedic actors Carell and Wiig in serious, dramatic roles was noted by industry publications as a deliberate choice to subvert audience expectations.
Filming[]
Principal photography began in October 2024 and wrapped in January 2025. Filming took place primarily in Atlanta, Georgia, with soundstage work completed at Tyler Perry Studios. Cinematographer Mike Gioulakis was hired to create a colder, more clinical visual style to contrast with the warmer palette of the first film, utilizing stark lighting and wide-angle lenses to emphasize Lynn's sense of isolation and paranoia.
During the post-credits scene, Lynn's final scream was overdubbed with a recording of Willa Fitzgerald, who plays Bethany in the opening scene, to create a thematic link between the two victims of the Shadow Figure.
Music[]
The film's score was composed by The Newton Brothers, who returned from the first film. The score incorporates dissonant strings, unsettling ambient textures, and percussive elements to reflect Lynn's fractured psychological state and the escalating horror.
Featured Songs[]
An official soundtrack album was not released, but the following songs are featured prominently in the film:
- "I Finally Understand" by Charli XCX (2020)
- "Let's Talk About Love" by Celine Dion (1997)
- "Don't Hold Your Breath" by Nicole Scherzinger (2011)
- "Run Away" by Real McCoy (1994)
- "Calling My Spirit" by Kodak Black (2018)
- "Look Who's Talking!" by Dr. Alban (1994)
- "Half Delayed" by Umphrey's McGee (2018)
- "Too Bad" by Nickelback (2001)
- "R.I.P." by Young Jeezy feat. 2 Chainz (2013)
- "Under the Black Shadow" by Everlasting Fames (2025)
Release[]
The film held its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 26, as part of the "Midnight" programming section. It was released globally on Netflix on February 24, 2025. The first teaser trailer was released in December 2024, followed by a full trailer in early January 2025, which highlighted the film's meta-textual Hollywood setting and brutal violence.
Reception[]
Personalized 2: Inhumanity received mixed reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 58% based on 112 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Elevated by another powerhouse performance from Emma Myers, Personalized 2: Inhumanity offers some effective shocks but struggles to justify its existence with a convoluted plot that favors grim cruelty over the original's atmospheric tension."
On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."
Alonso Duralde of TheWrap praised Myers's performance and the film's uncompromisingly bleak tone, calling it "a harrowing exploration of trauma that refuses to offer easy answers." In contrast, Candice Frederick of HuffPost criticized the film as "a needlessly cruel and self-indulgent sequel that mistakes nihilism for depth, wasting a talented cast on a predictable slasher formula."
Sequel[]
A third installment, titled Personalized 3: Univision, was announced at CinemaCon 2025. Co-directors Nick Frost and Ari Aster are slated to return to helm the project and pen the script. The film is scheduled to make its debut at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2026, followed by a streaming release on Netflix on February 17, 2026. Steve Carell is set to reprise his role as Senior Officer Liam Paulson, joined by an entirely new ensemble cast.
Trivia[]
- Rated R for intense horror violence, terror, mild nudity, suggestive theme, strong language, and/or disturbing images.
- Second installment of Nick Frost's Personalized series franchise, and sequel to the 2024's first film, Personalized.
- During post-credit scene, Lynn's screams sound is heard from where the piano crushed her to death is overdubbed by Willa Fitzgerald, Bethany Scott's actress.