Followed (2018) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The Lennox Hotel is located in downtown Los Angeles. This historic building serves as the primary setting for the film, infamous for its dark history of suicides and murders since its founding. The hotel's elevator and boiler rooms become key sites of supernatural horror throughout the story.

• lennox hotel
• downtown los angeles
• haunted hotel setting

Followed takes place in present day, unfolding over a single weekend. The contemporary setting is essential to the story's themes about social media influence and online fame. The hotel's violent past from the 1980s surfaces during the narrative, connecting the present-day events to historical trauma.

• present day
• modern setting
• 1980s past
• time period

Followed explores several interconnected themes including the dangerous pursuit of online fame and notoriety, the supernatural consequences of invading sacred spaces, and the blurring line between documented reality and what's truly happening. The film critiques how social media influencers can become willing to risk lives for content and sponsorships.

• fame
• obsession
• social media
• online fame
• supernatural
• haunting

DropTheMike, whose real name is Matthew Solomon, is a controversial social media vlogger and the main protagonist of the film. He orchestrates the dangerous Lennox Hotel excursion to gain 50,000 subscribers and secure a $250,000 sponsorship deal. His single-minded obsession with fame drives the plot and ultimately leads the team into escalating supernatural danger.

• mike
• dropthemike
• matthew solomon
• influencer
• vlogger
• protagonist

Nic, played by Caitlin Grace, serves as the editor on DropTheMike's crew. She provides a steady, analytical voice throughout the documentary project. Her rational approach is gradually tested as the hotel's supernatural influence intensifies, blurring the line between reality and vision.

• nic
• caitlin grace
• editor
• crew member

Danni, played by Sam Valentine, works as the sound and camera operator on the crew and is Mike's close friend with unspoken romantic feelings for him. She becomes a key moral counterpoint to Mike's reckless ambitions, representing loyalty that is tested as the line between safety and survival grows increasingly thin.

• danni
• sam valentine
• camera operator
• sound operator
• crew member

Chris, played by Tim Drier, is the religious director of photography on the crew. He remains skeptical of the supernatural throughout the film while being essential to the team's filming operations. His protective stance and personal history with trauma influence how the group interprets and responds to the hauntings.

• chris
• tim drier
• director of photography
• dop
• skeptic
• crew member

The Elevator Game is a supernatural ritual referenced in Followed that plays a key role in the hotel's haunting mythology. The film incorporates this occult practice as one of the dangerous rituals the crew performs, connecting the Lennox Hotel's supernatural events to real-world urban legend traditions.

• elevator game
• ritual
• supernatural
• occult
• haunted ritual

Followed serves as a critique of social media culture, showing how the pursuit of online followers and sponsorships can push people to gamble with dangerous situations. The film suggests that the line between reality and performance becomes dangerously blurred when lives are risked for content, and the consequences of this pursuit become terrifyingly real.

• social media criticism
• influencers
• sponsorships
• followers
• online culture
• fame

Meghan Kim, played by Sarah Chang, is a Korean tourist whose burned corpse is discovered in the hotel's boiler room. Her spirit returns as a central apparition throughout the haunting, anchoring the supernatural elements in a painful, realistic tragedy that connects the hotel's dark history to the present-day events.

• meghan kim
• sarah chang
• ghost
• apparition
• korean tourist

Wallace Fleischer, played by John Savage, is an author who has researched the Lennox Hotel's dark history. He acts as a cautious guide for the crew, sharing the hotel's legends and connecting present events to the building's violent past. His knowledge reshapes the crew's understanding of what they're experiencing.

• wallace fleischer
• john savage
• author
• historian
• guide

The Lennox Hotel has a dark history of suicides and murders since its founding, making it one of Los Angeles's most notorious haunted locations. The hotel's past includes the residence of David Olmos, a serial killer and Satanist from the 1980s, whose legacy threads through the present-day supernatural events.

• hotel history
• haunted hotel
• serial killer
• david olmos
• 1980s
• dark past

Tony, played by Christopher Ross Martin, initially appears warm and accommodating toward DropTheMike's crew. However, he gradually reveals a darker, more ominous side. His curiosity about the crew's intentions hints at occult knowledge, adding to the mounting sense of danger surrounding the group.

• tony
• security guard
• christopher ross martin
• mysterious character