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Infrared (2022) movie poster

Characters & Themes

Infrared (2022) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2022 · 88 mins · English
Echo score 38
Starring
Jesse Janzen, Leah Finity, Nicole Berry, Greg Sestero, Samantha Laurenti, Robert Livings

At a school where fear is taught first, a brother and sister endowed with psychic abilities clash, endangering the production of a paranormal reality‑TV episode. Their strained family dynamics threaten the crew, but a deeper, unseen danger looms for everyone on set.

On this page (8)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Characters explained (11)
  3. 3 Where & when it takes place
  4. 4 Themes & meaning (4)
  5. 5 Character & meaning questions
  6. 6 Movie threads
  7. 7 Movies like Infrared
  8. 8 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Infrared (2022)

Where can you watch Infrared? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Chilling, Fandango at Home Free and FOUND TV: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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11 main characters · contains spoilers

Infrared Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of Infrared (2022), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Wes (Jesse Janzen)

    Wes is the charismatic host of Infrared, driving the crew’s exploration of the haunted school. His history with Izzy includes a painful rift caused by a death during a prior exorcism, which fuels tension between them. He pushes to stay and film, aiming to calm the spirits through the show, though this defiance increases the danger for everyone involved.

    • 🎬 Host
    • 🧭 Ambitious
    • ⚠️ Risk-taker
  • Izzy (Leah Finity)

    Izzy is Wes’s psychic sister, whose sensitivity confirms that something is truly wrong inside the building. Her trauma is intensified by the psychic imprint of past events, making the venture emotionally exhausting. She initially wants to leave and hand over the footage, but ultimately stays with Wes to confront the haunting.

    • 🔮 Psychic
    • 👭 Sibling bond
    • 🌀 Trauma
  • Geoff (Greg Sestero)

    Geoff is the former educator who now owns and maintains the Lincoln School. He reveals that the ghostly figure is his dead wife and quickly asserts dominance over the crew, interfering with their investigation. He capriciously traps the team in the basement, revealing a dangerous manipulator willing to weaponize the haunting.

    • 🗝️ Antagonist
    • 🏫 Owner
    • 🕵️‍♂️ Manipulator
  • Catherine (Nicole Berry)

    Catherine is a member of the Infrared filming crew, participating in documenting the events as they unfold. She experiences the supernatural phenomena alongside the others and contributes to the tense dynamic of the project.

    • 🎥 Crew member
    • 🎭 Film crew dynamics
    • ⚠️ Danger
  • Sarah (Samantha Laurenti)

    Sarah plays a crew member on the Infrared team, engaging in the practical aspects of filming and reacting to the escalating paranormal activity. Her stake in the project grows as danger intensifies and lines between reality and haunting blur.

    • 🎥 Crew member
    • 🗣️ Team dynamic
    • ⚠️ Danger
  • Rob (Robert Livings)

    Rob is part of the filming crew, contributing to the crew’s operations and witnessing the strange events that unfold in the building. His actions reflect the collaborative yet precarious nature of reality-based paranormal filming.

    • 🎥 Crew member
    • 🧭 Team dynamics
    • ⚠️ Risk
  • Ian (Ian Hopps)

    Ian is another Infrared crew member who captures footage and responds to the unexplained occurrences. His perspective adds to the crew’s sense of urgency as the hauntings intensify.

    • 🎥 Crew member
    • 🗨️ On-site witness
    • ⚠️ Danger
  • Randy (Randy Nundlall Jr.)

    Randy is part of the Infrared crew, contributing to the filming process and sharing in the escalating tension as the spirits become more aggressive.

    • 🎥 Crew member
    • 🧩 Team dynamic
    • ⚠️ Risk
  • Jane (Ariel Ryan)

    Jane is a member of the production crew, involved in documenting the investigation and reacting to the supernatural activity within the building.

    • 🎥 Crew member
    • 🗣️ On-site witness
    • ⚠️ Danger
  • Austin (Austin Blank)

    Austin is part of the Infrared crew, playing a role in the filming operation as the team navigates the increasingly dangerous environment.

    • 🎥 Crew member
    • 🧭 Field operator
    • ⚠️ Risk
  • Jay (Romulo Reyes)

    Jay is a member of the filming team who observes and records the paranormal activity, contributing to the group’s dynamic under pressure.

    • 🎥 Crew member
    • 🗨️ On-site witness
    • ⚠️ Danger

Last updated: June 27, 2026 at 15:36

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Setting

Where and When Does Infrared Take Place?

The setting of Infrared (2022): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

Present day

The events occur in contemporary times, using modern cameras and production gear typical of a reality-based paranormal show. The haunting unfolds during the pilot episode of Infrared, set against the backdrop of a recently closed Lincoln School. The timeframe emphasizes current attitudes toward hauntings and the ethics of filming dangerous investigations.

Location

Lincoln School, Sacramento, California

Lincoln School in Sacramento, California sits abandoned after a tragic gas leak and subsequent closure. The derelict building has become a magnet for paranormal investigators due to rumors of restless spirits. The site serves as the filming location for Infrared's pilot, where the crew confronts escalating phenomena in a space imbued with traumatic memory.

  • 🏚️ Abandoned school
  • 👻 Haunted site
  • 🎬 Filming location
  • ⚠️ Hazard zone

Last updated: June 27, 2026 at 15:36

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4 major themes

Infrared Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is Infrared (2022) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Haunting

    The film centers on a haunted space where the past tragedy of the gas leak lingers as palpable fear. Ghostly manifestations test the crew's nerves and reveal how trauma can inhabit a building as a living memory. The spirits confront the living, forcing reckoning with what happened in the basement.

  • Media Ethics

    The pursuit of sensational footage raises questions about exploiting tragedy for entertainment. Geoff’s manipulation of the filming process highlights power dynamics between property owners and documentary crews. The narrative probes where safety ends and spectacle begins in paranormal storytelling.

  • Trauma

    Izzy’s psychic sensitivity amplifies the emotional toll of the haunting, bringing emotional fragility to the forefront. The story underscores how psychic impressions can magnify distress and re-open old wounds. It shows how trauma persists in spaces long after the event itself.

  • Power

    Geoff’s control over the location turns the site into a trap for the crew, escalating danger and tension. The basement confrontation exposes the costs of obsessively pursuing paranormal proof. The plot examines how the thirst for control can override ethics and safety.

Last updated: June 27, 2026 at 15:36

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Character & theme questions

Infrared Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about Infrared (2022): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where is the Lincoln School located in Infrared?

Infrared is set at the Lincoln School in Sacramento, California. The abandoned building was formerly a school that closed after a tragic gas leak, and it has become a popular location for paranormal investigators due to rumors of restless spirits.

  • lincoln school
  • sacramento
  • abandoned school
  • filming location
Q2

When does Infrared take place?

The events of Infrared occur in present day. The story uses modern cameras and production equipment typical of a reality-based paranormal television show, highlighting contemporary attitudes toward hauntings and the ethics of investigating dangerous locations.

  • present day
  • contemporary
  • time period
  • modern era
Q3

What are the main themes of Infrared?

Infrared explores several interconnected themes including haunting and how trauma persists in spaces, media ethics and the exploitation of tragedy for entertainment, the amplification of trauma through psychic sensitivity, and the dangerous pursuit of power and control that overrides ethics and safety.

  • haunting
  • trauma
  • media ethics
  • power
  • control
  • themes
Q4

Who is Wes in Infrared?

Wes is the charismatic host of the paranormal reality show Infrared. He drives the crew's exploration of the haunted Lincoln School and has a complicated history with his psychic sister Izzy, stemming from a death during a prior exorcism that created a rift between them. He pushes to continue filming despite escalating danger.

  • wes
  • host
  • infrared show
  • psychic
  • brother
Q5

Who is Izzy in Infrared?

Izzy is Wes's psychic sister whose sensitivity confirms the presence of supernatural activity at Lincoln School. Her trauma is intensified by the psychic imprint of past tragic events, making the investigation emotionally exhausting. She initially wants to leave but ultimately stays to confront the haunting with her brother.

  • izzy
  • psychic
  • sister
  • wes
  • sensitivity
Q6

Who is Geoff in Infrared?

Geoff is the former educator who now owns and maintains the Lincoln School property. He reveals that the ghostly figure haunting the building is his dead wife, and he quickly asserts dominance over the filming crew, interfering with their investigation and ultimately trapping the team in the basement.

  • geoff
  • owner
  • lincoln school
  • antagonist
  • wife ghost
Q7

What happened at the Lincoln School before Infrared?

The Lincoln School was closed after a tragic gas leak that occurred at the building. This past tragedy has left the space imbued with traumatic memory, and the lingering trauma manifests as ghostly manifestations that confront the living during the Infrared pilot episode.

  • gas leak
  • tragedy
  • lincoln school
  • closure
  • past event
Q8

What is the Infrared show about?

Infrared is a paranormal reality television show that investigates haunted locations. The pilot episode films at the Lincoln School, where the crew uses modern production gear to document supernatural phenomena. The show explores whether the spirits can be calmed through filming, while raising questions about exploiting tragedy for entertainment.

  • infrared show
  • paranormal
  • reality tv
  • filming
  • investigation
Q9

What is the relationship between Wes and Izzy in Infrared?

Wes and Izzy are siblings who share a painful history. A death that occurred during a prior exorcism created a rift between them, and Izzy's psychic abilities amplify the emotional toll of the haunting. Their strained dynamic intensifies as the supernatural events escalate, testing their bond.

  • wes
  • izzy
  • siblings
  • brother
  • sister
  • relationship
  • rift
Q10

How does power and control theme in Infrared?

The power dynamics in Infrared center on Geoff's control over the Lincoln School location, which he uses as a trap for the crew. His obsession with obtaining paranormal proof overrides ethics and safety, while the pursuit of sensational footage raises questions about where entertainment ends and exploitation begins.

  • power
  • control
  • geoff
  • manipulation
  • ethics
  • basement

Movie threads

More Movies Like Infrared, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Infrared tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Found Footage Horror Movies Like Infrared

First-person cameras capture a terrifying plunge into supernatural danger. Discover more found footage horror films that plunge you into the heart of supernatural terror, using the first-person perspective to build relentless dread, just like in Infrared.

  • found footage
  • claustrophobic
  • paranormal
  • anxious
  • dread-filled
  • unsettling
  • Tone: tense, dark, unsettling
  • Pacing: steady, methodical build
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories unfold through the lens of a camera, often starting with an investigation or documentary premise that quickly escalates into genuine, inescapable horror. The narrative is driven by the discovery of paranormal phenomena and the characters' futile attempts to survive it.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped by their shared use of the found footage aesthetic, which creates a unique sense of immediacy, realism, and claustrophobic dread, making the supernatural threat feel terrifyingly close.

Horror Movies About Family Trauma Like Infrared

Supernatural horrors force a damaged family to confront their painful past. Explore more intense horror films where supernatural events force broken families to face their traumatic pasts, similar to the strained dynamics and psychic abilities in Infrared.

  • family trauma
  • psychological horror
  • oppressive
  • paranormal
  • dread-filled
  • emotional heavy
  • Tone: oppressive, heavy, bleak
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: A external supernatural threat intensifies and exposes the existing cracks in a family's foundation. The real horror often intertwines with the psychological trauma of the characters, creating a dual layer of terror—both from the paranormal and from their own history.

Why they belong together: They are connected by their core focus on how horror amplifies human drama, using supernatural elements to explore themes of grief, betrayal, and the haunting nature of family secrets under extreme pressure.

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Every angle

Infrared (2022) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Infrared in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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