Netflix's true-crime library is the one true haunting destination for disturbing real-world stories, whether they are historical crimes or modern horrors. Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story is one of the streamer's latest sinister titles that glides into dark and lethal territories. 

What starts as an interesting idea soon turns into a terrifying exploration of the scariest human traits of manipulation, control, and betrayal.

Evil Influencer looks closely into the harrowing case of child a---- in 2023, involving Jodi Hildebrandt, the now-defunct Utah life coach who took to manipulation, and 8 PassenRuby Franke, a former YouTube parenting influencer. Their collaboration led to the shocking a---- of Franke's own children, and director Skye Borgman's chillingly unsensationalised documentation of it will leave viewers rattled for days.  

Franke and Hildebrandt's a----, however, was only discovered when a 12-year-old malnourished and injured child made his way out of Hildebrandt's clutches to seek help from a neighbor. Consequently, the film retraces Hildebrandt’s rise as a therapist and downfall to downright evil, and her presence in religious communities, and how she and Franke believed that their actions were meant for moral correction.

Director Borgman leans towards the majority of a by-the-book, factual, procedural way, and presents interviews, bodycam, security camera archival footage, audio recordings of Franke from prison, and expert commentary as the sole narrative tools that bring about a story which is as sobering as it is heartbreaking. Jodi Hildebrandt's evil gets the focus instead of Franke's. Most of the violence in the film is narrated rather than graphically depicted. 

However, the chilling facts, survivor testimonies, and the intense focus on systemic failures render the film an emotional weight that makes hearts heavy. Borgman efficiently delivers measured police accounts from the detective in charge of the 2023 case, Jessica Bate, whose narration is bound to chill every spine watching Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story on Netflix. It is definitely not for the faint-hearted. 

'Bad Influencer' on Netflix: Cast, Plot, Release Date, and Everything to Know About the South African Series

Evil Influencer has no graphic brutality on screen, yet it is emotionally triggering beyond measure.

Audiences passionate about Netflix's true crime offerings must brace themselves for verbal details of starvation, psychological manipulation, restraint, forced labor, and physical torture that were applied to the kids with no mercy. Evil Influencer has an emotionally painful runtime of 1 hour and 42 minutes.

Though it is not suitable for children and young teens, this TV-MA-rated documentary is a must for adults. Because it is a hard-hitting wake-up call in today's influencer-dominated society, where a----can thrive under the cover of competence or religion, blurring the lines between mentorship and oppression.

"All of these things were happening in full view and broadcast to the world. This kind of manipulative behavior and coercive control can happen right in front of your eyes. It’s essential to understand that if we want to prevent this from happening again," director Skye Borgman told Tudum, on wanting to showcase how true evil can flourish in plain sight. 

Starting December 30, 2025, Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story has been made available to stream exclusively on Netflix. The film is a nightmare proof of a case that startled a whole nation and will disturb viewers for days. 

11 Terrifyingly Gripping True Crime Documentaries to Stream on Netflix in 2025

Will you watch Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story on Netflix? Comment your thoughts below.