REVIEW: ‘Swarm’ Is A Thrilling Dark Satirical Take On Stan Culture

Content Warning: Swarm and this review deal with suicide and self-harm

Swarm is Prime Video’s latest dark comedy horror series, created by Donald Glover and Janine Nabers. The series stars Dominique Fishback, Chloe Bailey, and Damson Idris. The show looks into the dark side of stan culture as a young woman’s obsession with a global pop star takes several dark and twisted turns. The series made its debut during the SXSW 2023 episodic premiere section.

Swarm tells the story of Andrea, aka Dre, a young woman obsessed with a fictional pop superstar, Ni’Jah, whose style, vocals, and overall aesthetics resemble a certain real-life Queen Bey. Dre belongs to Ni’Jah’s intensely dedicated fanbase, “The Swarm.” Following a tragic event in Dre’s life, she clings to her love and devotion. The show dives into Dre’s life, the fandom, and how it takes her to some very dark places.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that Swarm does involve some topics of self-harm and suicide. The scene is brief, but that does not lessen the impact of the death. I also appreciate that suicide was done off-camera and not glamorized. However, it does not make the scene any less heart-wrenching as the story plays out.

Dominique Fishback gives a stellar performance in her leading role as Dre. No one would have been able to play this role as well as Fishback did. Fishback expertly and effortlessly shifts her demeanor, tone, facial expression, and body language to fit whatever energy the scene needs. Whether manic and violent to quiet and naive, Fishback acts with her entire body in a way that will captivate the audience. Chloe Bailey also performs excellently in a supporting role as Dre’s best friend, Marissa. Their on-screen chemistry was so believable and intense that I would have thought they were real life-long friends.

As a character, Dre is reasonably complex. At first, she comes off as emotionally stunted, naive, and fragile. However, as the series progresses, we see that Dre is multifaceted and capable of doing anything she wants, especially when it comes to killing and when anyone badmouths Ni’Jah. Depending on what the situation calls for, Dre can be cunning and terrifying just as quickly as she can be teeth-cringingly awkward.

I applaud Glover and Nabers for creating the series Swarm with a Black woman in the leading role. It is rare to see a Black woman play the role of a serial killer. Frankly, most if not all of the serial killer dramas – be they fictional or re-enactments of real-life cases –  that I have seen primarily star white men who receive applause for playing a role that pushes their mental and emotional limits. Fishback deserves the same accolades and praise for her performance in Swarm. It is also essential for people to understand that Swarm is not making a statement about Black women in general. Dre is simply a serial killer who happens to be a Black woman.

The overall tone of the series is similar to Glover’s Atlanta, only slightly darker and more violent. The satirical humor in Swarm helps to break up the dark and depressive nature of the story and the intense topics the show handles. However, Swarm is a work of fiction that draws inspiration directly from real-world headlines, Beyoncé, and her fandom, the Beyhive. I enjoyed how the writers used real-life events and dramatized them to tell their own story from an unexpected perspective. Most of the story is told from Dre’s perspective as a stan and shows that there is a thin line between adoration and obsession.

Swarm also takes a look into the darker side of being a stan. Stans are known for being the members of a fandom that demonizes or harasses anyone that opposes the chosen celebrity they’ve decided to worship. Swarm explores certain toxic behaviors in stan culture, like doxing and harassment, to a new extreme.

The violence in Swarm is graphic but not overly grotesque. Granted, some scenes are more visually jarring than others. I would say Swarm balances the violence and graphic imagery reasonably well. However, I still advise people sensitive to blood to be prepared to see plenty of it in this series.

Swarm is a captivating horror satire that examines stan culture through a dark and dramatized lens. Swarm weaves a twisted tale about the thin line between a fan’s adoration and obsession. Dominque Fishback performs phenomenally in a lead role that only she could play. Each episode takes us and the main character into dark and shocking places that will leave you amazed, dumbfounded, and gasping from start to finish.

Swarm is streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

Screened as a part of the 2023 SXSW Film & TV Festival.