Technology & Horror

I’m shocked I haven’t touched on this topic.

It’s something that has been on the list of topics to do for so long that I kinda forgot about it. Oops.

In a time where we depend so much on technology and it changes so fast overnight, we’ve seen more horror films use technology as the main aspect in the film. First example that came to mind was M3GAN (2023) and how massive that movie became. Another example is the recent hit of Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) and as a fan of fnaf, we’ve seen the theories and lore that are around that franchise. How does remnant work? Sound illusion disks? Who was killed second after Chica? Shoutout to Blumhouse, those are two of the studio films lately, but the question remains, where will technology and horror go? How will it evolve? We have the fear of AI and how that affects anything and anyone and I’m very interested to see how the genre handles it.

Horror is the ONLY genre that showcases what is going on in the overall landscape of our world. Again, I forget who said it (maybe Romero or Craven) but the gist is that you wanna know what’s going on in… 1984? Look at the horror movies around that time, it’ll tell you. And we’re seeing it now with not only technology but women’s rights, children, censorship, religion/mythology or folklore, the fear of the unknown, they’ve been present in horror but my goodness, I’d say the past ten years have really amped it up.

But today, we’re just looking at technology. How it either affects the story or just the biggest contributing factor. I didn’t know how to separate the ideas fully but we’re gonna go with it!

Host (2020) – This movie, I believe was filmed during the pandemic so using computers and zoom calls as the major premise was smartly done. I’d consider it a short film, on Shudder, and the premise is that a group of friends participate in a seance but online. It goes exactly how you think it goes!

Chopping Mall (1986) – I saw this once and it’s such a fun movie. Staying overnight in a mall sounds fun (I remember an episode of Dawson’s Creek where Pacey and Joey were in a k-mart) but the security are rolling cylons who, when they find their target, can blow your head off!

V/H/S (2012+) – VHS tapes are how a lot of us had the power to record and save whatever we wanted. I (and my family) have tons of memories captured on tapes from concerts to church events, graduations, “stories” and television shows. But V/H/S and the many other films in the franchise asks the question of “am i supposed to see this” “why would someone record this” and other segments of technology being utilized.

Fear Dot Com (2002) – This movie is confusing on so many levels. The highlight is Stephen Rea and his performance in the movie but a website is the focal point of the movie. And to quote the Dead Meat Podcast, it’s feardotcom . com aka the website.

Ringu/The Ring (1999, 2002) – The Ring and Ringu are very interesting because similarly to VHS, the use of tapes is to spread and get as many people affected as possible. I saw Ringu last year and I enjoyed that movie a bit more than the remake and I wonder if Ringu felt more natural? Casting, the atmosphere/environment, the cultural differences and there’s an eerieness there that isn’t in the remake.

The Fly (1986) – When inventing and technology goes wrong, this is that movie. We’ve all seen The Fly right? Have we seen the sequel though? That movie… I… it does factor in technology to raise a child in a world where he is part fly but.. I have very mixed feelings. I think I reviewed this movie. If I did, it should be here.

The Cabin in the Woods (2011) – Manipulating the tropes of horror movies is how this movie works. It’s smart, unexpected with how a company utilizes and controls different horror narratives and it’s been working in their favor until recently. They monitor, they “produce the horror edit” and they ARE the danger.

Unfriended (2014) – I’ve seen this once but um it reminds me of Fear Dot Com where again, online and online communities are affected by an outside (inside) force and you have teens involved so teenage angst.

Videodrome (1983) – Body horror, broadcast signals, hallucinations, pressing one’s self into a television, this is a tale of what happens when you investigate snuff broadcasting and you get a bit more than what you’ve bargained for. Death to Videodrome. Long live the new flesh! And if you know who Max Headroom was/is, I don’t know why I get a connection there.

The Invisible Man (2020) – The story of do not give this kind of power to the wrong person. I like this movie, but I prefer the original for the sheer unhinged and fun energy that Claude Rains gives to that character’s life. The original, for how wacky it is, is an enjoyable, fun time. This version is very serious and bleak and good.

Even though these are just a handful of movies I could think of, I wanted to share a little bit more here as honorable mentions: Black Mirror, The Terminator, Possessor, Poltergeist.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a movie where AI is the big baddie and overtaking a project, a company, or invading the many many homes attached to wifi and turn every home into a dangerous smart house. Oooh, is that a thing? I’m putting that out into the universe and claiming that!

We have every right to be afraid of technology, even if it is making our lives easier and we’re so dependent upon it. But with horror, anything is possible within the genre, again, I wouldn’t be surprised if things were in the works for a book or tv series or movie around this topic being highlighted again and again and spun into a different light. What movie would you add to a little list like this? What fits your criteria? Leave a comment below and I will see you guys next week!

Oh gosh April is really coming soon. Yikes.