Technology is meant to make things easier for humanity, but thesehorrormovies have a keen eye for its dark side. Ever since the sci-fi genre started to take shape, technology has often been portrayed as a potential threat to the future of humankind. Once the horror genre started to assess these themes as well, there has been a boom of unsettling stories that portray technology as the villain.
Technology has drastically evolved, and so has cinema. In the ’80s, the villain seemed to be television. Now,it’s artificial intelligence. As products of their time, movies effectively capture the fears and concerns of each generation. In the case of horror, it takes the unforeseeable possibilities that technology brings to the table and materializes them in terrifying forms. Here are 10 horror movies where technology is the villain.
10Lake Mungo (2008)
Lake Mungo
Lake Mungotells a horror story in mockumentary style, following a grieving family who begins to experience a series of strange events in their home after Alice, their 16-year-old daughter, drowns in the local dam. Convinced that Alice is trying to make contact with them, they scatter multiple cameras around the house, coming across unsettling images in the darker corners of their home.
One Jump Scare in the Entire Film
Lake Mungois known for itssole terrifying jump scarethat ties the narrative together at the end, yet the technology subtext is what enables the film’s scariest moments to materialize. In the film, technology is used to manipulate emotions and rationalize these characters' deepest fears; be it in the form of Alice’s ghost or, in the case of Alice, a disturbing death omen.Stream on The Roku Channel
9M3GAN (2023)
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M3GANleaves all subtlety and parable aside in favor of a plain-spoken approach. Few horror movies are as straightforward as this one, where A.I. becomes the incarnation of evil in the body of a sweet life-sized doll. Designed to emotionally bond with the lonesome child of her creator,M3GANgradually begins to give in to rebellious impulses that put everyone around her in danger.
A Cautionary Tale About A.I.
Though the movie could’ve benefited from a meaner tone (despite earning an R-rated cut), the comedy and horror work together to poke fun at the latest trend in technology. The message is clear: any attempt to sell A.I. as an effective tool to fill the gaps in one’s personal life will never make up for a human’s rational reasoning — at least not until A.I. evolves even further.Stream on Prime Video
8We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (2021)
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair
Anengrossing horror movie debutby Jane Schoenbrun,We’re All Going to the World’s Fairdirectly addresses those who grew up in dark, unpredictable corners of the internet, where the possibility of being whoever you’d like is as exciting as it is suffocating. In the film, a lonely teenager begins to lose her grip on reality after engaging in a mysterious role-playing game online.
Trapped in the Dark Web
The titular “World’s Fair” challenge stands for all the creepypastas, viral tests, and obscure forums that enveloped so many teenagers in the first decades of this century. Here, technology is also this fascinating gateway to a realm where one’s lies are brought to life. It manages to distract users from their uneventful reality, but once they get in, they can’t get out.Stream on Max
7Suicide Club (2001)
Suicide Clubhas become aquintessential Japanese horror moviein the minds of modern audiences, even though it’s easy to get lost in what the film is trying to say. In the aftermath of a tragedy, where 54 high school girls threw themselves in front of a moving train, a detective tries to solve the mystery behind the string of suicides plaguing the country.
Past History and Present Technology Collide
The film tackles Japan’s sensitive history with suicide and its high rates among younger folks. However,Suicide Clubalso makes a chilling connection between the country’s tragic path and media control diffused by technology, exposing a dark truth about the society of spectacle that seizes control of the masses.Rent on Apple TV
6Unfriended (2014)
Unfriended
Unfriendedis a chilling desktop horror that uses live video chat as a terrorizing horror tool. It follows a group of six high school friends summoned by a mysterious user on Skype; someone who claims to be a classmate who committed suicide exactly one year ago.
A Modern Take on Found Footage
Unfriendedwas arguably the breaking point for movies that took the found footage trope and adapted it to the online sphere. While conventional found footage movies tell stories that have already happened, hence the “found” in the title, often tied to an unhappy ending, the narrative here unfolds with characters in real-time. Additionally, the film takes advantage of Skype’s structure to create a mosaic of images where multiple characters and their respective reactions can simultaneously be seen.Rent on Prime Video
Related:10 Best Horror Mockumentaries of All Time
5Pontypool (2008)
On a seemingly ordinary day of work at their radio station, a disc jockey and his staff come across reports of a deadly zombie outbreak. Using the radio booth as both a shelter and a tool to inform viewers of what’s going on, the characters struggle to stay alive long enough to save other lives.
A Bottle Horror Movie
Pontypoolis an immersive horror movie that takes place entirely in a single place. It’s one of those movies that successfully tricks viewers into thinking the characters are doing a good thing, while they’re actually escalating the problem. It turns out that the film’s zombie infection istransmitted through the English language, quickly turning the radio into everyone’s worst enemy.Stream on AMC+
4Ringu (1998)
Ringuis arguably the pinnacle of contemporary J-horror, as it set the path for other movies to transmute old Japanese legends into the technological age. The movie revolves around a cursed VHS video filled with nightmarish imagery: anyone who watches has seven days to live until a malignant spirit comes looking for them.
A Technological Mythology of Its Own
Ringuplays on the irrational fears of its viewers with a set of distinctive elements that make up a disturbing urban legend that could as well be real: from the bizarre images on the videotape to the eerie looks of Sadako, the film has a mythology of its own. It was one of the first horror movies to understand the dangers of viral content in its darker spheres, giving a chilling physical form to it in the rising VHS medium.Stream on AMC+
3The Den (2013)
BeforeUnfriendedbroke the internet with its live chat format,The Denpioneered this twisted approach through a fictional website, reminiscent of the late Omegle. It consists of a platform that allows users to chat with random strangers from all over the world. Trying out the titular “Den” by herself, Elizabeth accidentally witnesses a murder online, exposing herself toa dangerous conspiracy.
Internet Hysteria Made Real
Though the film settles with petty safe directions of the horror genre, there’s no denying thatThe Deneffectively translates internet hysteria into film. Playing with intricate concepts that were on everyone’s minds at the time, — dark web, creepypasta, and snuff films —The Dentakes the viewer to the scariest corners of the internet.Stream on AMC+
2Possessor (2020)
When sci-fi and horror blend into each other to discuss the impact of technology on society, things can get pretty nasty.Possessorexamines the power the tech corporations have on the world as technology continuously evolves. The film is centered around an elite assassin hired by a company that uses brain-implant tech to “possess” other people’s bodies to eliminate potential targets.
Cronenbergian Body Horror
Possessoris a mean-spirited movie to its core, and Brandon Cronenberg carries on his father’s body horror legacy with ghastly depictions of violence that won’t be easy to forget. The movie’s complex tech lore puts the viewers inside these characters' twisted psyches as body and mind compete to take control of one another.Rent on Prime Video
1Kairo (AKA Pulse) (2001)
AJapanese sci-fi ghost story,Kairo, also calledPulse, uses the technological world as a gateway for tormented souls to infiltrate the world of the living: trying to escape the overwhelming loneliness of the other side, they creep into an internet-obsessed Tokyo. The film follows two parallel stories about characters who attempt to escape the collapse of the modern world in different ways, witnessing a series of strange events that appear to be linked to the virtual world.
Released in 2001,Kairosuccessfully predicted how technology only increases the distance between people, enveloping them in a vicious cycle of isolation. The film delivers some of the creepiest ghost sightings in movie history, blending horror and sci-fi as its seemingly simple narrative takes catastrophic proportions.Stream on Prime Video and Peacock
