As anyone who's ever watched Black Mirror knows, technology can be a great asset, but it can also be a deadly weapon if put in the wrong hands. Tools and programs used to further progress the human experience can be seeds for slaughter in the horror genre. Sometimes it's a matter of use, application, or innovation, but sometimes it can be a question of whether or not science should.
Appropriately dubbed techno-horror by some fans, movies that rely on pieces of technology to elicit terror from the audience. Although the genre is not exactly new, there has been a slow increase in recent years, perhaps preparing for a techno-horror renaissance.
Chopping Mall (1986)
Chopping Mall has what many would consider a ridiculous plot hook. The premise of a group of teens being stalked and massacred by robotic security guards in a mall plays to plenty of 80s cliches while still sneaking in plenty of anxious horror moments.
With its ludicrous killers, gratuitous nudity, and overuse of synthesizers, this movie is by sheer definition a fine example of a cheesy '80s horror film. However, it does go a different direction than its peers by casting a technological marvel as the slasher villain. This movie is perfect for viewers looking for a healthy serving of laughs in their horror.
Prometheus (2012)
Ridley Scott's Prometheus takes a very serious approach to its lofty philosophical questions about the origin of life. While its horror mainly comes from its dangerous alien lifeforms, the real monsters of the story are the biomechanical weapons created by the Engineers and the cold and calculating David 8.
While the prequel to his Alien franchise is missing its titular Xenomorph, Prometheus does have a whole host of other stomach-churning threats. The techno-horror elements in this sci-fi flick come more from unholy science than circuit boards. However, the elements of weaponry, A.I., and experimentation do play key roles in some of its motifs and themes.
Child’s Play (2019)
2019's remake of Black Mirror.
Instead of being just a talking doll, this version of Chucky is essentially Alexa with a body. While this change to a classic horror icon wasn't well-received by all fans, there's no doubt that fear and uncertainty surrounding the future of AI is a much more relatable type of horror than supernatural magic.
Willy’s Wonderland (2021)
Five Nights at Freddy's movie starring Nicolas Cage. It doesn't do anything in of thought-provoking commentary or cautionary tales against the overabundance/dependence on technology; it's just Nic Cage tearing apart killer animatronics.
The movie may not be particularly complex, but it does have a certain brand of charm and more than a few unsettling scares. If fans are wanting to turn their brains off for a little while and just watch a catchy horror movie with over-the-top action and a ridiculous plot, Willy's Wonderland is what they are looking for.
Videodrome (1983)
When a sleazy TV president discovers the excess of sex and violence on a program called Videodrome, he thinks he's found the newest craze. But the more he subjects himself to the vile and gratuitous imagery, the more his hallucinations start melting into his reality.
Videodrome. Part scary movie, part commentary on the over-consumption of ultraviolent media, it strangely comes off as a horror film with a moral lesson.
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)
Netflix's Black Mirror could be considered the poster child of the techno-horror genre, but the interactive Bandersnatch is truly something bizarre. Nearly all the episodes of the Netflix series deal with some sort of technological-focused horror, whether that's A.I., virtual reality, or some form of technological advance, but this branching foray gives viewers a unique flavor to experiment with.
The core narrative focuses on a programmer trying to create a best-selling computer game based on a beloved fantasy novel, but the task proves to weigh heavy on the man's psyche. Throw in the use of mind-altering drugs, exhaustion-induced hallucinations, and even a demonic entity that may or may not be attached to the game, and the result is a horror movie that strives for every kind of weirdness.
The Terminator (1984)
Some consider one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's best films. With his arsenal of weaponry and biker-inspired attire, the Terminator himself is already an intimidating presence.
However, when his humanoid form a stripped away to reveal a cybernetic skeleton, that's when things steer directly into horror territory, especially the final chase sequence. Though the franchise would eventually lean more into action than horror, there's no doubt that the original Terminator takes visual and pacing inspiration from popular horror slashers.
Ex Machina (2014)
Frankenstein, the movie tackles the matter of deciding the difference between whether science can versus whether science should do something.
When a scientist, played by Moon Knight's Oscar Issac, is successful in creating an android with human-level intelligence, he enlists the help of a programmer to perform the Bechdel test to see just how smart she actually is. What unfolds is an unsettling character study of both the scientists and the newly created lifeform. Though there isn't much violence, the unsettling atmosphere and implied psychological torment make Ex Machina as scary as more violent films.
Upgrade (2018)
Venom could've been if Marvel/Sony had gone the full horror movie route. Although it might've been marketed as a hard-hitting action movie, the movie is a brilliant mix of techno-horror with a subtle touch of body-horror that shows sometimes having superpowers isn't all it's cracked up to be.
While on a revenge quest after the murder of his wife, a mechanic receives an artificial intelligence implant that gives him superhuman abilities after an attack leaves him paralyzed. But while the A.I. does help him achieve his goal, it also has an insidious agenda of its own. Themes of technophobia and deals with the devil abound in this sci-fi thriller.
The Invisible Man (2020)
From the director of Upgrade comes this modern reimagining of the H.G. Wells classic. Where the original had a chemist developing a formula that could render him invisible, the remake features a tech developer wielding an optically-enhanced suit to stalk his ex-girlfriend.
It's the tech that puts this scenario in the realm of probability. Although technology is perhaps decades or even a century away from this level of advanced camouflage, the idea that someone would use it for evil purposes is downright chilling, especially given the film's suspenseful plot.
