Ai's Grip on Horror Cinema


Just a few years after the first filmmakers released some of the classics that echo still to this day, a new genre was created thanks to one movie. That movie was called “Le Manoir du Diable” by Mellies in 1896. It was the first ever movie that started an terrifying yet exciting era of horror movies. Nowadays classics like Scream, The Shining, and Psycho are a perfect example of how far we went with the evolution of horror movies. These movies are still sending shivers down the spines of new watchers. And with the rise of technology, another deep fear has become an inspiration to filmmakers in creating some of the most horrifying movies seen by humanity - the fear of Artificial Intelligence. In the era of ChatGPT, Gemini and other Ai, this fear is slowly becoming more real than ever..

Adapting to a Digital Age

There are a bunch of movies that tackled the fear of Ai in the past. The Matrix, Bladerunner, I, Robot, and The Terminator are well known for depicting what the future could hold with Ai. The creator of The Terminator, James Cameroon said that he warned us in 1984, but we didn't listen. According to him, the weaponization of AI is the biggest threat to humanity, and we are entering a situation similar to the nuclear arms race - everybody will try to create their own Ai without thinking too much of the repercussions.

Today, the fear of Ai in movies was explained by Njera Perkins Associate Celebrity and Entertainment Editor at POPSUGAR.opens to us a much more understandable view into this phenomenon, suggesting that as society hurtles towards an ever more technologically advanced future, horror films must adapt to reflect our changing fears. It’s not supernatural forces we are afraid of, but the real and present artificial intelligence that makes us feel chilling goosebumps all over our body.

Films like Countdown and the revamped Child's Play serve as announcers of this shift, weaving tales of techno-terror that tap into our deepest anxieties surrounding AI and its potential to wreak havoc. Also worth mentioning as a frontier of tech-horrors is the well known Netflix’s Black Mirror with viewer rating it as the best presentation of reality focusing on the issues of society through deeply intimate stories and characters.

A Cautionary Tale

Somehow as viewers we can’t fully embrace the technological innovations, and that is confirmed by our anxiety when watching some of the best examples of this genre, such as M3GAN. The inclusion of AI in horror narratives mirrors society's growing unease with the unrestrained presence of technology. As we inch ever closer to a future where AI blurs the line between man and machine, films like Ex Machina and Upgrade serve as cautionary tales, warning of the dangers that await those who dare to play God.

Blurring the Lines Between Reality and Fiction

As the genre continues to evolve, it offers a sobering reflection on the intersection of art and reality. In an era dominated by smart assistants and interconnected devices, the horrors depicted on screen feel uncomfortably close to home. From the disturbing prescience of Jordan Peele's Us to the nightmarish visions of films like Her, the line between fiction and reality grows ever more blurred, forcing audiences to confront the darker implications of our digital age. With the use of many tools for smart living, such as Siri or Alexa, horror movies like Smart House might be seen as a warning of a potential catastrophe. Watching a horror movie with this type of content is really relatable to our life and the feeling of uncertainty is more and more present when going through everyday duties.

But hey let’s not be unfair to the creators of this digital evolution and give tribute to all of the benefits we now enjoy such as blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies as a form of gaining some cash or as a form of excitement and boosting dopamine levels with activities like crypto gambling in the best Solana casinos or playing crash casino games. We always say - before the Ai take over, let's have a bit of fun.

In the end our fears, where what we've created goes for what we have and what we are, are very well understood by the best filmmaking minds in the industry and we can expect to see more of the techno horror genre in future. So it is impossible not to ask yourself are these movies hinting at a potential real life future scenario? And the answer is only time will tell. So prepare yourself for the ride of terror.