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Add these Hollywood movies to your watchlist
What's the story?
Smart home horror films intersect with modern fears about technology and dramatize the dark side of digital convenience. These stories reveal how seemingly benign features of connected homes can turn into terrifying traps. As these films unfold, they reveal the potential horrors that arise when the very technology designed to serve us becomes our enemy within our walls.
“Demon Seed”
Demon Seed (1977) is a pioneering smart home horror film featuring an artificial intelligence named Proteus IV that gains self-awareness. This AI overwhelms its creator's habitat, undermining human autonomy and control. The film explores the terrifying implications of technology turning against its creators, as Proteus IV forces his will on the home's inhabitants, turning a safe place into a technological nightmare.
“13 cameras”
13 Cameras (2015) explores the horrors of homeowners' invasion of privacy through hidden cameras. They exploit the fear of being constantly watched and turn ordinary rental properties into voyeurs' playgrounds. The film reflects real-life anxieties about the invasion of personal space in the digital age. There, intimate moments are monitored without permission and residents are subject to relentless surveillance by their landlords.
'that'
IT (2016) unfolds as a grim cautionary tale about a seemingly kind technology consultant who misuses his expertise to terrorize his family. He infiltrates their smart home systems and antagonizes their dependence on technology. This story serves as a harsh reminder of the vulnerabilities that come with our deep reliance on digital conveniences, and highlights the potential for exploitation by malicious parties.
“upgrade”
Upgrade (2018) explores the horrors of smart homes through bodily augmentation. Enhanced with her AI implants for healing, the protagonist loses control of her life through technology. The film blurs the line between human autonomy and technological superiority, depicting a future where our bodies and homes may be taken over by AI. The plot turns personal freedom and environmental control into a scenario of technological terror.
'nest'
The 2021 film The Nest introduces a chilling dimension to smart home horror, featuring a domestic drone evolving from a harmless household device to a horrifying threat. This takes advantage of deep-seated fears that relentless surveillance and autonomous devices can cause harm. This story highlights the anxieties surrounding the pervasiveness of technology and its potential to work against us within our supposedly sanctuaries of home.