The horror genre is a great platform because, really, terrifying storylines can start from anywhere. Possession, water, caves, serial killers; they've all been done, and they all have a special place in horror movie history to brag about. But, until recently, the technology obsession wasn't covered all that much. However, technology broadens horizons and opens up new doors to good... and evil. Sure, fans have seen evil robots and imaginative sci-fi creations before its time, but there's something extra creepy about technology these days, and knowing that with the right type of knowledge, anything is possible.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, horror movies with a technological storyline have been popping up all over the place and terrifying viewers one film at a time. From a few months to an entire decade ago, there are plenty of movies that base their scare tactics on technology and the effects it can impose.
Cam (2018)
In 2018, a newcomer named Daniel Goldhaber directed the film, Cam. Cam tells the story of Alice, an ambitious erotic camgirl who wakes up one day to realize she may have a doppelganger who stole her identity and her followers. This person pushes the envelope further on what it is to be a camgirl and is set out on destroying Alice's life and everything she worked for. Is this an actual person operating behind a computer or a supernatural entity that wants the life of a living woman?
The Den (2013)
The Den is an American slasher film directed by the burgeoning Zachary Donohue. The film stars Melanie Papalia as Elizabeth Benton, a young woman who is basing her sociology graduate project on how many quality conversations she can have with random strangers on a website called The Den. Soon, a particular person takes interest in Elizabeth and ends up hacking into her webcam. He catches her with her significant other and sends it to her graduate board.
It gets more serious when Elizabeth ends up chatting with this stranger and witnesses a murder. At that point, Elizabeth goes down a rabbit hole of deadly webcam games and must keep her wits to stay alive.
V/H/S (2012)
V/H/S is a "found footage" film that quickly gained popularity after the 2012 release. From there, a franchise was born, but, in this case, the focus is on the first film. When a group of burglars is asked to raid a house by an unknown third party, they quickly find that the house isn't all that normal. They find a VHS tape and discover the footage on the tape is anything but innocent.
Each "story" they find on the tape is completely different from one another, each stranger than the last, and the group realizes they bit off more than they can chew. Directed by David Bruckner, director of horror movies such as The Ritual and Southbound, fans of his previous output are sure to njoy this one.
Untraceable (2008)
Back in 2008, Diane Lane, Colin Hanks, and Billy Burke starred in Untraceable, a crime thriller about a serial killer who posts live videos online. FBI agent Jennifer Marsh, played by Diane Lane, is tasked with hunting down this seemingly untraceable killer who has a knack for using the internet to show the world his deeds.
As time runs out for the victims, Jennifer and her team are thrust into a cat and most game to find this sadistic human being. The kicker? The more people that log onto the website, the more violent the killer gets.
The Ring (2002)
When the Americanized version of The Grudge, and Pulse.
It starts when journalist Rachel Keller, played by Naomi Watts, is investigating a mysterious videotape that her deceased niece once watched, she realizes that there is a dark urban legend associated with this tape. Anyone who watches it will be left with seven days to live, after receiving a phone call. After a series of unfortunate events, Rachel realizes she has little time to save herself and those around her. Without a doubt, The Ring is one of the scariest American horror remakes, and the sequel has one of the best jump-scares when it comes to horror movies.
Pulse (2006)
Kristen Bell is mainly associated with the likes of Veronica Mars, but, in 2006, she decided to branch out and star in Pulse. Kristen Bell plays Mattie, a young woman wrapped up in her hacker friend's communication with a supernatural force via wireless signals. This force has the ability to essentially suck the will to live out of people.
When Mattie and her new friend Dexter, played by Ian Somerhalder, realize what's going on and what their friend unleashed, they will go down the rabbit hole of finding out what it is and planting a virus to stop it. Pulse is a thrilling movie with loads of jumps, scares, and it happens to be one of Ian Somerhalder's best roles to date.
Megan Is Missing (2011)
Anyone that has a computer knows the dangers of chatting online and the importance of guarding one's safety. Growing up with the World Wide Web taught a generation the dangers and rules of being online, and, when it comes to Megan Is Missing, it shows the worst of the worst and the consequences of letting strangers get too close.
Best friends Amy Herman and Megan Stewart are teenage girls who are obsessed with boys, makeup, and online chatting. While Amy tends to be on the shy side, Megan is more experienced and out-going. Megan risks it all when she's introduced to a 17-year-old guy named Josh in a chat room and the two bond quickly with one another. She decides to meet Josh in person and goes missing. From here, Amy tries to get to the root of her friend's disappearance, even if it means chatting with her last known online chat buddy.
Savageland (2015)
Savageland takes a different route as it combines unknown entities, an outsider, and his camera. When the residents of a small town near the Arizona-Mexico border are all found dead, a lone survivor is pegged as the assailant. From there, viewers see a compilation of the aftermath through staged interviews, a role of found photos, and the blurry horrors that were caught on camera.
The surrounding law enforcement tries to piece together what happened to the 57 residents and the bloody trails that were left. The only evidence on the lone survivor, who is also an illegal immigrant, is the hurried shots he happened to take while in the town. Sometimes what isn't seen is what's the scariest of all.
The Cell (2000)
Jennifer Lopez is a triple threat now, but, at the beginning of the 2000s, fans were only realizing her potential. In 2000, she starred in The Cell as Catherine Deane, a social worker who is participating in new experimental technology as an alternative approach to reaching her patients. When FBI agent Peter Novak, played by Vince Vaughn, s her for a particular case, he asks her to enter the mind of a comatose serial killer in order to find his latest victim.
It's there in this man's dreams where Catherine witnesses the true horror of a damaged man and what brought him to harm others. The Cell is a unique horror/thriller hybrid that should be among one of Jennifer Lopez's best movies of her career.
Unfriended (2014)
Another creepy film about the dangers of online chatting, even if it's among friends, is Unfriended. When several high school friends are innocently chatting online via Skype, they receive a message from a classmate that took her own life a year ago. At first, they chalk it up to a prank, but, when the classmate starts to reveal dark secrets of each of the friends, they realize they are dealing with something supernatural.
Is this an unknown being trying to play a bad prank, or is it seeking something more sinister? If viewers are fans of Unfriended, they'll want to check out others that have similarities.
