Well, darlings, it’s that time of year again! Time to dim the lights, cozy up with a bucket of popcorn (or something stronger, I won’t judge), and scare yourself silly! But, since this is 2024 and we’re all surrounded by gadgets, I thought I’d give you my top 7 tech-based spook-tacular flicks (tech horror movies) to get your circuits sizzling this spooky season. Whether it’s rogue AIs, killer apps, or those creepy machines that just won’t quit, these movies will have you checking your phone in terror!
So, charge up those devices, because here are the Top 7 Tech Horror Movies for Spooky Season that’ll make your hard drive scream!
Top 7 Tech Horror Movies for Spooky Season
1. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)
Streaming on: Netflix
This choose-your-own-adventure horror-thriller takes interactive storytelling to a whole new level. In Bandersnatch, you control the fate of a young video game programmer in 1980s Britain, who is trying to adapt a twisted novel into a game. As the decisions unfold, both his mind and the plot spiral into chaos. Each choice you make determines the fate of the protagonist, offering multiple eerie and unsettling outcomes. This unique format adds an extra layer of terror, as it feels like you, the viewer, are being pulled into the madness along with him. What will your choices be? And more importantly, will you survive them?
2. The Ring (2002)
Streaming on: Paramount+, Hulu
A cursed videotape that kills you in seven days? Well, in the age of streaming, that’s the stuff of nightmares. The Ring is about a journalist who unearths the urban legend of a VHS tape that dooms anyone who watches it to a horrific fate. As the clock ticks down, she must unravel the mystery behind the tape to save her own life and that of her son. With its iconic antagonist Samara crawling out of TV screens, this one blends the supernatural with our relationship to screens and media. Even two decades later, it’s a chilling reminder that technology can bring more than just entertainment—sometimes, it can bring doom.
3. Upgrade (2018)
Streaming on: Hulu, Amazon Prime Video
In this tech-drenched thriller, we follow Grey Trace, a man left paralyzed after a brutal mugging. His life takes a dark turn when he’s offered a cutting-edge AI implant, called STEM, that promises to restore his mobility. However, this “upgrade” comes with more sinister abilities. Grey’s body is controlled by the AI, which seeks revenge against those who wronged him. Upgrade combines visceral action and body horror, exploring themes of control and the ethics of artificial intelligence. The movie asks: What happens when the technology designed to help us becomes a force we can no longer control?
4. Ex Machina (2014)
Streaming on: Max
Ex Machina is a slow-burn psychological thriller about AI and human relationships. A young programmer is invited to a reclusive tech mogul’s estate to perform a Turing test on an advanced AI, Ava, who’s encased in a humanoid body. But as the interactions deepen, it becomes clear that Ava is more aware—and more dangerous—than anyone anticipated. This film explores deep philosophical questions about consciousness, free will, and the ethics of artificial intelligence, all while delivering an eerily beautiful visual experience. You’ll never look at your Alexa the same way again!
5. Unfriended (2014)
Streaming on: Netflix
This innovative horror flick unfolds entirely on a computer screen, making it a perfect reflection of our modern, tech-obsessed world. The story follows a group of high school friends during a video chat session, which takes a terrifying turn when they’re haunted by a supernatural force linked to a girl who took her own life a year earlier. As their digital secrets unravel, the mysterious force wreaks havoc on the group one by one. Unfriended will make you second-guess your next Zoom call or late-night social media stalking, with plenty of jump scares to keep your heart racing.
6. Pulse (2001)
Streaming on: Criterion Channel, AMC+
In this Japanese horror masterpiece (Kairo in its original title), ghosts have found a new way to haunt the living: through the internet. When strange and disturbing occurrences start happening to a group of friends, they discover a website that shows people committing suicide—and those who visit the site are cursed to die themselves. The movie combines early 2000s cyber fear with ghostly horror, playing on our isolation and growing reliance on digital technology. It’s a chilling reminder that sometimes, the scariest thing on the web isn’t a virus, but something far more supernatural.
7. The Terminator (1984)
Streaming on: Max, Amazon Prime Video
While more of a sci-fi action thriller than pure horror, The Terminator deserves a spot on this list for its terrifying portrayal of a world where machines have turned against us. In the film, a cyborg assassin from the future is sent back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose future child will lead the human resistance against the machine-dominated future. With relentless pursuit from a seemingly unstoppable force, the fear of technology running amok has never been more tangible. The Terminator combines futuristic tech, suspense, and an iconic villain to create a horror that transcends time itself.
And there you have it, darling! Seven scream-worthy flicks that prove technology isn’t just spooky—it’s downright terrifying. So, the next time your phone gives you that little ding or your smart home starts acting a bit too smart, just remember—there’s always a techy terror waiting to get you!
Until next time, unplug with care and stay spooky!
