Innovative Tech in Horror Movies

One of the best things about the fall season is getting to celebrate one of the most iconic holidays of the year: Halloween! A favourite pastime for the spooky season is to spend time eating candy and watching some good ol’ horror movies.

In the spirit of Halloween, here are a few of MAKO Design + Invent’s favourite scary movies that incorporate some insane horror movie technology!

An 80’s Mall Riddled With Horror Movie Technology

The 80s were a defining moment for horror movies as most of its popular themes revolved around eccentric acts of horror through the most obscure and odd ways that it could be done possible.

Chopping Mall (1986) plays on the late 80s ideas and paranoia about how they envisioned technology could integrate itself into our day-to-day lives. The movie takes place in the quintessential 80s mall and the plot revolves around a group of teenagers.

The horrors begin when the teenagers realize they get trapped inside the mall after closing hours with a newly integrated high-tech mall security system – that malfunctions. The movie centres on the teenager’s overnight survival within the mall as they fight the innovative horror movie technology system that is set out to rid the mall of “intruders.”

Overall, the movie is fun, cheesy and campy, but it really sets the tone for how the late 80s depicted the future of tech being integrated into our daily lives – and, of course, how it could potentially become too dangerous or powerful to control. Luckily for us in the 21^st century, no drastic mall security tech innovations have gone awry!

Killer Inventions

Whether you’re a fan of horror movies or not, you’re likely to have heard of the notoriously famous movie franchise Saw (2004). Although many people are deterred from its movies because of its high gore content, the movie does do a great job showing pretty impressive inventions – even if they are made for the wrong reasons.

If you’re unfamiliar with the movie’s general concept, the movie shows how a sadistic serial killer inventor, Jigsaw, chooses a group of victims who have spent their lives sinning or taking their lives for granted. With the purpose of teaching them the value of life, he creates horrific “games” for his victims that trap them between making the moral, ethical, and gruesome decisions that determine their will to survive and win back their lives.

You have to admit that even though the movie itself shows some horrifying scenes, the effort that the main character, Jigsaw, goes through in order to make these elaborate killing inventions is quite impressive and shows an innovative way in which technology can be implemented.

Biological Horror Movie Technology Goes Wrong

Considered a cult classic for horror movie buffs, The Fly (1986) is one of the most defining movies from the 80s that set the standard for sci-fi horror movies. Directed by master horror filmmaker David Cronenberg, the movie revolves around an innovative scientist who makes a huge technological breakthrough when he realizes he’s discovered teleportation.

Confidently enough, he decides to test out his own tech piece on himself. Although his device works, a fly gets stuck inside his machine with him, and his amazing technological breakthrough takes a grotesque turn.

The movie is a great watch for inventors or tech fans who want to see some fun depictions of horror movie technology and how a scientist protagonist fights against the consequences of his own ambitious innovations.

Alternate-Dimensional Horror

If you’re a fan of watching more traditional 80’s inventors mess around with technology, From Beyond (1986) is the perfect movie for you. In this technological horror film, a group of scientists invent and develop a machine they call the ‘Resonator.’ The machine is supposed to allow anyone within its range to enter and see beyond perceptible reality, and although their invention works, while exploring this new perceivable dimension, they discover and are attacked by terrifying life forms.

A cross between tech and biological sci-fi, From Beyond is an atmospheric horror movie that depicts horror movie technology with fantasy and shows a darker side of how an innovative and exciting invention could go wrong – especially when dealing with alternate dimensions.

Not only is this movie exciting to watch from a fun technological sci-fi perspective, but it is also fun to watch to see how directors and set producers from the 80s incorporate what they perceive as future technology and “alternate dimensional” monsters.

The effort in the art, set, and music directories set the whimsically horrifying tone for the movie and show the amount of film, makeup, and special effect innovation that goes into making a quintessential sci-fi horror flick.

Futuristic Technology Wreaks Havoc

If you’re looking for a less-dated movie to watch, Black Mirror is a great option. A popular Netflix favourite, Black Mirror is a show that reflects a number of different topics representative of today’s society. Although not technically a movie, each episode runs about an hour, delivering eye-opening and thrilling plot lines that feature today’s technologies and innovations.

One of the more popular episodes is Nosedive. Nosedive revolves around a dystopian future where a form of super-innovative tech has become the measured basis for how citizens are “ranked.” Depending on your ranking within society, civilians are given certain privileges over others.

As we watch the main protagonist act within this new technological era, we see obvious signs that this impressive, innovative dystopia is erringly corrupt. The episode not only reflects the future of how social media can affect us but also plays a great spin on horror movie technology as electric cars, smartphones, and apps are all incorporated. The impressive and aesthetically pleasing tech inventions and sets play a great contrast between the corrupt dystopian society ruled by these new innovations.

Want to see which movies MAKO recommends every inventor to watch? Check out our list here!

If you have a great new invention and you’d like to learn more about this process, get in touch with MAKO today and visit our website to find out more. Or feel free to give us a call at 1-888-MAKO, and we can set you up on a call with our product analyst!

About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry's leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about MAKO Design + Invent!