When it comes to survival in a horror film, some rules will help you stay alive: stay together, never say you’ll be right back, and don’t go into the dark basement are a few steps to follow to ensure your survival. However, there are ways to avoid these steps entirely. Never mess with artificial intelligence and if you decide to create a creepy robot that looks like a person, shut it down immediately. Unfortunately, the people in M3GAN did not follow these rules and will face off against a lifelike doll with an evil side.
Gemma (Allison Williams) unexpectedly gains custody of her niece, Cady (Violet McGraw), after the death of the young girl’s parents. Unsure how to handle this new responsibility, Gemma, a roboticist, enlists the help of her creation, Model 3 Generative Android, better known as M3GAN. The doll acts as a child’s best friend and companion. Gemma gives Cady a M3GAN prototype, and the initial results are positive. However, M3Gan soon becomes protective of Cady and Gemma, violently assaulting anyone that gets in the way of her job.
Looking for more movies about creepy dolls and artificial intelligence? Below are five movies to watch if you liked M3GAN.
Child's Play (1988)
When it comes to creepy, murderous dolls, the list has to begin with Chucky in Child’s Play. When serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) is shot down by Detective Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon), Ray performs a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul into a Good Guy Doll. With red hair and a devilish smile, Ray is now a doll that refers to himself as “Chucky.”
The next day, Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks) buys Chucky as a last-minute gift for her son, Andy (Alex Vincent). Chucky plays it cool until he kills Andy’s babysitter that night, setting off a series of gruesome murders. The supposedly harmless doll is now a homicidal monster with the strength of a grown man. When Andy is blamed and institutionalized for the murders, Karen must prove her son’s innocence by convincing the police that Chucky, not her son, committed these heinous crimes. Though Child’s Play is effective, it may negatively affect your views on toy dolls.
Annabelle (2014)
Speaking of female dolls, Annabelle is the type of movie that should not be watched alone and at night. As a prequel to The Conjuring, Annabelle is based around the porcelain doll seen in Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren’s home. John Form (Ward Horton) gifts his pregnant wife, Mia (Annabelle Wallis), the doll for their soon-to-be-born daughter.
One night, a satanic cult invades the Form’s house and attacks John and Mia. One of the attackers is named Annabelle. Unbeknownst to the couple, Annabelle unleashes a demonic spirit that wishes to claim Mia’s soul. Paranormal events begin in the Form household as the demon manipulates the doll to carry out its attacks. Due to its portrayal of demons and paranormal activity, Annabelle falls firmly under the creepy-as-hell doll movies.
Ex Machina (2015)
Me3Gan features a terrifying doll, but on the flip side, it’s a commentary on the dangers of artificial intelligence. One of the best films that revolve around artificial intelligence is Ex Machina. Alex Garland’s 2014 film stars Domhnall Gleeson as Caleb Smith, a programmer at a search engine company called Blue Block. Smith wins a weeklong trip to the extravagant home of CEO Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac).
At the isolated locale, Bateman asks Smith to study his artificially-intelligent android, Ava (Alicia Vikander), and determine if she is capable of consciousness and thought. As Caleb spends more time with Ava, he sympathizes with the robot, especially after learning Nathan will soon upgrade Ava, killing it in the process. The psychological thriller examines the psychological aspects of artificial intelligence and the ever-growing battle between humans and the machines they create.
The Boy (2016)
The Boy is probably the least-known movie on this list, but it might have the strangest premise. Greta Evans (Lauren Cohan) moves from Montana to the United Kingdom after taking a nannying job with the Heelshire family. Upon arrival, Greta learns that the Heelshires do not have a child, but they enlist her services to watch a life-size doll named Brahms. Before leaving on holiday, the Heelshires give Greta specific rules, ordering her to treat Brahms as if he were a real boy.
At first, Greta does not follow the rules, which sets off a series of strange events within the house. Greta begins to take the rules more seriously after learning the doll is based on the real Brahms, the Heelshire’s child who died in a fire 20 years ago. Once Brahms starts to come to life, so too does the movie, leaving the audience with plenty of jump scares along the way.
Upgrade (2018)
Though billed as a cyberpunk action film, Upgrade is a clever horror about technology and one man’s quest for revenge. After a vicious attack by four men, Grey (Logan Marshall-Green) is a quadriplegic, while his wife succumbs to her injuries and dies. Hellbent on avenging his wife’s murder, Grey receives a STEM chip from tech genius Eron Keen (Harrison Gilbertson) that allows him to walk again and possess superhuman abilities.
With his newfound skills, Grey hunts for the thugs who killed his wife. As Grey dives further into the quest, STEM starts to talk with Grey and influence his decision-making, something Tron did not think was possible. Grey gets a chance at revenge, but at what cost? Upgrade is a tight 100-minute thriller that will keep you guessing until the last second.
Read our M3GAN review here. For a detailed explanation of M3GAN‘s ending, click here.
