Hulu's Prey, released in August 2022, saw the return of one of horror's most advanced and dangerous killers in the genre. While the predator certainly has a healthy arsenal of alien weaponry under his belt, he's not the only horror character to utilize technology to their benefit.
Whether it's the use or over-dependence on tech, these terrors have been a part of the horror genre for decades, and not all horror villains rely on brute strength and sharp objects. Sometimes, mastering the art of terror requires a little tech-savvy know-how to truly make a sinister statement. No matter the plot, advanced weapons and techniques are a different flavor of fear to many horror films.
Dr. Frankenstein (Frankenstein Series)
The tale of Dr. Frankenstein has echoed through the eons of horror and science-fiction for decades. But while most incarnations of the character are simply misguided scientists with noble intentions, Hammer's re-imagining stands in the annals of the genre as truly villainous.
Where Christopher Lee made a name for himself by playing Dracula, Peter Cushing did the same with Dr. Frankenstein's. Although the monsters were different each time, Frankenstein was a textbook mad scientist and certainly the reason to watch Hammer's takes on Shelley's novel.
Seth Brundle (The Fly)
When most horror fans think of The Fly, they immediately think of the grotesque monster created by David Cronenberg. However, they shouldn't forget that Dr. Seth Brundle only became the monster through an accident involving his teleportation technology and a fly that was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
He might be slowly mutating and morphing into a horrific insectoid monster, but that doesn't take away from his scientific genius and technological know-how. He might be slowly losing his mind in the process, but he is still lucid enough to try to fuse him and his pregnant lover together in the chambers.
Ash (Alien)
Androids are often as intelligent as their creators make them, but considering Ash rigged an entire spaceship's programming to turn its crew into monster chow for a carnivorous alien life form, he has to warrant the rank of evil genius. When most people think of Ridley Scott's legendary creature feature, they are quick to label the Xenamorph as its biggest threat. However, it was Ash who orchestrated the events to let it on board.
Ash is a double agent working for Weyland-Utani, and his human crewmates are all labeled as expendable in order to succeed his mission. Fortunately, Ripley catches on and is able to get the jump on him before ending up as bait herself.
Jobe (The Lawnmower Man)
The film adaptation of Stephen King's The Lawnmower Man has almost nothing to do with the book that inspired it. That being said, it did give audiences a technological horror film that was somewhat ahead of its time. Its primary antagonist certainly wasn't the most conventional horror villain, yet his manipulation of virtual reality was certainly scary.
Jobe's evil-genius-level intellect is only made more dangerous when he s his consciousness into the virtual world. Although he somewhat comes to his senses before the credits roll, he has enough time to do some massive damage through the mainframe of a scientific facility.
T-800 (The Terminator)
There are those who would argue that The Terminator truly isn't a horror film, but the original classic has all the makings of a slasher movie with a cybernetic killer in pursuit. The original T-800 was equipped with everything a robotic mercenary would need to wreak havoc in a post-apocalyptic world.
The iconic T-800, brought to life by the immortal Arnold Schwarzenegger, is an android sent by Skynet with only one mission, prevent the birth of John Connor who will lead the uprising in the war of the machines. A one track mind to be sure, but this robot's prime directive is nothing short of deadly.
Eron Keen And STEM (Upgrade)
In a sort of take on the Frankenstein mythos, Upgrade presents a techno-horror take on a man and his monster. Where Eron Keen is a technological genius who creates an A.I. implant who can grant a quadriplegic the ability to walk and perform a variety of various action stunts, his creation gets more than a little too advanced after finding his host.
STEM himself has a lot in common with Venom, as he is an intelligent entity looking for a host and a body to call his own. Unlike Marvel's symbiote, however, STEM is far colder, cruel, and more calculating than a voracious alien.
Nathan Bateman (Ex Machina)
There's a phrase that states "knowledge is knowing that Frankenstein isn't the monster, wisdom is knowing that he is," and the best example of that maxim lies in Ex Machina. Before he played Moon Knight, Oscar Isaac was Nathan Bateman, a scientist on the brink of creating the next phase of advanced automatons.
Although his experiment in creating the most human-like robot possible was a success, Nathan is a control freak that keeps his creations caged up and forced into submission. An evil genius is one thing, but a mad scientist on a power trip is a different kind of dangerous.
Adrian Griffin (The Invisible Man)
Easily one of the most brilliant techno horror films in recent years, this re-imagining of H.G. Wells' Invisible Man casts the vanishing scientists as a tech mogul with an abusive streak towards his ex partner. But instead of using a strange chemical compound to make himself invisible, he invents a suit that turns him into the stealthiest slasher since the Predator.
Unlike his successor, the modern Invisible Man is driven by vengeance and control, and his means of accomplishing his plot is certainly a stroke of genius on the filmmaker's part. An invisibility suit created by semi-realistic camera technology is quite a brilliant invention of the mind.
John Kramer/Jigsaw (Saw Series)
One thing that many Saw-viewers forget is that John Kramer was a successful engineer before he was a serial killer with a penchant for traps and puppets. It's through his brilliant mind that he is able to craft such horrifying traps with which to execute his own brand of karmic justice.
While many of them are made of rusted spare parts and various odds and ends of machines, Jigsaw's laundry list of deadly machinations take some amount of brilliance to concoct and perfect. They might not be pretty, but they certainly are functional.
The Predator (Predator Series)
Of course, when it comes to text savvy horror characters, no one fits that description better than The Predator. Whether it's the original model who found himself in the jungles of South America against Arnold Schwarzenegger or the skull-sporting hunter looking for his next prey in the most recent rendition, no one has it made in the weapons department like these fiends from another planet.
From their wrist blades to the wide variety of spears and explosives, the Preds have a weapon and piece of tech for every occasion. It doesn't matter if they're hunting humans or their nemesis the Xenomorphs, they have something that packs a massive punch for any target that gets in their crosshair.
