Horror films supposedly harness societies true fears

and expand on them creating them into dramatic and

mostly unrealistic scenarios. Although they are hard to

believe they still extenuate our films after watching a

film.

This fear of technology is channelled through such films as ‘Alien’(1979) where Ripley (Sigourney Weaver ) battles ‘Mother’ the ships computer system which controls everything. This was made at a period of time where technology was rapidly expanding and more people where getting computers. ‘Alien’ used this and created this idea that computer may one day take over from people so we as a society should be weary.

Another pinnacle film creating societies fear of technology was ‘Ringu’ (1998) and the use of televisions; (spoiler) this vision of someone coming out from your television set which took such horror fans by storm that they remade the film in Hollywood and other countries.

In ‘Eden Lake’ a key prop was the mobile which filmed the horrific death of Steven (Michael Fassbender) and Adam (James Ghandi). This film came out in 2008 which was a couple of years after the Happy Slapping craze that originated in the UK. The premise of this was where by people would film someone being slapping or beat up this. This lead to a wave of crime over the UK and then lead to other countries. A large proportion of this abusive fad was started and caused by adolescents.

This correlation between horror and technology goes way back to the 50’s which comes through in such classics as ‘The Fly’ which was released 1956 which was around the era when science was further making break through in stem cell research during 1960. This concept of a Fusion Machine merging man and a fly creating this alien like being, conveyed the underlying fear of society view on stem cell research being viewed as unnatural and ungodly.

Then we flash forward to the 21st century with films like ‘Paranormal Activity’. Where by the horror is relayed through CCTV footage of a ghost / paranormal entity inhabiting a home which is watched by the owners. A key theme and modern day fear I understand with is film is this idea that society today no longer feel safe in their own home. Also this idea that people can fully live their lives in private as there is people constantly watching and listening in, there is a constant invasion of privacy not only by the government, but the ease at which a person can be stalked. A key way in which this has popped up recently in the media is with the recent law suits taken out by celebrities against newspapers and celeb magazine phone tapping celebrities .

Finally the most obscure and horrific of all is ‘The Human Centipede’ which challenges the view on the advances in medical technology. The film tells the story of a mad German scientist attempting to make a human centipede by kidnapping three strangers and operating on them. With the 21st century has come the increase with societies obsession with sugary especially plastic sugary. The obsession has spread to such an extent that people can now buy home kits to perform there own enhancements. The fear with medical technology is how far can science push it until what was once thought unacceptable becomes acceptable.