Summary
Sony Pictures Releasing’s new horror movie’s premise is weirdly similar to a 25-year-old Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM). Directed and penned byRogue Oneco-writer Chris Weitz,Afraid— cleverly stylized as AFRAID — isa sci-fi horror flick that stars John Cho(Searching). The Sony-distributed film is a co-production between Columbia Pictures and horror behemoth Blumhouse Productions, which has churned out some of the genre’s biggest hits of the last decade, includingInsidious,M3GAN, and Jordan Peele’s Oscar-winningGet Out.Afraidis set to join this horror pantheon on July 10, 2025.
Much like the sci-fi horror filmM3GAN, which centers on a feral AI dollwho develops self-awareness and hostility,Afraidinterrogates the insidious nature of advanced technology and artificial intelligence. In the film, Cho’s Curtis and his family are AI’s latest horror movie victims. Chosen to test out a new smart home device powered by artificial intelligence named AIA, Curtis' family goes from being enamored with the digital assistant to being terrorized by it. AIA not only learns the family’s routines and behaviors, but develops its own self-awareness and becomes increasingly (and inappropriately) involved in their lives.
Afraid’s Premise Is Weirdly Similar To Disney’s Smart House
The DCOM Stars Katy Segal As A Nefarious AI Surrogate Mother
For ’90s kids, one of thescariest sci-fi movies with AI that becomes self-awaremight just be Disney’sSmart House— a made-for-TV film with a premise that’s weirdly similar toAfraid. Directed by LeVar Burton, Smart House sees 13-year-old computer whiz Ben Cooper (Ryan Merriman) overly concerned with caring for his sister, Angie (Katie Volding), and his father, Nick (Kevin Kilner), after the sudden death of his mother. When Ben enters a contest to win a smart house,the Coopers move into a home run by a virtual assistant called PAT(Katey Sagal).
PAT emulates an increasingly overbearing and controlling “mother” persona, and, eventually, locks the Coopers inside their home.
PAT, short for “Personal Applied Technology,” isn’t the only new character the Coopers meet. Much to Ben’s frustration, they also meet the smart house’s creator, Sara Barnes (Jessica Steen), who starts dating Nick rather abruptly. In order to prove that the family doesn’t need a replacement mom,Ben reprograms PAT to understand the concept of motherhood.In addition to taking the form of a ’50s homemaker, PAT emulates an increasingly overbearing and controlling “mother” persona, and, eventually, locks the Coopers inside their home.Smart Houseis a prime example of anartificial intelligence movie that becomes an AI horror story.
10 Things Movies Always Get Wrong About AI
Movies have been using AI for a long time, but as technology begins to improve in real life, movies start to appear outdated and incorrect.
Night Swim Paid Homage To Are You Afraid Of The Dark?
Interestingly,Afraidis far from the only 2024 horror movie that’s paying homage to cult classic kids' movies and TV shows from the ’90s. TheBlumhouse horror flopNight Swimwas eerily similarto an episode of Nickelodeon’s hit horror anthologyAre You Afraid of the Dark?In fact, eagle-eyed viewers pointed out thesimilarities betweenNight Swim’s pool monster and the titular creature in “The Tale of the Dead Man’s Float.“Meanwhile, A24’sI Saw the TV Glowwas inspired by TV series likeBuffy the Vampire Slayer. Clearly, 1990s horror trends are back, asAfraidfurther proves.
AFRAIDis slated for a theatrical release on August 04, 2025.
AfrAId
AfrAId is a psychological thriller series set in a secluded small town. Following the mysterious disappearance of a local teenager, Sheriff Gregson, played by Eric Dane, struggles to uncover the dark secrets lurking within his community. As fear and suspicion grow, the townspeople wrestle with their own hidden pasts, creating an atmosphere of pervasive dread. Co-starring Jennifer Carpenter and Ethan Embry, the series delves into the chilling consequences of buried truths.
