The world of cinema would be a much emptier one if Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics weren’t treated as Asimov’s Three Suggestions of Robotics, and that’s especially true in the realm of horror, where just about anything can be tweaked into a murderous entity with the right amount of malice and sharp objects.
With bloodthirsty robots as our subject, the folks over at r/horror have taken to throwing out their favorite titles featuring slayers of the more mechanical kind. The only catch? No Terminator films (despite leaning more into action than horror, there are few more iconic killer robots).
One user pitched the ill-fated 1995 film Screamers, based on the Philip K. Dick short story Second Variety, in which the nuclear aftermath of a United States-Russia conflict has left only a few groups remaining; surviving American soldiers, surviving Russian soldiers, and a group of robots who, originally under the command of the Americans, ultimately plot against both sides. Despite its negative reviews, many seemed to be on board with the suggestion.
Two other popular answers included Alex Garland’s Academy Award-winning Ex Machina, which follows a programmer trying to determine if a billionaire’s subservient robot has its own consciousness, and Chopping Mall, a cheesy gorefest which exists on the other end of the artistic spectrum.
One other user jumped on the Ex Machina train while also pitching 2001: A Space Odyssey, without which such a list could never be complete.
Perhaps it will take a few more robo-slasher films before the average moviegoer has second thoughts about buying a Roomba, but nevertheless, led by 2001 and The Terminator, this library is chock full of fun.