 Horror/Scary: December 07, 2022 Issue [#11692] |
This week: Ghost in the machine Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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3. Letter from the Editor
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6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions
Quote for the week:
“Walls have ears.
Doors have eyes.
Trees have voices.
Beasts tell lies.
Beware the rain.
Beware the snow.
Beware the man
You think you know.
-Songs of Sapphique”
~Catherine Fisher, Incarceron |
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Modern society has become dependent on computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices. I am old enough so I can remember life without them, but many younger people have never lived in a world where they did not exist.
What if our electronic devices stopped working, or turned against us? If you remember all the warnings and fears surrounding Y2K you have the possible ingredients of a horror story. Those fears came to nothing, but imagine the world we might have been living in if they had come to pass.
Sci fi tales often feature a futuristic world which has been made better by the use of robots and other electronic devices. This scenario turns to horror if the devices stop functioning or turn evil.
Although modern electronic devices are a basic part of our lives, many of us only have a general knowledge of how they work. Anything that is unknown is always a good basis for a horror story.
Many wild conspiracy theories surround the possibility that we might be watched or stalked through our electronic devices. While most of these theories are exaggerated, the fear of being monitored without our knowledge can inspire horror stories.
One great example of a horror story that involves technology is the movie, "The Ring" in which a malevolent individual's consciousness is able to target victims through a VCR tape. Another example is the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "I Robot, You Jane," in which a demon that had been trapped by a spell inside a book is freed when the book is scanned into a computer. In the 1970s horror movie, "The Manitou," technology is used to help banish an evil entity. A vengeful Native American sorcerer, Misquamacus, is reincarnated and begins destroying everything around him in his quest to take revenge on white people for colonizing his people's land. (I understand why he was doing this but he was destroying good people along with the bad.) Because his power is tied to nature, nothing in the natural world can defeat him. He is finally defeated by calling up the spirit or manitou of a computer, since it is unknown to him.
Even if nothing supernatural or demonic happens, technology can be a great addition to a horror story. A stalker might use social media, email, or text messages to hide his identity while stalking his victims or might manipulate surveillance video to hide evidence of a crime.
Something to try: Write a horror story that involves technology.
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