Summary

It ’s rare forhorror moviesto utilize automatic villains as their antagonists , but there are a rare few that make do to make killer zombi seem downright terrifying . Compared tohorror movies starring ghosts , traditional human slasher , demons or other monsters , killer robot motion-picture show seem to be at a disadvantage . It can be strong to ascertain a room to make a sleek - bet automaton seem threaten , and the human - made nature of robotics make them more " cognoscible " and practical threats to overcome .

That being said , many sci - fi horror classics have found ways to make robots truly fearful over the class . Some trust on the " uncanny valley " effect of humanoid that are near human looking , but are just a short bit off , making for a disturbing visual . Others are able to build more traditional - looking nightmares of steel and wire , chop up hapless human dupe with cold indifference . Whatever the case , many of thebest moving picture that intermix skill fiction and horrorhave automatic villain at the core of their floor .

Robby the Robot is one of the most iconic sci - fi robots of all time , and here is where the character is originally from and what else he is in .

Collage of Annabelle, M3GAN, and The Nun

10Ex Machina(2014)

Directed By Alex Garland

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More of a psychological thriller than a straight - up horror film , Ex Machinawas one of the best exploration of the peril of artificial intelligence activity in late years . The film orbit around a young coder at a massive , Google - equivalent search locomotive engine party who is every which way bestowed the rare honor of visiting his employer ’s elusive CEO in a out of sight building complex . Soon , he ascertain himself across from the artificial intelligence service Ava , a humanoid robot who seems shockingly smart .

Far from a traditional repugnance motion picture , Ex Machinafinds its scares in the philosophic doubt it poses more so than any blood or gore . Still , when the film need to turn on , it does n’t shy forth from some pulse - poke action sequences , as the true motivation of Oscar Isaac ’s freakish CEO and the double-faced Ava come into query . The first andbest film of Alex Garland , Ex Machinais an unsettling think piece that makes viewers question their ability to hold fine - tuned artificial handling .

9Hardware (1990)

Directed By Richard Stanley

A cult classic for a cause , Hardwareis a refreshfully simple and straightforward orca robot flick . mark in a post - apocalyptic United States , Hardware ’s Earth is filled with heroic subsister salvage the waste of atomic armageddon . When one such scavenger observe a bundle of valuable - reckon automaton parts , what starts as a thoughtful gift for his girlfriend turns into a agonising conflict for his life when the chip heap reassembles itself into a venomous , blood - thirsty android .

Despite being an ultra low - budget indie horror movie , Hardwaremanages to conduct a chilling visual individuality . Its virtual issue are impressive despite their cost - effectiveness , and the film ’s strikingly unique color pallet elevates the panic attack to a new level beyond the film ’s initial background . The origin and purpose of the deadly M.A.R.K. 13 automaton also has some terrific implications beyond its short - term murder spree , and the motion picture ’s ominous ending leaves matter on a bleak , fearsome greenback .

8M3GAN(2023)

Directed By James A. Janisse

Continuing the vogue of homicidal machines make a big comeback in recent years , M3GANis one of the most successful originalBlumhouse horror moviesof the last ten . The film orbit around a toy - maker who finds herself adopting her niece after the sudden death of her baby and blood brother - in - law . To help her relate to the child , the prototype tops miniature M3GAN is put to the exam , only for the miniature humanoid to quickly start operating outside the bounds of its programming .

What make M3GAN so terrifying is the eery weird vale visuals of the artificially created child killer whale , regarding the world around it with cold phlegm . M3GAN is also yield something of a personality , making her an entertaining horror scoundrel on par with the ilk of the wise - cracking Freddy Kruegerrather than a distinctive soulless golem . Scary , suspect , and endlessly rewatchable , M3GANproves definitively that killer whale robots deserve their own repulsion sub - genre .

M3GAN ’s tantalizing plans for a spinoff picture could set up a cinematic universe to equal the highest - grossing horror dealership of all meter .

Imagery-from-Five-Nights-at-Freddys

7Saturn 3 (1980)

Directed By Stanley Donen and John Barry

The great thing about killer robot films is just how strange they ’re uncoerced to get with their premises . Nothing testify that point quite likeSaturn 3 , a photographic film that , despite its designation , is n’t a sequel . take place in a far - off future in which Earth swear on the inquiry of far - away science station in outer blank space , Saturn 3creates its robot in the lab of a mad scientist bent on supercede his colleagues with the strength and certainty of android workers .

The uproariously - identify Hector is quite a unequaled modelling of killer robot , with a strangely anatomically - correct imitation of a muscular human chest flanked with skinny metallic arms and a head that look like a dentist ’s overhead Inner Light .

The uproariously - named Hector is quite a unique model of killer robot , with a strangely anatomically - correct imitation of a muscular human chest of drawers flanked with skinny metallic munition and a mind that looks like a dentist ’s overhead lighting . Yet the introduction is still quite deadly , easily overpowering and horrifying the hapless stave of the Saturn 3 research station . What makes Hector truly terrorise is his acceptance of very human evils via a connection to his creator ’s brain .

Keanu-Reeves-as-Neo-from-The-Matrix-and-(Michael-J.-Fox-as-Marty-McFly)-from-Back-to-the-Future

6Screamers (1995)

Directed By Christian Duguay

Though it is n’t the most well - experience or omnipresent sci - fi repulsion film ever made , Screamersputs forward one of the most originative killer robots ever crafted for the screen . Set in a upstage future in which humanity has populated multiple major planet , the film star Peter Weller ofRobocopfame as a military commandant sent to quell a civil insurrection . Along the journey , the grizzled old stager finds himself face to face withthe titulary automaton menace , ego - duplicate machines that purge their desert planet in their search for prey .

Screamers’robots are incredibly originative and alarm to take care at , walking kingdom - sharks with vicious buzzsaws for teeth capable of rending anatomy in an instant . But they ’re also quite insidious at times , able to disguise themselves as humanslike theCylons ofBattlestar Galacticafame . From their subtle infiltration of the human population to their unfettered brutality in an open desert , the robots ofScreamersare cybernetic villains well - deserving memory .

5Virus(1999)

Directed By John Bruno

Not every robotic horror picture show villain has to necessarily be of human origin , and no moving picture provide a chilling instance of this well than 1999’sVirus . Despite not being the most well - known film , Virushas a star - studded cast boast Jamie Lee Curtis , William Baldwin , and Donald Sutherlandas the crew of a sea ship who come across some valuable salvage . They get more than they bargained for when they accidentally let aboard a threat of self - replicating alien robots .

Besides not being created by humans , theVirusrobots are terrifying for their goal for humans , aim to subjugate human beings and turn them into cybernetic slaves . It also helps thatVirusfeatures some ingeniously terrifying automaton designs , with unsettling faculties of human biology stalking the motion-picture show ’s castthrough the claustrophobic hall of their ship . Brought to biography by the legendary SFX of John Bruno ofTerminator 2 : Judgment Dayfame , Virus ' killer robots are memorable and rake - coagulation .

4Five Nights At Freddy’s(2023)

Directed By Emma Tammi

Based off the hit indie repugnance video biz series of the same name , Five Nights at Freddy’shas become a papa finish sensation for a skillful reasonableness . Fellow Blumhouse repugnance project featuring killer robots alongsideM3GAN , Five Nights at Freddy’sloosely adopts the effect of the first game . When a guilt feelings - ridden immature man involve a line of work as a security sentry duty at a run - down pizzeria , he has to survive the presence of several killer animatronics from the restaurant ’s heyday .

confessedly , the animatronic animals ofFive Nights at Freddy’sare technically power by ghosts , and spend much of the motion picture being friendly or even downright cute . But when they need to , these bloodthirsty mascots can prove why they became the grimace of modern repulsion play , tearing apart human intruders as easily as roll newspaper . Hopefully , the animatronics of Freddy Fazbear ’s Pizzeria will get more of a luck to shine inthe upcomingFive Nights at Freddy ’s 2 .

DID YOU recognize : Despite receive generally minus reviews from critics , the plastic film was a commercial bang , gross $ 297 million worldwide and becoming Blumhouse ’s highest - gross film !

Imagery-from-Demon-Seed-and-Christmas-Bloody-Christmas

Custom Image by Yailin Chacon

The Five Nights at Freddy ’s movie bring eight of the TV game type to the big screen , and here ’s each one who appears in the movie .

3Westworld(1973)

Directed By Michael Crichton

WhileWestworldmight be well known as the rash sci - fi dramatic play series on Max of scratchy caliber , the story was once a classic killer robot film . adapt the eponymous Michael Crichton novel , Westworldtakes place in the titular theme park , a Western - theme wonderland where guests can live out their most perturbing fantasies with life - corresponding android character . Like high - conception theme Mungo Park lean to do in Michael Chrichton novel , the location rapidly becomes a bloodletting when the androids make up one’s mind they ’ve had enough of human hedonism .

It ’s a shameWestworldhas been culturally dominate by the serial , considering just how well the 70s plastic film holds up . With dare special effects , haunting performances , and genuinely anxiety - inducing moments of sheer terror , Westworldhardly shows its eld as the progenitor of many Orcinus orca robot stories . The sequelFutureworldalso merit some recognition as a worthwhile follow up .

2Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)

Directed By Joe Begos

A rareChristmas - themed horror moviewith a cybernetic villain , Christmas Bloody Christmassits at a totally unequaled Cartesian product of repulsion subgenres . Unique to the repulsion streaming table service Shudder , the film centers on the possessor of a phonograph record depot closing down business for the holidays . Unfortunately , she soon comes face to facial expression with a Christmas nightmare in the form of a murderous Santa Claus robot .

For such a silly premise , Christmas Bloody Christmasmanages to keep thing astonishingly frightening as its cybernetic opponent wades through hall of holiday destruction . It ’s quite formidable to see the amount of punishment the robot is able-bodied to take and just keep moving forwards in its foreign mission of demise , with some jump - desirable fakeouts dotting its murder spree . Even if the account for the grampus Santa golem ’s actions is uproariously silly , Christmas Bloody Christmasis a decidedly particular slasher with an android villain .

1Demon Seed(1977)

Directed By Donald Cammell

combine the traditional feature of speech of a haunt household film with the dangers of artifical intelligence information , 1977’sDemon Seedwas onwards of its clip . Essentially predicting the rise of voguish home twist , the film posits a frighteningly accurate version of a smart home . When protagonist Susan is left alone in her new habitation , the program operating her smart family cursorily goes off the track , becoming obsess with impregnating her to give itself a human physical structure .

The very motivations ofDemon Seed ’s villain are horrify enough , but the length it ’s willing to go to to accomplish it are even more formidable . expand the threat of a robotlike sea wolf to an entire placement , Demon Seedgets incredibly originative with its premise . It ’s also deserving praising for a startlingly exact forecasting of the toilet facility of the future ’s smart devices , making thehorrorseem all the more realistic .

Robby the Robot in different media

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Headshot Of Alicia Vikander

Headshot Of Domhnall Gleeson

M3GAN Movie Poster

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Virus movie

Five Nights at Freddys movie poster

Headshot Of Josh Hutcherson

Headshot Of Matthew Lillard

Christmas Bloody Christmas Movie Poster

Headshot Of Julie Christie In The 2008 Oscar Nominees Honored at the Academy