The digital age and the rise of the internet has had an impact on the horror genre. With access to streaming services, more of us are enjoying the latest movies from the comfort of our own homes, rather than in the cinema. You might wonder, while you’re streaming the newest horror film, does VPN slow down internet data transfer and streaming?
That would be the least of your worries though if you were a character in some of the current horrors, where the digital realm is a terrifying place. In the age of the internet, the online world is becoming a popular setting for horror films. We’ve selected four internet themed horrors you should check out.
- Pulse
One of the earliest examples of the internet horror genre, Pulse is utterly terrifying and has gained something of a cult following. This 2001 Japanese horror is the original internet themed scary film and many people have suggested that it predicted the social isolation brought about by the overuse of online devices. The premise of Pulse – or Kairo, to give it its proper Japanese title – is of a supernatural entity using the internet to invade the world of the living. With two plotlines running parallel to each other and an intense, haunting atmosphere, Pulse is sure to give you nightmares.
- Cam
Cam is a 2018 psychological horror that follows Alice, a young webcam model, who finds her online life hijacked by a doppelganger of herself. The film is visually stunning with vibrant, neon colours, but lurking behind is a darkness that will make you question what is real. Madeline Brewer gives a strong performance as the main protagonist, whose life and livelihood is being completely turned inside out with the strange happenings. Cam is so eerie and bizarre that many critics have likened it to the psychological drama Black Swan, as well as Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror.
- Ratter
The ‘found footage’ film has been a familiar trope in horror movies since the very first Blair Witch movie back in 1999. This 2015 film brings the found footage theme into the modern world by incorporating the internet. Ratter tells the story of a young woman targeted by an online hacker who starts stalking her. Like the found footage films before it, Ratter is shot through digital devices, except this time they are webcams and phones, as opposed to a shaky home video camera. With psychological scares rather than gore, this internet themed horror is chilling and full of suspense.
- Host
The concept of ‘desktop’ horror, where a scary film takes place in an online forum, such as during a webcam chat, is becoming more popular. Teen scares, such as 2015’s Unfriended and its sequel, Unfriended: Dark Web, which unfold over a computer screen saw huge box office success. But it is the 2020 horror Host that is really not to be missed. This 2020 independent film is set during a Zoom meeting in the midst of the covid pandemic lockdown. A group of female friends meet online for a séance, when a silly prank invertedly summons an evil entity. What follows is a claustrophobic roller coaster of jump scares, entirely shot via Zoom software.
Conclusion
The online world can be a scary place, at least within the realms of film. These four movies are our top picks of internet themed horrors that should not be missed.