- Clarke, Julie (2009). The Paradox of the Posthuman: Science Fiction/Techno-Horror Films and Visual Media. VDM Verlag. ISBN 978-3639143799.
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Techno-horror is a subgenre of horror fiction that focuses on concerns and fears of technology. The stories are often cautionary tales created during periods of rapid technological advancement expressing concerns about privacy, freedom, individuality, and wealth disparity. These stories often include dystopian settings.
Techno-horror focuses on how technology is either a direct force of evil, indirectly causes bad things to happen, or how it can be manipulated by people in positions of power to do evil things. Techno-horror relies heavily on elements of science fiction or fantasy, which set it apart from the techno-thriller genre.[1]
The overthrow or destruction of the human race by AI is a classic example. Others include radiation based terror where toxic waste from technology or radio-waves create mutants and monsters out of humans, or in the case of the 1968 film Night of the Living Dead, radiation from a stray nuclear experiment causes the dead to rise. Another prominent example, sourced especially from J-horror, involves classical terrors (such as ghosts, spirits, curses, etc.) propagating, traveling, or communicating via hi-tech media: computer networks, cell phones, cameras etc. Here, modern technology is not a threat on its own, but rather a new conduit for various dark forces. [2] The subgenre is notably most popular in the Western world and Japan, with little prominence elsewhere. [3] This sub-genre of Techno-horror was likely influenced by stories of EVPs.
Sources:[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
