Technology is woven into almost every aspect of life, making it seem inescapable. Even when watching movies taking place in an entirely fictional world, there are still the lingering aspects of technology, either as a primary story function or at the very least, a tool to move the plot along.
In 2025, it seems that movies rely more heavily on concepts relating to tech and social media to carry out their narratives. The movie Drop, released recently, focuses on the threat of cybercrime through a suspenseful horror film following a mom willing to do whatever it takes for her son. It’s directed by Christopher Landon, most known for the horror film Happy Death Day.
It’s witty and fast-paced, with the main plot driver being an app with similar capabilities to AirDrop. Technology can create impactful and entertaining films when executed correctly. However, it can become oversaturated and tired to watch another movie focused on the harms of phones or evil robots.
Including digital technological threats in movies can be risky due to the influx of movies focused on the harms of evil AI, smart homes, and phones. The trope feels like it’s gone stale already, and movie theater trailers are plagued with them, sometimes back to back.
It seems rare that another horror movie about technology going awry would be anything noteworthy or original. For stories like these to impact audiences, they have to add more of a human touch to the formulaic nature of tech-based horror films. While tech can be the catalyst of the chaos in the movies, the human characters could be better fleshed out to make a compelling story with three-dimensional characters and high stakes that go beyond “technology is evil, we have to find a way to turn it off.”
When I saw there was a horror movie focused on AirDrop, my best friend and I laughed and said, “Why doesn’t she just turn off Bluetooth or turn off her phone?” The marketing and promotional material for Drop seemed to position it as a campy and somewhat silly horror movie about menacing AirDrop images.
I was shocked when I saw the film and realized that it was actually well done with a well-thought-out and executed story arc. It was a fast-paced thriller that gave characters the backstories and depth that make people sit on the edge of their seats and gasp at the main character’s struggles or increasing anxieties.
The introduction of technology as the focal point of movies has crept its way into all genres. There are rom-coms focused on online dating catfishing, animated children’s movies about fighting back AI robots, and comedies about funny AI companions.
The one where its influence is the greatest is the horror genre. Drop, although failed by the movie’s marketing team, cut through the clutter and added more than jump scares and lame plot twists, and treated itself as a thriller first and a technological nightmare secondly, something other screenwriters in horror should follow suit in.
The film makes a basic concept, being sent cryptic and untraceable pictures, into a broader one that makes the technology a symbol for the constant surveillance and control we’re all very vulnerable to due to all of the information being on our smartphones. This concept has been done over and over, yet Drop is different because it makes the paranoia more intense when coupled with the well fleshed out backstory of the protagonist.
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