AFRAID is a 2024 horror thriller film written and directed by Chris Weitz (The Creator). Jason Blum and Weitz produce through their Blumhouse Productions and Depth of Field banners, alongside Andrew Miano.
Curtis (John Cho) and his family are selected to test a revolutionary new home device: a digital family assistant called AIA. Taking smart home to the next level, once the unit and all its sensors and cameras are installed in their home, AIA seems able to do it all. She learns the family's behaviors and begins to anticipate their needs. And she can make sure nothing – and no one – gets in her family’s way.
The cast includes John Cho, Katherine Waterston, Havana Rose Liu, Lukita Maxwell, David Dastmalchian, and Keith Carradine.
AFRAID made its debut in theaters August 30th, courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing.
AFRAID is yet another PG-13 horror film from Blumhouse Productions, a company that is very well known to horror movie fans these days. Now they have produced some absolute gems for the genre like Get Out and The Black Phone, but they have also dropped quite a few duds like Truth or Dare and Fantasy Island, which I suppose is par for the course.
Now when AFRAID dropped the first trailer it immediately drew comparisons to another technology based PG-13 horror release M3GAN from a couple years ago. M3GAN was a very pleasant surprise as I really enjoyed it, so the comparison sort of set some high expectations for people. I personally kept my expectations in check solely because I have been let down before, but I am happy to say that I was impressed with AFRAID.
I’m not going to sit here and act like it was an instant horror classic or anything ridiculous like that, but AFRAID was an enjoyable horror film with an intriguing premise, very solid acting, good production value, as well as some well-timed jump scares for good measure. What really sucked me in was just how the overall premise of the film resonated on a personal level as a parent with multiple very needy children under the age of 6.
John Cho, best known as Harold from the Harold and Kumar comedy films, stars as Curtis, a very driven husband and father that has built a successful career in marketing. Curtis is tasked with trying to land a new account involving a technology company that has developed a form of AI called AIA, which is essentially an AI-driven “super Alexa” designed to to help simplify the hectic lives of busy families.
Anyone with young children are well aware of the never-ending to-do lists, so when AIA started to complete things for the wife and mother of three, Meredith, played by Katherine Waterston, that she had been dealing with for weeks in a matter of seconds, I had chills. I mean sure not the sort of chills I normally get from horror films, but I was 100% engaged in what was going on and that matters.
For the remainder of the film I remained engaged and was never bored, and although the story did get a bit wacky at times and felt rushed towards the end, it never strayed from the scary reality that as a society we are dangerously close to AI taking over in some form or fashion. We are ultra-reliant on technology to the point where most of us couldn’t survive a few hours without WiFi, and our entire lives are stored in the cloud. It is terrifying when you really stop and think about it, and although I don’t expect us to be overrun by a robot race or anything anytime soon, our reliance on technology has made us incredibly vulnerable.
Bottom line, AFRAID does a really nice job setting the stage with a thought-provoking premise and although it can be very over-the-top it remains grounded enough to keep your interest. I found myself invested in the story and actually grew attached to this family as I was able to relate to John Cho’s character. Although it is technically a horror film, AFRAID does have heart as it really takes the time to establish the importance of family and just how hard it is to raise children in a world where many parents are forced to rely on screens to keep their children entertained.
I felt a sense of compassion towards the family portrayed in the film which I think greatly contributed to how much I enjoyed the overall experience. The film also does enough to scratch the itch for horror fans as well with some tense moments and creepy visuals. Quality acting tends to get overlooked with horror films which is unfortunate, but I was impressed with the performances here. AFRAID is not perfect, and you could certainly poke holes in what ultimately felt like a rushed screenplay specifically the final act, but the overall product is something I can easily recommend.
THE VERDICT
An effective and thought-provoking horror film tapping into our reliance on technology and underlying fear of artificial intelligence, AFRAID is far from perfect but rewards open-minded viewers with an enjoyable theater experience. As I mentioned early in the review, my expectations were in check with another PG-13 horror film from Blumhouse but I was pleasantly surprised.
If you intend to pick apart the screenplay, which is full of holes at every turn, just stay home because this movie isn’t for you. But for the rest of you I can confidently recommend checking AFRAID out in theaters.
TED TAKES RATING - 6.2/10
AFRAID is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.