PopHorror Let's Get Scared
In the last handful of years, we’ve seen contemporary creators taking their shot at horror based around artificial intelligence. As the world becomes more reliant on machines, the fear in the possibility that these machines could go back is truly endless. The latest entry in the evil AI sub-genre is Margaux from 2022. Let’s take a look at this story of ‘Siri gone slasher’ and see where it stands.
Margaux is written by Chris Beyrooty (Miltown 2022), Chris Sivertson (Sorority Sister Killer 2021) and Nick Waters (Little One 2020). It is directed by Steven C. Miller (Silent Night 2012). It stars Madison Pettis (He’s All That 2021), Jedidiah Goodacre (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina TV Series 2018) and Susan Bennett (Bevis And Butthead Do The Universe 2022) as the voice of the titular character.
Margaux is the story of a group of college friends who reunite for the first time in a while to go to a “smart house” for a weekend of fun and partying. That house is run by an artificial intelligence system named Margaux, who can magically drum up anything that these kids could ever desire. But fulfilled wishes are often too good to be true, and every gift comes with a price.
The first thing that makes Margaux fun to watch is the amazing location. The house is massive enough to isolate each character in broad daylight, while also being well lit enough to be visually entrancing. The menace that’s coming is very obvious, but the house is such a reward that it could successfully blind the characters to what’s happening under their noses. The editing is also smooth, as it gives a bit of a Final Destination (read our retro review here) feel, cutting seamlessly back and forth between isolated moments of catastrophe for each character.
The acting is pretty decent, even as the dialogue vacillates between chemistry and cringe-worthy. Madison Pettis could easily be a must-watch final girl if she dedicated herself to the horror genre. Her tech-savvy character plays a worthy foil to the vicious-voiced villain.
Margaux does fall prey to being a bit formulaic though. Everything that happens is very telegraphed to the audience. When this movie embraces practical gore and technology, it makes for a very fun viewing. But they never quite go all the way into the premise, and the CGI that they use can easily take the viewers out of the important moments. The final act also gets a bit complicated, as in trying to differentiate itself, it starts to feel confusing and messy. But if you like the idea of technology gone bad in the horror realm, Margaux is currently available on Paramount Plus.
