Screamers(Review) - Gruesome Gazette

90s sci fi horror is always a good vibe, and Screamers is a good example of that. It really goes deep too.
The plot takes past in a dystopian future with fallout from all out war between two factions. One of the factions developed machines nicknamed Screamers due to high pitch screaming that emanate when they are threatened. The machines then learn how to replicate themselves and eventually learn how to imitate humans and animals. A military commander and private are called to make peace between the factions and find themselves in a fight with the machines instead.

The film definitely switches gears as it goes on. We start with despairing situation with the war then it changes to thrilling and deep level when it comes to the machines and the ways they are able to appear as human. They are doing this as infiltration and eventual eradication of the human race. At first, there are ways to tell between human and pretender, but eventually the Screamers learn to the point they cannot be distinguished from a human. The human survivors are left with the choice of knowing who can trust and it ends up being no one can be trusted. Even when it seems like the machines have been eliminated they still keep coming up with new ways to appear to complete their mission.

I really enjoyed this one, sci fi horror from the 90s always does very well, and this one does not disappoint. Of course there’s some awful CGI involved but that was common as around this time CGI was just starting into its own and yeah uncanny valley moments definitely exist here. It really sat with me with the lengths the machines were learning how to be human. This film did eventually get a sequel in 2009 called Screamers: The Hunting which I will have to look into eventually.

If you are curious, you can find Screamers streaming on Tubi or Amazon Prime. It is a wild ride and worth checking into.

Till next time, stay scared!
-Tha Thrilla-