Editorials
[Retrospective] No Flesh Shall Be Spared – Remembering ‘Hardware’
Sci-fi/Horror might just be the best man-made combination since the invention of the peanut-butter-jelly sandwich. From Frankenstein to Alien, this particular blend of genre mashup has presented us with countless memorable stories concerning the atrocities that the future might have in store for us. However, there is a certain early 90s classic that doesn’t get the love it deserves, and it just so happens to be one of my all-time favorite Sci-fi/Horror films. Of course, I’m talking about the criminally underrated cyberpunk slasher Hardware.
Based on a minor short story from the acclaimed comic series 2000 AD, Hardware was largely dismissed as a Terminator knock-off when it was first released back in 1990, but has since grown in popularity since rampaging onto home video (not to mention the internet). Much like 2000 AD itself, Richard Stanley‘s film masterfully disguises a poignant exploration of philosophical and social issues in a lovably schlocky and ultra-violent (not to mention ultra-entertaining) package, with a wicked sense of humor for good measure.
The original 7-page-long story, appropriately titled Shok!, was a simple tale of woman versus machine set against a familiar Mega-City backdrop. While Hardware is a somewhat faithful (though completely unauthorized) adaptation in that the main plot is still about a killer robot terrorizing an artist in her futuristic apartment, Stanley uses this as a jumping-off point to tell his own story about a dystopic future where life might not be worth living anymore.
The film expands on the characters and setup, giving us a better glimpse at this rundown, overpopulated world filled with radioactive deserts, terrifying scavengers and malicious government conspiracies as we follow Moses Baxter (Dylan McDermott) on his quest to find a suitable Christmas present for his metalworking artist girlfriend Jill (Stacey Travis). Unfortunately, Mo’s idea of gifting a pile of dilapidated cybernetic parts has disastrous consequences when the pieces begin to reassemble themselves into a self-repairing murderous robot.
The most badass of Christmas ornaments.
Though the film doesn’t stray far from Jill’s cruddy apartment, Hardware somehow manages to make the world of 2000 AD come alive in a way rivaled only by Pete Travis’s Dredd 22 years later. Featuring a kick-ass soundtrack and cameos from the late great Lemmy as a ferry driver and even Iggy Pop as the memorable voice of W.A.R. Radio, it’s amazing just how detailed this cyberpunk dystopia feels, despite the low budget.
Of course, the killer robot itself, here referred to as the M.A.R.K. 13, is also a huge part of why the film works. Every second it’s onscreen is a feast for the eyes, with wonderfully suspenseful chase sequences, top-notch effects and what is without a doubt one of the best killer robot designs I’ve ever seen. Incorporating nightmarish elements like spider-like venom injectors under the skullish head, not to mention its creepy multi-armed stance borrowed from the death goddess Kali, help to make this one hell of a memorable baddie. The creature’s horrific nature is only worsened once you realize that characters refer to it as a cyborg instead of android, hinting at an even more sinister backstory.
In a world filled with bland CG monsters and uninteresting backgrounds, it’s refreshing to see a film’s memorable set and character designs contribute to the story’s themes, especially considering the limited resources that the filmmakers had to work with here. The movie is peppered with haunting imagery, religious symbolism and even classical art references that make it stand out from your usual slasher flick. All this attention to detail only enhances the subtle social commentary that permeates the movie without making the script feel preachy, allowing it to focus on the more entertaining aspects of the story.
In another break from tradition, even the added robot fodder characters are interesting and well-developed, which makes their gruesome deaths all the more impactful. It’s truly amazing just how much tension the film manages to squeeze out of a single location without ever becoming boring, though by the end of the flick, Jill’s apartment looks more like a robotic abattoir than a futuristic home.
Nothing beats the robot-smashing power of a good old-fashioned baseball bat.
While I love Hardware to death, even I have to admit that it’s nowhere near a perfect movie. The awkward pacing definitely isn’t for everyone, and things get a little bit too psychedelic in a few sequences. Personally, I find the engrossing atmosphere and quirky characters interesting enough to be able to overlook these flaws, and the soundtrack is awesome enough to make even a paint-watching marathon seem entertaining, but I get that not everyone feels this way.
Even so, I can’t quite condone Stanley’s treatment of the source material in the making of this film. I may consider Hardware an improvement over the comic-book story that spawned it, but that doesn’t excuse swiping another writer’s story with no intent of crediting their work. Fortunately, this unlicensed adaptation became official after a lawsuit forced the filmmakers into crediting 2000 AD, though it’s still hard to imagine why Stanley thought that no one would notice the similarities just because of a few altered names.
Despite its initial reputation as a bootleg Terminator, I’m glad to see more and more fans popping up online to share their love for this amazing movie. I honestly can’t think of any other Sci-fi/Horror films so utterly devoted to telling a meaningful story without compromising the sleazy fun in the process, which is why I think it’s a shame that we haven’t seen many Hardware-inspired Cyber-Slashers since then.
In any case, M.A.R.K. 13 is sure to live on as one of the best slasher villains of all time, but also a haunting reminder of humanity’s tendency to put collective progress ahead of individual human lives. This may be a grim and brutally honest vision of the future, but I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and insightful ride through a disturbingly plausible dystopia.
This is what you want, this is what you get!
“Elevated Horror.” Of all the combinations in the English language, that one is the most insufferable.
It represents almost a decade of scary movies that, for the most part, took themselves too seriously. Horror responds to the moment, so its “why so serious” lean makes sense as we scuttle through the “worst of times” equation of Charles Dickens’ famous opening lines. But there’s still an opening and a need for a lighter approach; one that not only has fun with its audience but takes the piss out of a genre that is seemingly letting its newfound “respectability” go to its head.
Wes Craven believed devotees see horror films to let out their fears one primal scream at a time. At their core, these movies are roller coasters; they bring us as close to the edge as possible before pulling us back into a safety net of reality. The need for a bigger and badder coaster increases during times when the size of that net decreases.
There’s a thrill that comes from imagining being in a foot race with a madman, or outthinking the hordes of zombies on the other side of the door, plus the scavenger humans coming behind them. There’s even a rush that comes from imagining how one might deal with possession to see good triumph over evil in the end. It’s all about building tension and releasing it through catharsis. That cathartic release usually sounds like screams followed by laughter, which signals relief. Genre heavy hitters over the past 10 years offered very little of that respite when the credits rolled. Films like Hereditary, The Witch, Talk to Me, and even Smile (pick one) keep that tension going after the screen fades to black.
Hereditary
As the genre became obsessed with creating trauma metaphors, that lack of release made sense. Anyone with even a small sample size of traumatic experiences knows those emotions don’t magically resolve themselves in an allotted run time. But how much trauma can one take? Especially when there’s a mess going on outside that few of us can escape from. Movies offer that off-ramp, no matter how short.
Everything can’t be, nor should it be, “elevated.” Audiences need thoughtful explorations of life’s ills via monsters as much as they need murdering masked maniacs with kitchen knives. And no, it doesn’t have to go any deeper than that. Sometimes, a knife is just a knife, and it’s still worth our time and respect. As weird as it sounds, that simplicity is comforting not in spite of the trauma but because of it.
The worst of times should manifest more than just anguish. People need to laugh just as much as they need to think seriously about this moment in time. Even the Scream franchise forgot the meta rock upon which it built its church when the latest foray sacrificed the subtle comedy for serious drama. Scary Movie returned at the perfect moment. It provides the necessary laughs, but it’s not a cure-all.
This isn’t a call for Scary Movie imitators but a return to a mainstream landscape where Killer Klowns from Outer Space sat with The Serpent and the Rainbow, nestled neatly with the latest Nightmare on Elm Street, which took nothing away from The Vanishing.
They Live
Even They Live, John Carpenter’s horror sci-fi satire sandwich, kept its tongue firmly in cheek while discussing serious ideas still relevant in 2026. Yes, a film about aliens taking over the world through subliminal messaging only visible through coded sunglasses is, in fact, a tad silly. Carpenter understood that mainstream horror can’t become so self-important that it never looks itself in the mirror and laughs at that inherent silliness.
The thing is, horror historically excels at poking fun at itself. Most of the Scream franchise, The Cabin in the Woods, or The Blackening show adoration without kowtowing. They recognize tropes and trappings but invert them for an audience already in on the joke, but one that also finds solace in said conventions. This keeps the genre on its toes; once something gets parodied, it’s usually time to evolve. That breeds new ideas and fresh filmmakers, which not only strengthen the genre’s collective voice but also amplify it.
Get Out, as “elevated” as some critics want us to believe it is, is a cathartic, populist scary movie that spoke to an untapped audience rather than speaking down to them. Backrooms is one of the biggest horror hits in years, partially because it’s fine-tuned for modern-day teenagers instead of their parents. Movies like these tell everyone the genre is open for business; open for innovation and, yeah, open for new ways in which people can lovingly poke fun at with a wink and a nudge.
Horror needs dread as much as it needs laughter.
Catharsis is just as important as tension, and pulpy populism has the same merit as more high-brow material. Respectability shouldn’t come at the expense of an experience akin to walking through a haunted house. At a time when joy seems in short supply, horror should look to its past to map out its future, and make things just a tad brighter for audiences.
Backrooms
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