Wanna play? The rebooted Child’s Play opens on Friday. Chucky, the knife-wielding doll bent on terrorizing his owners is back with updates for the new millennium. Specifically, Chucky can interact with a series of apps that control household devices. What could possibly go wrong? The reboot stars Aubrey Plaza, Gabriel Bateman, Brian Tyree Henry, and Mark Hamill, who provides Chucky’s voice. People talked to Aubrey Plaza about the movie, her take on horror films, and her thoughts about living in an era in which people are increasingly using smart devices:
Lars Klevberg’s clever reimagining of the 1988 horror cult classic sees Plaza play Karen Barclay, a widowed single mother struggling to connect with her son Andy (Gabriel Bateman) after they move to a new town. To win him over, she gifts him a returned Buddi doll from the store she works at. The toy seemingly does everything — not only will it be your “best friend,” but it can control all of your apps! However, this being Child’s Play, it’s not long before Buddi — who Andy names “Chucky” — becomes a full-fledged serial killer.
Aubrey explains why Child’s Play is her first horror film.
Basically, I’m not interested in horror. I’m not a big horror fan. I especially don’t want to be in a movie where I’m being tortured and caged and stabbed and all those things. I’m way too sensitive for that and I take everything that I’m doing very seriously. So I think for me to enter into that place it had to be — it would have be something really special and I don’t know why this was the one, but it just is.
I was so excited when I read the script and I think it was such an iconic character and I thought it was such a clever re-imagining of the character that I felt like, ‘You know what? Maybe I’ll just give this a whirl.’
Aubrey discusses her unease with the advances being made in technology.
I was very game for technology being the villain. I am so kinda paranoid about all of these smart devices and I really struggle with that a lot. The idea that, you know, we’re so reliant on these things and that I feel like they’re changing the way we think, and they’re changing the way we interact with each other. I just thought it was a really interesting exploration on kinda the worst case scenario of what could go wrong. I don’t think it’s that far off from something that could really happen.
Don Mancini, the creator of Child’s Play, is very upset about the remake, and some fans aren’t happy, either. (Mancini tweeted about the project last September by invoking Mariah Carey and her now-iconic retort, “I don’t know her.”) Ouch. Reboots are popular projects (in general) because studios know that they will probably find an audience and bring in money. I understand Mancini’s anger as the franchise’s creator, and I also feel bad for the current cast, too–Aubrey seems thrilled about the movie, and I love that Mark Hamill is busily expanding his villainous repertoire. As for the ever-expanding reach of technology, I try not to be too reliant on my phone and don’t have any smart devices at home beyond an Echo, though I only listen to music with it. I have, on more than one occasion, attempted to make text or an image printed in a physical book bigger by making the “pinch” guesture on it, and only as I was spreading my fingers did I realize the ridiculousness of what I was doing. It was always disconcerting because it made me realize how much I use my phone. But, it was usually late and while I was poring over books during my grad program, so to make myself feel better, I’m blaming exhaustion and anxiety, rather than technology-creep.
Photos credit: WENN
We have SO MUCH technology in our house and its really creepy when I think about it. The Alexa speakers (we have Sonos with Alexa) alone freak me out. Heck AMAZON freaks me out. That company knows everything about me. My mom’s phone has started alerting her about church meetings and such….that she doesn’t put on the phone calendar. (I imagine they’re mentioned in her emails and her phone pulls from that? still. CREEPY.)
I don’t watch horror so I will probably never see this movie though, lol.
It’s really creepy. I try to avoid everything as much as I can, and still Things find me. They know everything about us!
I’m wary of the technology and don’t have any smart devices at home. I can just picture the cats “talking” to Alexa and having cases of expensive cat food sent to the house.
I’m not freaked out because I’ve always thought they were listening. Once you have any online or electronic presence (credit card) you’re on the grid.
It’s definitely more invasive than it used to be. yesterday was a perfect example for me. A guy stopped me coming out my car in front of my house, said he was an exterminator who was offering discount to everyone on the block and that he could take care of the ant problem in my kitchen. Our ant problem in the kitchen has just started a couple days ago and I didn’t talk to anyone but my husband about it. Unless it’s a common problem or he made a lucky guess, someone eavesdropped on us. We don’t have an Alexa. Our only smart devices are our phones.
This is how I feel. My devices are definitely listening to me and gathering all sorts of data about me. It’s the price you pay for convenience and if they want to listen to me talking rubbish to my baby or singing to the cat then sure, knock yourself out.
Yep, they’re listening. I especially don’t have any devices to control the lights, heating, etc. since they can be hacked.
On a totally random note, follow Mark Hamil on Twitter if you don’t. He’s awesome.
Do you all get ads about something you talked about? That’s happened to me a few times. Once I was telling my mom to get a koozie that chills her wine and I sh*t you not, I got an ad for the exact product. Never googled it before.
My dad has Alzheimer’s and will come stay with me for a few weeks several times a year to give my mom a break. (We live several states apart). The last time he visited I started getting all these ads for an assisted living home nearby that had the tag line “be the daughter again”. I thought it was super creepy, but also funny and I sent the spouse screenshots at the time.
We’ve had a few other things like that pop up. I have my devices on the higher privacy settings. The kids have Alexa’s, but only use them for music and as alarm clocks. It’s scary, but apparently I love my phone.
Oh yeah, bf and I were at the supermarket discussing a particular brand of popsicles (not going to say which because I don’t want to give them a free ad) we tried out and enjoyed. I’d never googled that brand or done any research on popsicles, nor had I posted about the popsicles on social media. Literally the next morning an ad for the brand popped up in my Instagram stories for the first time. The powers that be either heard us talking about it or they had access to an itemized receipt from my bank account records. Neither of which is great.
Yeah, I’m positive they look at bank accounts too.
@margedbarge: They probably didn’t look at your bank account, but the supermarket gave them your purchasing info. The popsicle company probably has a contract with the supermarket giving them access to consumer info when their product is purchased. From there, they probably cross-referenced to Facebook/Instagram and voila! Still creepy, but I doubt your bank records were involved.
It’s simpler than that in many cases. Apparently there’s bluetooth tracking beacons installed in stores. And not just stores. Airports, gyms, hotels etc. etc. Certain apps on your phone can recognize the beacons and track you.
This article describing this came out a week or so ago. Very creepy.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/06/14/opinion/bluetooth-wireless-tracking-privacy.html?
The only technology I have is a smart phone. Was discussing maybe buying a new washing machine with a friend and within a few hours saw adverts for white goods popping up. This was a couple of years ago. It is creepy.
We talk about this at work regularly. It happens far too often. My boss mentioned he wanted a desktop scanner and an hour later Amazon was sending him scanner ads. Go into your settings, almost every app tries to have access to your microphone, even the ones you don’t think would need it. Most of the time you can turn it off. Sometimes we talk about random crazy things to see if any of us get ads later. It’s crazy.
I’m a Chinese medicine practitioner and my phone is set to airplane mode when I am doing intake with patients. I suggest that they do the same and some do and some don’t. I also have a good old fashioned CD player in my treatment room because I am not going to risk violation of patient privacy.
Google is awful–they started sending me notifications about my credit card bill with amount due and current balance, and my reaction was twofold:
1). I can wipe my own @ss, thank you;
&
2). When did they get permission to access my credit card accounts?
I figured out how to turn off the notifications but I’m going into the store where I bought my phone to see if they can give me any insights into how to deactivate Google’s access to my credit card bills.
Oh, and I set the phone to airplane mode at night when I’m done for the day, too. Or if I’m just not in the mood to be tracked. I find the phone annoying, frankly.
This is a great idea. I have my phone on Do Not Disturb 24 hours a day. The only people who are exempt are my parents and my brother. Anyone else has to wait until I decide to look at my phone. I also immediately turn off any tracking or notifications. I refuse to let the phone be the boss of me.
I expected it. I knew in the 90s how targeted marketing would change things. I’m a tech hound and love, truly love, all things techy lol. I fully remember being all crazy about the internet with family and friends thinking I was just another nutcase. I probably was, but eBay changed their lives lol. And yes, we are all on ‘the grid.’ those targeted ads you’re seeing are exactly what you think they are. Although you’re not being listened to in the scary sense you’re thinking. Everything boils down to demographics, key words and phrases, purchases and online activity. Your phone leaves detailed information about when and where you go, how long you you’re wherever you are, blah, blah, blah. This is a TON of data. Nobody is watching you shower, but they probably know you like to switch up hair care products every six months lol!
Definitely be diligent about safety. Do everything you’re suppose to. And change it up often.
Have you all watched Brexit on HBO? The reason I ask is one, it is amazing and two, they address the information that has been taken from us via social media and our phones. Cambridge Analytica used this information to influence the Brexit Vote. It was honestly a fascinating look at what “they know” and “how they know it”. Apparently, the prediction analysis is frighteningly accurate. Like, I think my phone knows where I will be Tuesday three weeks from now. It was fascinating. It was such a crazy glimpse into why our world is experiencing the problems it is now experiencing. Fascinating.
My husband and I absolutely refuse to get any of the smart home devices like echo, alexa, etc. Privacy/eavesdropping is a big reason why. I realize that a lot of our data/behavior information is already out there, but these seem like a whole extra level that I’d like to avoid, if possible. The other big reason is that we have a young kid and I feel like there isn’t really enough knowledge on how these things influence behavior in young kids (and most of what knowledge is out there says limiting young kids technology access is best, so having a smart device in the home and potentially accessible 24/7 seems like the total antithesis of that). We’ve sometimes visited friends who have these devices in the home and the way the kids interact with them is kind of bothering–they boss it around like it’s some kind of servant. Obviously NBD if they only do that with the device, but if that’s how you get used to speaking to one thing, seems it’s not too much of a leap that they might start behaving that way towards pets, other kids, adults, etc. In my purely anecdotal behavior, amongst our friends/family/acquaintances there does seem to be some correlation between how much technology is in the home and how nice their kids are (more tech==more asshole-ish kids). Obviously that’s also stuff like TVs and screens in general, not just smart devices, but they seem to all bundle together, and the more of these things you have, the harder it is to regulate how much they get used. My husband’s brother and his wife are the worst for this–huge TV screens in every room, kid has her own iPad at age 5, etc. Their daughter is super sweet if a little bossy when we are doing outdoors activities, really enjoys playing with her younger cousin (my son), and is generally quite fun to be around. But if we are in their house she’s constantly got the iPad going or is watching cartoons on TV and suddenly she is grouchy with my son that he’s in the way or asking to use the iPad and then doing it “wrong”, or just refusing to interact at all. And once he gets his hands on any of that stuff, my son is not that much better–he gets totally absorbed, he doesn’t want to share, and when access is taken away he gets pissed. I know eventually we will have to allow some tech access for school, etc. but I’m hoping to put it off for as long as possible.
Are you me? My husband and I have made the EXACT same decision regarding smart home devices and limiting screen time for our 2 year old. We’re trying to limit screen time to the occasional cartoon episode or movie shown on our TV (so it’s more of a family activity rather than go-away-and-distract-yourself-with-an-ipad). I recently read an article about the dangers of older kids confiding in Alexa and using “her” as an outlet to express emotional difficulties… and then of course how not okay this is when they are confiding in a robot designed to help Amazon sell more paper towels. Growing up in the 80s/ 90s was awesome.
After I watched the movie Snowden and it changed everything for me. It’s really scary.
Wasn’t she one of the people whose nudes were leaked? I’m sure all these devices are spying on us. I keep my devices off when not in use and rarely plug in Alexa. I only have it because it was a gift. I don’t understand why people think it’s so useful. It never can answer any question I have, except for the day’s weather.
Facebook and Instagram listen to and log anything they bear as a way to tailor ads. You need to log out of the apps to stop it. I learned this from a tach expert a few years back.
Google home and Alexa also record and transcribe everything they hear. It surprises me that some people still don’t know this…
Can anybody tell me if this is going on to the same degree in countries outsider the US.I have heard that privacy laws are stricter in Europe like in France and the UK .