Premiering at Fantastic Fest, Appofeniacs is a horror movie about AI and the very real damage deepfake technology could have on our lives. But it’s also a critique of people’s natural tendency to create false meaning in a meaningless world. The movie’s title comes from the word apophenia, which means to perceive a connection or meaningful pattern between unrelated or random things.
Appofeniacs shows how deepfakes can help trigger and amplify apophenia, leading to some seriously dire outcomes. Like an episode of Black Mirror, the film is a twisted, tense story about technology and the terror that the near-future could bring. Plus, the finale goes into overdrive and offers viewers some seriously wild and fun kills.
1428 Elm was lucky enough to catch up with one of the movie’s stars, Sean Gunn, to chat about horror. While mostly known for his roles in Gilmore Girls and Guardians of the Galaxy, Gunn also has a deep love for horror. Here’s what he had to say.
1428 Elm: The terror of Appofeniacs seems to come from two different themes – the danger of creating an imagined connection between things that are actually unrelated, and the danger of AI and deepfakes. How do you think those two themes play together in the film?
Sean Gunn: I think they’re both pretty deeply linked to one another, because the biggest danger of deepfake technology is people not being able to believe what they see. We currently live in a world where people believe what they see, then they see things that are false, and it leads them to draw these conclusions that aren't real conclusions. I think a great horror film knows how to tap into a real fear that we have in the real world, and to enhance it. And the fear that this technology can be used for really awful purposes is a very real fear. I also think it’s a justified fear.
1428 Elm: Absolutely, I got some hardcore Black Mirror vibes from this movie, where the horror comes from just how dark and real this crazy scenario could become in the near future.
Gunn: Yeah, it’s a slasher movie with no slasher! Which I think is kinda cool. It’s a modern twist on that. The villain in this movie isn’t some psychopath; he’s just an asshole.
1428 Elm: I also have to bring up the ending because – and no spoilers here for the readers – but, wow. It gets absolutely wild and seriously fun. How do you take a movie that’s pretty hard-hitting and straight-laced, and then just blow it up with this seriously wild and fantastic ending?
Gunn: Yeah, it was a really fun set piece for the finale, and there’s even something very real about it, with this guy who has been creating all these wild weapons for cosplayers. Plus, I know these people! I’ve been to so many conventions all over the world, and honestly, it’s part of what drew me to the script, and helped draw the script to me. Because I live in that world, so it was just a great fit. And it was a great way to find this scenario where you could have all these wild weapons, but in a grounded, real way. Chris, the filmmaker, is also really into that stuff, so it actually felt like a really natural fit for that movie.
1428 Ellm: I actually felt the same way when I watched it. Knowing your history of being in Marvel and DC films, it seemed like this was very much a way to bring your real self and interests into the movie.
Gunn: Yeah, for sure. When we first started playing around with my character, he was a little more over the top. But as we got working, Chris was kind of like, just bring it down a bit and put more of yourself into the role. And yeah, like I said, I know the cosplay world, and I actually know real people who make realistic cosplay weaponry and armor. It’s a real world, a real profession, and it’s actually fascinating. The whole world of conventions and fandom is actually so fascinating to me. But so many people don’t know that it exists, but it’s actually a really expansive community.