If you love Plaything in Black Mirror Season 7, check out this underrated 1990s horror
‘Plaything’ is one of the bet episodes in Black Mirror Season 7, and if you like the dark path the story goes down, check out this underseen horror movie from the 1990s.
The new series of Charlie Brooker’s dystopian sci-fi show isstreaming on Netflix, meaning you can now read ourBlack Mirror Season 7 review, as well as explainers for ‘Common People,’ ‘Bête Noire,’ ‘Hotel Reverie,’ ‘Eulogy,’ and ‘USS Callister: Into Infinity.’
Thesix episodesare all interconnected via references, nods, and winks to previous instalments, and you can now check out our list ofBlack Mirror Season 7 Easter eggs.
Dexerto’s‘Plaything’ explainercan also be read, for a detailed breakdown of the Peter Capaldi episode. While below we’re spotlighting underrated horror movie that takes a very different approach to much the same story. MeaningSPOILERSahead…
Why Black Mirror ‘Plaything’ fans should watch The Faculty
Black Mirror is about a video game critic who becomes obsessed with a new title calledThronglets, which revolves around “sentient life,” and is designed to “elevate and improve” us as human beings.
The critic in question – Cameron Walker – drops acid, then believes he’s communicating with the onscreen Throng in question, upgrading their technology to protect and grow them.
As their intelligence expands, the Throng make plans to co-exist with man, so Cam inserts a neurological interface into his brain, merging his mind with the Throng. Which he calls a “benign parasite.”
And parasites figure heavily into 1998’s The Faculty, an underrated horror movie that tackles similar themes to ‘Plaything,’ only in a more action-packed and teen-friendly way.
What is The Faculty?
The Faculty was directed by Robert Rodrguez, stars Elijah Wood, Jordana Brewster, Josh Hartnett, Selma Hayek, and Jon Stewart, and revolves around a parasite taking control of human bodies at a Texas High School.
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But rather than being a digital threat, the villains in question are aliens, hell-bent on world domination. Stewart plays a teacher who describes them as ‘Mesozoa’ – which are worm-like parasites – and they enter the human through the ear, before taking control of both brain and body to do their nefarious bidding.
What follows is a fun flick that pits rebellious students against teachers in the thrall of their alien overlords. Which is pretty different to how ‘Plaything’ plays out…
Different approaches to the same story
Rather than converting humans one-by-one, in ‘Plaything’ the Throng plan to change us all at once, by sending a pulse to every electronic device on the planet.
“The Throng will instantly adapt their essence into a signal transmissible to the human mind,” explains Cameron. “You won’t need drugs or surgery. You’ll merely have to hear it to receive it and absorb it.”
What he predicts then happens just a few moments later, with a noise knocking everyone on the planet out. But to what end? In The Faculty, the aliens had murder on their mind as they endeavour to take our world over. But Cameron claims the Throng have benevolent plans, enabling us to merge with an advanced collective intelligence, to create a unity of mind, that will put an “end to conflict.”
Cameron then reaches a hand out to help his unconscious interrogator up. But then the episode ends, meaning we don’t know if Cameron and the Throng are a force for good or evil. And either way, their singularity event has just put an end to free will.
The Faculty is available to stream, rent, and but pretty much everywhere, while Black Mirror Season 7 episode ‘Plaything’ is now onNetflix. For more on the show, here’s whySeverancefans shouldwatch this specific episode, plus news of Black Mirrorsending TCKR Systems’ Nubbin to influencerson TikTok.
