The Insidious Mechanics of Industrial Horror

The Insidious Mechanics of Industrial Horror:

Industrial horror is a subgenre of horror and speculative fiction that uses factories, assembly lines, decaying infrastructure, and heavy machinery to evoke dread, alienation, and physical vulnerability. It takes the ideas and principles of machinery, mechanics, and technology and gives them a twist by incorporating elements of horror into them, whether used as a setting to create an unsettling atmosphere or as a device. In a nutshell, industrial horror is taking the idea of a creepy, rundown factory building and turning it upside down on its head and turning the volume up to max. One thing that makes it unique, aside from the idea itself as a whole, is the many directions in which a writer or director can take it. As stated above, it’s easy to simply make an industrial horror by setting it in an old, rundown factory or mill, but what you do within the peeling, asbestos-covered walls and confined spaces, and how you use the old, rusty machinery still inside, is what can really make it truly horrific. Add in a psychopathic person who longs to see the place run as it once did or just wants to use the place as their own private death playground, and you have the makings of a twisted tale.

Recently, the popularity of urban exploring into abandoned places and other decayed spots where people aren’t allowed to go could be considered a form of industrial horror. Many buildings throughout the world have been condemned and deemed uninhabitable, and sometimes people are told not to go in them. Many of these places are old factories, mills, and machine buildings from the 1800s that still stand today but are mere relics of their former selves. Some of these places are safe to go in and many times a company looking to make a horror film will sometimes reach out to the person who owns it if needed to ask permission if they can use it. However, this is just one of many examples of industrial horror. Because horror relies on scary, gory, and creepy tactics in which people can be terrified and tortured, this is where the mechanics and machinery can really be used in more unique ways in horror. Some might be used just as is, old and rusty, just waiting for an unfortunate person to be laid upon it or put inside, or the mechanism is redone and used as a torture device. When it comes to horror mixed with mechanics and machinery, the possibilities are endless.

There are many great films and books that are perfect examples of how sinister and terrifying industrial horror can be. Eraserhead, Videodrome, Hellraiser, Ghost in the Machine, Brainscan, Species, and Dark City are just a few examples of industrial horror. The Darkness Factory by Tudorel Zaharia, The Wax Factory by Justin Bienvenue, Murder and Machinery: Tales of Technological and Mechanical Madness, and The Red Tower by Thomas Ligotti are some great novels and stories about industrial horror to check out.

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