Review: ‘M3GAN’ and its take on campy horror

Over the past few years, movie studios have attempted to capture the strange magic of campiness in horror, but rarely have they been successful. 

All of this comes from a misunderstanding surrounding “trash cinema” — a gospel that says a campy movie is a movie that is so bad, it’s good.

The best of campy movies, and other forms of supposedly lowbrow media, cannot be created through algorithms and corporate backing, but through genuine heart and care for the product. 

was one of the rare western-produced films that managed to perfectly tap into the campy genre. It was simultaneously reveling in and satirizing nearly every goofy trope in modern horror, yet playing everything straight.

It created what was possibly the perfect piece of camp art. 

While director, James Wan, did not direct the new , it is still a worthy champion of the violent, dark and gleeful goofiness encapsulated. 

opens with a fake advertisement for PerpetualPets, a brand that proudly proclaims  their toy pets are better than real pets because they don’t die and also the virtual pets fart when you feed them. 

The film is also not subtle in its jokes about iPad babies and neglectful parents. The entire 102 minutes feel like an elongated sketch. Every joke is played completely straight, yet the increasing surrealism and absurdity of the situation makes it all come across as hilarious. 

Even a scene where a child cries over the death of her parents had the entire theatre cackling. 

Watching make AI artwork, kill children and sing “Titanium” back-to-back-to-back creates a non-stop thrill ride through an unhinged dip into internet culture.

Over the winter break I had the absolute pleasure of watching the series. It’s one of those cheap, direct-to-video-type movies where a child, but sometimes an adult, befriends some animal or strange creature and hilarity and “heartwarmingness” ensue. 

is reminiscent of those kinds of movies; . Mixing this style with not-so-subtle social satire and campy violence is what makes such a fun time. 

However, there is one issue with the film. While it isn’t enough to ruin the film entirely,  it is a minor annoyance and that’s the film’s rating.

Originally was, much like , slated to be released with an R rating. Once the trailer blew up on TikTok, producers decided that selling the film to a younger generation would yield greater profits. 

This, on its own, is irritating to those who like a bit more brutality to spice up their horror. However the real annoyance comes with the fact that the film was specifically marketed as a follow up to , a film known for its over the top, impossibly goofy and gory violence. 

This wasn’t a make or break issue for the film as it has lots of entertainment value thanks to its razor sharp sense of humor, but it was a disappointment.

is funny, really funny. Every single line and music cue feels like an expertly crafted gag, yet, it never becomes obnoxious. It never talks down to its audience or overly explains the joke.

It’s so committed to the bit that it stays funny and fascinating for its entire runtime, and much like M3gan herself, it’s very confident in its own voice.