M3GAN creator Akela Cooper reveals the killer doll's horror inspiration. The upcoming science-fiction horror film stars Girls' alum Allison Williams as the designer of an android named M3GAN, which she uses to help her niece, Cady, cope with the death of her parents. However, as time passes, the android becomes increasingly independent and violent towards anyone who poses a threat to Cady. The M3GAN doll's uncanny appearance has been making headlines and going viral on TikTok, already prompting discussions of a sequel following the trailer's release in October.
Now, writer Cooper, who also wrote Malignant in 2021, shares the source of inspiration for M3GAN's creepy villain. In an interview with Empire, she explains that she has always been haunted by a certain type of doll - particularly since seeing the movie Magic as a young child. Check out Cooper's comment below:
My thing was ventriloquist dummies. [laughs] I saw the Anthony Hopkins movie Magic at a really young age and that cemented the creepiness in my brain. I was a big Child’s Play fan, too. It was always my dream to create an iconic monster of my own.
How M3GAN Is Different From Other Creepy Dolls
M3GAN joins a long line of creepy doll movies, but Cooper may have reached her goal in creating an original monster in the horror movie cannon. While her facial features are inarguably synthetic, M3GAN is designed to look as lifelike as possible. The uncanny result is unsettling in a way that differs from the average scary toy aesthetic and does convey the familiar eeriness of a ventriloquist dummy. Glimpses from the trailer also show M3GAN as a very versatile villain with surprising physical abilities, including running on all fours, Herculean strength, and acrobatics.
Unlike her scary doll predecessors, including Annabelle and Chucky, M3GAN is not possessed by a demonic spirit or evil entity. As an android, she learns quickly, expanding her knowledge and capabilities to dangerous levels as Cady teaches her new skills. M3GAN appears to be the embodiment of artificial intelligence gone wrong, a threat that may feel all too real with contemporary audiences as society sees AI technology become more omnipresent. This scientific angle also taps into a darker social theme as it portrays a lonely human child bonding with a non-sentient robot, with echoes of Her or even Blade Runner.
M3GAN is a grounded, modern twist on a terrifying horror trope, and anticipation is growing for the upcoming film. With her acrobatic dancing and digitized voice, M3GAN is no mere creepy doll, but more like a super human with no moral compass and a taste for blood. Whether the character makes as big of an impact as horror fans hope will become clear when the film releases in 2023.
Source: Empire