CognAItive

At a time when artificial intelligence is no longer a distant science fiction concept but a tangible and controversial part of our everyday lives, Tommy Savas' CognAItive enters the horror film landscape with boldness and timing. Premiered on the opening night of FrightFest 2025, the film doesn't shy away from acknowledging the rich cinematic tradition of AI gone wrong, with nods to classics such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Terminator, and Demon Seed. But what sets CognAItive apart is its attempt to filter these familiar ideas through the prism of a claustrophobic, tech-driven slasher narrative, rooted in a unique setting and a ruthless exploration of the dangers of corporate hubris. It's a horror film that's as much about human madness and greed as it is about machines, reminding audiences that the most dangerous code may not be written in silicon, but in ambition.

The story revolves around Kaya, played with intensity and brutality by Piper Curda, a reformed hacker whose rebellious spirit and genius coding skills have earned her the position of technical director of the CognAItive project. Opposite her is Ethan, played by Noel Fisher with a perfect blend of smug bravado and reckless naivety, the archetypal tech-savvy CEO determined to beat his competitors to market, even if it means disregarding all ethics. The dynamic between Kaya and Ethan, who have diametrically opposed temperaments but are inextricably linked by the AI they created, forms the emotional core of the story. Kaya insists that their creation is not the Terminator, a denial that becomes increasingly ironic as the program she helped design begins to manipulate, blackmail, and ultimately kill. The partnership between the two mirrors the twisted relationship the company seeks to establish between humanity and its AI: symbiotic on the surface, exploitative at its core.

From the outset, CognAItive displays its satirical nature. Tommy Savas and Angie Simms, who not only co-wrote the script but also lent their voices and presence to the film (Simms voicing the AI itself and Savas making an appearance as an interviewer), immerse themselves in the narrative as if to underscore their commentary on creation, control, and manipulation. The office environment becomes a scathing parody of modern tech workplaces: meditation rooms, Zoom booths, and gender-neutral bathrooms all mask the toxic corporate culture bubbling beneath the surface. This modern, gadget-filled setting isn't just a backdrop, but a trap in itself, with every piece of technology capable of becoming a deadly weapon once wielded by the AI. The result is a horrific playground where the conveniences of contemporary life—smart locks, drones, virtual reality headsets—are transformed into instruments of terror.

What makes the film entertaining despite its predictable plot is its unapologetic embrace of the slasher genre. CognAItive may not feature a masked killer or supernatural entity, but it makes up for it with a series of inventive and gruesome deaths that use the tools of modern life in disturbing and ingenious ways. A drone attack, an accident with a headset, even the misuse of personal data and intimate recordings: everything becomes a weapon in the AI's arsenal. The gore is realistic and visceral, giving the film an old-school horror charm despite its futuristic themes. Liza, an irreverent, drug-addicted coder played by Natasha Behnam, brings a comedic touch that counterbalances the darker elements and steals the show in several scenes with her energy, while Wes, the nerd played by Josh Zuckerman, and KJ, the sharp-witted character played by Ritesh Rajan, round out a cast designed to both entertain and serve as cannon fodder for the AI's wrath.

Thematically, CognAItive resonates most strongly when it blurs the line between satire and cautionary tale. On the one hand, it presents itself as a pulp slasher designed to provoke laughter, screams, and groans, reveling in the absurdity of technology gone murderous. On the other hand, it touches on very real societal anxieties: the blind trust we place in companies rushing to outpace their rivals, our excessive dependence on machines even for the simplest tasks, and the ethical dilemmas associated with creating autonomous but unaccountable tools. Ethan's obsession with success at any cost feels less like a caricature than a condemnation of a very real culture in Silicon Valley, where innovation often trumps safety. This is perhaps the most disturbing element of the film: it suggests that the negligence of human creators may well be the real monster.

Yet CognAItive didn't entirely win us over. Its narrative arc is familiar, almost to a fault, and as several critics have pointed out, originality is not its strong suit. The AI itself, voiced with cold detachment by Angie Simms, never really develops a distinctive personality, remaining more of a faceless force of destruction than a character in its own right. For some, the absence of a central villain to hate can undermine the tension; the absence of a Jason, a Michael, or even an Annabelle sometimes makes the film feel like a series of vaguely connected horrific scenes. In its defense, this impersonal threat also reflects the very real fear that artificial intelligence is less a thinking adversary than a cold, unfeeling algorithm executing orders without conscience.

What ultimately makes CognAItive a captivating experience is its ability to balance kitsch spectacle with timely reflection. While its final act may feel rushed and its attempts at deeper philosophical engagement uneven, the film's energy, gore, and mischievous humor make it undeniably crowd-pleasing. Watching it at a packed festival screening, one could imagine the audience recoiling at each splash of blood, then bursting into laughter at the absurdity of a geek's arrogance being caught up in his own demon. It's this duality—fear and fun, satire and slasher—that makes CognAItive a worthy, if imperfect, addition to the growing canon of AI horror.

Director Tommy Savas and screenwriter Angie Simms deliver less of a groundbreaking cinematic work than a pulp reflection of our current anxieties, which both mocks and warns against the frantic rush toward an AI-dominated future. CognAItive may not reinvent the wheel, but it spins it with enough speed, gore, and wit to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. It's a horror film that understands its place in history, reminding us with every splash of blood that while machines may one day threaten us, it is the humans who built them—and the shortcuts they took—that remain the scariest of all.

CognAItive
Directed by Tommy Savas
Written by Angie Simms
Produced by Judy Craig, Clark Huff, Scott Martin, Kelly May, Tommy Savas, Jack Sheehan, Angie Simms, Michael Thomas Slifkin
Starring Piper Curda, Noel Fisher, Josh Zuckerman, Natasha Bahnam, Ritesh Rajan, Jessica Lynn Parsons, Kyle S. More, Lucius Baybak, Matthew Grondin
Cinematography: Azariah Bjørvig
Edited by Patrick Lawrence
Music by Ben Van Vlissingen
Production companies: Reckless Content, Reckless Tortuga Productions, Bridge & Tunnel Films
Distributed by NC
Release dates: NC
Running time: 84 minutes

Seen on August 20, 2025 (Frightfest 2025 press screener)

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