I’ll be the first to admit that, though I can watch most any horror movies, dolls are one of my weaknesses. Nothing good ever comes from a horror movie when dolls are involved. As technology has advanced, so have toys, especially dolls. Instead of a porcelain doll staring at you silently from across the room, we now have AI creations who could, in theory, plot your demise. We see that concept come into fruition in the horror film, M3GAN, the latest brainchild from writers James Wan and Akela Cooper.

Leading up to the release of M3GAN, Nightmarish Conjurings’ Shannon McGrew spoke with James Wan and producer Jason Blum where they discussed everything from James Wan’s fixation on dolls (we see you, Dead Silence) to how the advancement of AI technology lends itself perfectly to the horror genre.

Official Synopsis: M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a life-like doll programmed to be a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally. Designed by brilliant toy-company roboticist Gemma (Get Out’s Allison Williams), M3GAN can listen and watch and learn as she becomes a friend and teacher, playmate and protector, for the child she is bonded to.

When Gemma suddenly becomes the caretaker of her orphaned 8-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw, “The Haunting of Hill House“), Gemma’s unsure and unprepared to be a parent. Under intense pressure at work, Gemma decides to pair her M3GAN prototype with Cady in an attempt to resolve both problems—a decision that will have unimaginable consequences.

Produced by Jason Blum and James Wan, M3GAN is directed by award-winning filmmaker Gerard Johnstone (Housebound), from a screenplay by Akela Cooper (Malignant, The Nun 2) based on a story by Akela Cooper and James Wan.

The film also stars Ronny Chieng (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Brian Jordan Alvarez (“Will & Grace”), Jen Van Epps (“Cowboy Bebop”), Lori Dungey (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, extended edition) and Stephane Garneau-Monten (Straight Forward).

M3GAN is now in theaters. For more on the film, check out our review.