20 Terrifying Fictional Futures We Really Could Be Headed Toward

Here’s a question you’ve probably never thought too much about: Why do we like scary movies? Some experts believe it ironically soothes our anxieties. Watching our worst nightmares play out on the screen acts as a kind of rehearsal in the event that those events should actually play out. This might be why we have literal nightmares, too, but the jury is likewise hung on that one.

That’s one thing when the scary movie involves dream monsters and smiling demons — you know, things that almost certainly don’t really exist. But we’re inching ever closer to dystopia, and we have a cinematic buffet of them to choose from. Do we want the overpopulation dystopia? Or the A.I. dystopia? Personally, we’ve got our fingers crossed for “cool robot” dystopia.

In light of all that, user beefgulash asked r/AskReddit, “What is the scariest yet most realistic future film ever made?” and their fellow Redditors stoked all kinds of fear.