We live in a world of AI-powered everything, and that’s kind of a scary thing when you really sit down and think about it. We’re leaving our decision-making up to a machine, something that has no feelings, has questionable morality and ethics… something that could actually be evil. Writer/director Ole J Hartmann brings us CHAT, a supernatural tale of one such machine that seems helpful at first, but soon turns one family’s lives into a nightmare. In this film, “GPT” translates to “Gag. Pain. Torment.“
A family’s fresh start unravels when their son discovers an AI-powered tablet, unleashing a wave of terror tied not only to the supernatural but to dark secrets of greed and corruption that surround them.
CHAT, Prime Video
Husband Brad, pregnant wife Michelle, and son Michael move into a house that seems too good to be true. The right price, the fact that it came furnished, and the severely nice Texan realtor Hartmann (played by the director) give a false sense of hope though when Michael finds a tablet “left by the previous tenants.” Immediately, Michael is befriended by the tablet’s AI Chat Assistant, Beelzebub.
That should have told them all they needed to hear right then.
Soon after Michael recites a chant (that Beelzebub asks him not to tell his parents about, no less), Brad just isn’t himself anymore, and the house just feels off. The possession has started, putting the entire family in grave danger.
Usually I watch the movies I’m reviewing by myself, but this time I was able to watch CHAT with my husband, making for an exciting time. This movie starts off with a murder-suicide and quickly gets into some nonsense that my husband and I had a great time picking apart. I wouldn’t say CHAT is complete nonsense at all — quite the opposite — it’s more so that CHAT gave me the experience that I think all filmmakers are essentially aiming for: a movie that gathers people together to discuss and have a great time watching.
For example, we talked about the craziness of buying a home and not discussing it with your partner, or bothering to look up the house for possible risks like bug infestations, problematic neighbors, or y’know, a murder that happened just months beforehand. CHAT allowed us to let our minds wander, creating whole backstories behind this particular family.
But that didn’t last long because CHAT got real crazy, real fast. As it turns out, AI chat bot Beelzebub is a demon (go figure) who takes control over Brad and wants to lead the whole family to their doom. This is where I want to call out actor Carter Sirianni’s astounding physical acting. Quick twitches, bugged-out eyes, and an overall not-right demeanor makes him seem like he is actually possessed, like Beelzebub is having trouble fitting into his human skin. He is chaos personified — one moment extremely threatening, and another jokingly insane. CHAT somehow cast a biblically accurate Lord of the Flies.
Speaking of flies — CHAT keeps the house simple and drab in favor of a few key effect scenes. For the most part, this movie is relatively clean with small scares here and there. At both ends of the movie, we get the blood… and another fluid. I won’t spoil it, but I will say that one scene in particular caught us completely off-guard and was both disgusting and amazing at the same time.
Considering CHAT is technically a religious possession movie, I had a fun time watching. Brad was clearly the star of the show, with AI being evil as the sweeping messaging throughout. I think in a time where religious leanings are getting lower and lower, modernizing it with present-day tech was a smart way to make possession horror hit harder. CHAT is best watching in a group; just be prepared for some gross moments that will make you set that popcorn off to the side for the rest of the time.
CHAT is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video. For more, follow the movie and writer/director Ole J Hartmann on Instagram.
