“CHAT” follows a family whose fresh start unravels when their son discovers an AI-powered tablet that unleashes a wave of terror.
Writer-director Ole J Hartmann made his feature film debut in rapid fashion. The initial draft of the script was written in just eight days, with all 114 pages being shot in two weeks on a $25,000 budget. While many assume limited resources means “bad,” that’s not the case. Self-financed and self-distributed, this is the definition of indie. It’s similar to another low-budget 2026 release, “The Leaching,” which Evan Showalter made for $15,000 in his junior year of college.
There have already been several movies about artificial intelligence this year: “Mercy,” “Kill Code,” “Hot Spot” and likely many more. This falls in the same category, but it’s no ordinary examination of AI. Hartmann weaves supernatural elements and corrupt figures into the screenplay as an allegory for the technology. The anti-AI messaging is obvious, but it also exemplifies the complicated — maybe sometimes overcomplicated — nature of its existence as well.
As the 94-minute runtime progresses, these ideas get somewhat lost underneath the horror. The story includes several time jumps that range from entire days to hours, leaving aspects of the plot progression in the dark. Viewers will be required to suspend some disbelief because of these shortcuts. What was once about a child chatting with an AI bot named Beelzebul turns into straight possessed madness. This limits the takeaways, but heightens the thrills.
Within the horrors are a plethora of darkly comedic moments — one including crude bodily humor that is hard to forget about. Also included are rants about demonic forces and crazed reactions that you can’t help but laugh at.
“You’re having a psychosis break again, aren’t you?”
Director of photography Michael AKU Rodriguez doesn’t keep the camera still, implementing a variety of techniques to keep “CHAT” visually engaging. POV-styled footage. Extended handheld sequences. Tracking shots. The film utilizes all these techniques alongside camera tilts and pans to prevent scenes from remaining static. All of this is evident before the title card even appears. Hartmann and Rodriguez also frame scenes in unique ways, purposefully obscuring body parts, shooting from extremely low angles or getting uncomfortably close to characters’ faces. Wide-angle shots are also used to capture entire rooms, heightening the anxiety as you wait for movement.
Carter Sirianni (Brad Kiddo) stars. He portrays the “loving dad” well, but drastically shifts in demented ways. It’s a physical performance as much as it is a vocal one, making bizarre facial expressions and body movements. Even when you can’t see Sirianni’s face, his delivery remains effective. As his persona continues to shift, it grows into one of the most versatile performances of the year so far. Also appearing are Alexis Schrepple (Michelle Kiddo), Grant Griffin (Michael Kiddo), Chris Fusselman (Mr. Freeman) and Hartmann.
A memorable performance from Carter Sirianni is at the center of “CHAT.” This micro-budget film evolves from simple AI chatbot to multi-faceted horror.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
