GoKawiilKickstarter film 'Road Rage' casts a robotaxi as murderous villain in SF car chase
Director Romain Thomassin is raising $40,000 on Kickstarter to produce 'Road Rage,' a short film pitting a human ridehail driver against 'Roboride,' a menacing autonomous vehicle that turns a minor traffic spat into a deadly chase. The villain car is built from a modified Prius with cold LED lighting, fake cameras, a spinning lidar-style rig, and blinking red lights meant to evoke a 'nasty Waymo,' while the chase itself will use practical stunts rather than CGI.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The project reflects how quickly autonomous vehicles have shifted in public imagination from futuristic novelty to a symbol of unease over AI decision-making, surveillance, and job loss in cities where robotaxis now operate daily. By framing a driverless car as a slasher-style antagonist, the film taps into real cultural anxiety that entertainment is now translating into genre storytelling.
- Filmmaker Romain Thomassin is crowdfunding a short film starring a killer robotaxi called Roboride.
- The villain vehicle is a modified Prius styled to resemble a menacing, camera-laden autonomous car.
- The film uses practical car-chase stunts to contrast human authenticity against AI-driven menace.
Christine (1983) Blu-ray — If a killer robotaxi movie has you intrigued, go back to the original murderous car story — John Carpenter's adaptation of Stephen King's Christine. It's the exact analog-horror DNA the new short film Road Rage is riffing on, complete with a car that takes things very personally.
See Christine (1983) Blu-ray on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: theverge.com — Rani Molla, 2026-09-05
Published there as: “Robotaxis enter their villain era”
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