Much like AI itself, AI-focused horror permeates our lives these days. And not every single film or TV show works (e.g., Chris Weitz’s 2024 film, Afraid). When it hits, though, it really hits. Kyle Valle’s Autonomous film, shown in bite-sized episodes on Screamify, firmly sits in the latter category. Its exploration of a fractured relationship, jet-boosted along by our obsession with tech, fuels an automated, driverless car to run off the road (complementary) and test loyalties and reveal deliciously dark secrets. Its low budget works to its advantage for this one-location horror/thriller that reminds us that not all tech is good tech.
A young couple, played by Erin Áine and Domenic Jungling, board a rideshare cab late one evening. Their relationship is on the rocks, giving the film much-needed conflict and a strong emotional base. The first installments of the episodic micro-horror set the otherwise mundane tone of the film. It’s just another day in their lives, but it also puts the horrifying foundational blocks into place. Enveloped in their relationship, they completely ignore that the cab has gone off route and is leading them somehow dangerous.
When they finally realize what’s happening, it’s far too late. The cab halts in the street as it detects something in the road. What they encounter next brings the real-life horror of being stranded in the middle of nowhere at night into techno disturbia. It’s as though M3GAN has universe-hopped into the story to offer a glimpse into the kind of mayhem we’re so close to witnessing in the current timeline. It’s a Black Mirror episode with a bit more groundedness and authentic storytelling thrown in. Terror leaks from the autonomous vehicle and makes for a night the couple will never forget.
Autonomous works its magic through a character-driven plot about two people falling out and back into love. That’s often the case with most horror movies, particularly ones involving relationships. But in Kyle Valle’s hands, it feels true to life and maybe a little bit scrappy. The film is shot in vertical fashion to allow commuters to get a little dose of horror before and after work. Quibi has nothing on Screamify (remember Quibi way back in 2020? Good times). And the bite-sized format makes far more sense now than it did then. Of course, we’re not currently in the throes of a life-threatening pandemic.
A one-location horror doesn’t always land, but Kyle Valle’s Autonomous couldn’t work any other way. It makes the viewer claustrophobic in a very raw way. We’ve all been in the back of a cab at the mercy of a driver we’ve never met before. But it’s reimagined as a completely autonomous vehicle with nothing but sinister intentions. Autonomous emerges as 16 episodes of gripping storytelling that we’d better not sleep on.
Leave a Reply