“Maybe we could help each other.”
Opening with a rather disturbing situation which sees a teenage boy being shooed off into a dog house to sleep for the night by an abusive woman, Roadkill is out to disturb the neighbors. The film harkens back to the years of 1970s grindhouse glee and is full of cracks, pops, and other distortions we’ve come to expect from dollar flicks of yesteryear. It works rather nicely to create an atmosphere where anything bloody and disgusting is possible. This is, after all, a revenge flick.
And it knows its target audience well, which is why we quickly settle into the very curvy hot pants of one young woman, gorgeous newcomer Caitlin Carmichael, as she hooks up with a hitchhiker, Ryan Knudson, in the backwoods part of America, both of them lost as a manhunt begins. It’s Lolita-like (sucker and all) in its rollout at the beginning as this gritty action vehicle trades jabs with Natural Born Killers before settling into the thrill ride that it evolves into.
With the open road as its constant backdrop, Caitlin Carmichael, Ryan Knudson, and horror icon Danielle Harris (Halloween 4, Halloween 5, and Rob Zombie’s Halloween) star in full-throttle revenge thriller, Roadkill. Written and directed by Warren Fast, 1983 comes alive again and whizzes by thanks to the insanity here within. 
With Tarantino-esque music ques, cool muscle cars, and fluid cinematography throughout, Roadkill is a confident step forward for Fast. It might play as a throwback to the classic action-thrillers of the 80s and 90s, but nothing about this offering feels tired or stale. The influences are spot-on and gnarly to recognize, but as the city ordinances are rattled off by one law officer, it becomes clear.
The film might drag a bit while it is setting up its chess pieces, but keep the seat belts buckled because when the manhunt finally hits full throttle, there’s no telling where this chase will end up. Featuring fun chase sequences, strong special effects and great kills, Roadkill is all about the hit and run.
Roadkill will hit theaters and digital January 5, 2024 from Uncork’d Entertainment.
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Runtime:
Director: Warren Fast
Writer: Warren Fast
Cast: Caitlin Carmichael; Ryan Knudson; Danielle Harris
Genre: Action | Crime
Tagline: Driven by Revenge
Memorable Movie Quote: "Maybe we could help each other."
Distributor: Uncork'd Entertainment
Official Site:
Release Date: January 5, 2024 (Theaters and Digital )
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: Lost while traveling through a rural county in 1983, a young woman crosses paths with a hitchhiker headed the same destination and offers a ride in exchange for directions. Their journey takes a violent turn when the two are caught up in a police manhunt for a fugitive killer. As victims begin to amass and authorities close in, it becomes a fight for survival on the open road.
