Synopsis:
Ride Baby Ride is the story of a vintage-car mechanic who is underestimated by the men in her field and confronted by a creepy 1978 Camaro—and the lecherous beast inhabiting it.
Ride Baby Ride is the brainchild of writer/director/producer Sofie Somoroff. Somoroff is known primarily for her films of various genres centring around female bodily functions. Her filmography includes titles like Love is Fire, My First Night in LA, and My Worst Night in LA…films with themes ranging from yeast infections to masturbation to defecation.
Now, this is not brought up as a reference to toilet humour but to rather highlight the filmmaker’s tendency to focus their films on the female experience; the good along with the bad. Ride Baby Ride continues this tradition by tackling intense themes like misogyny, rape, and sexual objectification. Rather than musical comedy, Somoroff is back doing horror and what a treat it is for us.
We open with two leering laymen selling off the Camaro to our unnamed protagonist. The men are clearly the tone setters for the short, filling us instantly with disgust and a bit of unease. It is not clear if there two know about the car’s inner demons or if the car itself has the dark desires of these two letches, though I imagine it’s a bit of both. We then switch to the garage, the film’s primary set.
Our unnamed protagonist then battles the horniest of cars, one with demons of desire within. The film is clearly meant to make us uncomfortable and succeeds in doing just that. There is nothing sexy about the film—the mood is invasive and violent, with the car seeming to leak a little more than break fluid at some points. There is an unsettling atmosphere and an intentionally claustrophobic air to the set, both inside the garage and in the Camaro itself.
The cinematography and editing were fantastic, as were the practical effects used in the car itself. There is almost a Giger-esque biomechanical feel that added to the ‘dirty’ tone of the production. There was also very little to fault. The whole film is clean; it’s a tightly snipped and sewn production that correctly uses the horror genre to discuss it’s tough-to-swallow themes. The film makes you think but—more importantly—it makes you feel. Sure, that feeling may be a little dirty or disgusted, but that simply means that the film has succeeded in its intent.
Ride Baby Ride was released today on Alter and is available to watch below. Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid. The artwork and trailer are also included for those who don’t want to commit an entire seven minutes.
