Lawrence Fowler brings us the 2025 Horror/Thriller Rob1n. It could have been titled; Things We Do For Love. It is, after all, love that drives at least two of the main characters in this science fiction driven tale. Aiden creates his AI robot Rob1n because he misses the late Robin, his real son. Leo is moved to steal from Aiden as he loves his fiance Lexi. As Roxy Music put is so succinctly; “Love is the drug I need to score.”
The poster of Rob1n made me think of two things immediately. M3GAN and Pin. It actually made me think of the 1988 Canadian horror film Pin. *The Pin synopsis: Isolated by his strange parents, Leon finds solace in an imaginary friend, an anatomy doll from his father’s doctor office. The doll begins to take over Leon’s life, and his sister’s life as well.* (Via IMDb.com.)
Rob1n does something similar to Aiden, his creator.
The Rob1n Story
Rich robotics engineer Aiden makes a robot version of the son who died many years before. Suffering from a form of amnesia, Aiden has forgotten how his real son died. In the present day, the robot “doll” is incredibly jealous of his “Dad’s” affections. He is murderously inclined to take out the competition.
The Main Cast
Leona Clarke is Lexi.
Michaela McCormick is Freya.
Ethan Taylor is Leo.
Simon Davies is Aiden.
Mollie Hindle-Pérez is DS Farmer.
Victor Mellors is DS Proctor.
Let’s Talk Rob1n
Welsh writer and director Fowler knows how to project menace. The robotic “son” exudes menace, as does his forgetful father. Nephew Leo also emits a menacing air, he is really there for the lolly (money) that Uncle Aiden keeps in a safe. Apparently, uncle does not trust banks.
The film on offer is not a real allusion to Pinocchio either. Neither this robot, nor his father, have hopes of it becoming a “real boy.” The robot also has no Jiminy Cricket conscience either. Rob1n is a bad lad through and through. It seems that the “being of Robin” is in this mechanical marvel and the real boy went murderous at his 11th birthday party.
Fowler gives us a pretty impressive body count here. 5 folks meet their end by film’s end. Although to be fair, Aiden does do one of them in by pistol. *This harks back to how he ended the birthday party massacre “back in the day.”
It Works
As a possession story, the film works. Aiden takes the battery pack out of his creation but the thing works anyway. Filmed in Wales at Fonmon Castle, a paranormal “hotspot,” the film is atmospheric and the setting helps the menacing air that permeates the entire story.
It is interesting to note that the birthday party massacre feels an awful lot like the pretend birthday party that features in Nope. *One of the subplots that runs throughout that film is the chimpanzee who goes “ape” during a television shoot. The animal attacks the entire cast bar one. Blood is everywhere. The boy star of the show hides under a table, as does someone else at this birthday party. At the end of the rampage, the chimp is shot to death. Just like Robin in this film.*
The robot looks creepy, although a writer who covered the filming of Rob1n, thought the thing looked “cute.” Those heavy eyelids drooping halfway down this creature’s eyes appear to be quite unpleasant. This is not helped by its tendency to brutally kill victims who earn the things ire.
The Verdict
Rob1n earns a solid 3.5 stars. This is clearly a lower budgeted film but it works fine for what it does. We are never treated to a real look at the robot murdering folks. We are treated to glimpses and this use of “smoke and mirrors” works well enough. This is a creepy and bloody horror film that hits all the right spots however “lowkey” it may feel to the more bloodthirsty viewer in the audience. It is streaming on Prime right now. Head on over and check it out, see what you think.
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