Random Acts of Violence: Worth a Watch?

-

Stand-up comedian Jay Baruchel has decided to take a stab at the meta-slasher, promising to probe into the twisted hearts of horror fans and their insatiable longings for on-screen blood and guts. Is it time to re-examine our life choices? More importantly, is Random Acts of Violence worth a watch?

In a nutshell: Todd (Jesse Williams) is working on the final issue of his successful Slasherman graphic novel series -  controversially based on the real life I-95 killer, who was never caught. Deciding to take a road trip with some friends to get the creative juices flowing, Todd realises a crazed fan is re-enacting the kills from his comic books.

This article is a spoiler-free zone.

Random Acts of Violence's hits 


  • Some of the social commentary is pretty spot-on – I particularly enjoyed a scene at a horror convention where Todd is asked to sign weapons and miniature replicas of torture vans. As in most of the famous slasher franchises, Todd’s fans very much see the murderous Slasherman as the hero of the story.
  • As well as the plot basically being the same as Tenebrae, the heavy use of primary colours and surreal lighting is peak Argento. It’s been a while since we had a neon-coloured horror flick, but fans of the subgenre will be pleased to know the visual style is still alive and kicking.
  • The characterisation is generally good, as long as you have a high tolerance for vaguely neurotic millennials. Jesse Williams does a very good horrified expression.

 Random Acts of Violence's misses


  • The movie is incredibly po-faced. Whereas most meta-horrors have a sense of fun, Random Acts of Violence most certainly does not. Films like Ruin Me appreciate the difference between over-the-top on-screen violence and real-life brutality, but this film doesn’t make that distinction. The implication that fictional violence inspires real-life violence was something I thought we’d binned following the bizarre mass panic over Joker. Also are we taking aim at horror or true crime fans here?
  • The pacing is somewhat plodding. Though the movie has some great sequences, there isn’t really any escalation in tension.
  • A lot of the fun of watching slashers comes from seeing ridiculous kills and impressive practical effects. Not so here. Most of the kills happen offscreen, though there is a liberal smattering of gore.
Random Acts of Violence is available to stream on Shudder.

Still looking for something to watch? Why not check out more of the Worth a Watch? series.

Fill your Twitter feed with weekly horror content. Follow us:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The four weirdest horror movie sex scenes

-
Image
Gratuitous sex scenes are a mainstay in most horror flicks, but some stick in the mind for their general WTF nature. Here are the four most bizarre scenes of intercourse, handpicked in four different categories. This list includes consensual encounters only, so there'll be no appearances from otherwise memorable scenes such as the Midsommar fertility ritual, the Evil Dead handsy tree branches or the various penile decapitations in Teeth . Weirdest Slasher Hookup We all know teens in slasher films exist to have sex and then be inventively killed. But which movie has the most out-there adolescent coupling? There can be only one answer: WINNER:  Madman (1981) - hot tub scene TP (Tony Fish) and Betsy (Gaylen Ross) are enjoying a bit of aquatic loving, unaware the murderous Madman Marz is on the prowl. The scene has distinct soft porn vibes - the song choice of Steve Horelick's 'I Don't Need Words'; the slo-mo undressing; and seemingly endless shots of the couple circl
Read more

The significance of The Entity's 10 different forms in It Follows

-
Image
The It of It Follows   takes several different forms, and we're told early on it could appear as "someone you know or a stranger in a crowd". If you pay close attention, it seems like each form is chosen specifically to mess with Jay (Maika Monroe) , acting as a manifestation of subconscious anxieties. Director David Robert Mitchell explained to Vulture that when choosing the form of It - often referred to as The Entity - he "tried to just think about what was troubling to me in each of those situations". Mitchell noted in the same interview that many of the forms The Entity takes are more significant than we realise - it's just too far away to properly register for most viewers. Bearing this in mind, I've listed all of the main forms The Entity takes and teased out how they're significant to Jay's mental state at that point in the film. #1 - Naked woman in the car park (Ruby Harris) There's some debate over who thi
Read more

Top 10 slasher kills - from Friday the 13th to Terrifier

-
Image
Slasher movies have been preoccupied with the most inventive ways to kill folks for decades. Here's ten of horror's most elaborate murders from artisans such as Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger and Art the Clown. The kills are ranked on originality, gore effects and just how much they make your stomach turn. There's also a bit of info on how the special effects team worked their magic. It hardly needs saying, but be advised there are some bloody images and video clips below. 10/ Caught in a cat flap - Scream (1997) Killer: Ghostface Victim: Tatum Riley (Rose McGowan) What goes down: Tatum is confronted by Ghostface while grabbing some beers from the garage. What she thinks is a prank escalates quickly as the masked killer pulls a knife. Tatum looks to have the upper hand as she batters a flailing Ghostface with fridge doors and beer bottles. Yet then she makes the ill advised decision to try and squeeze through a cat flap. Ghostface can't beli
Read more