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Review: ‘Random Acts of Violence’ is a Stylish, Brutal, Self-Aware Slasher

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Random Acts of Violence

It’s rare that you find a literary adaptation that surpasses the source material, but with Random Acts of Violence, Jay Baruchel does just that. With brilliant, hypnotic cinematography by Karim Hussein (Hobo with a Shotgun, Possessor), and a pulsating score by Andrew Gordon Macpherson (The Ranger, Dark Side of the Ring) and Wade MacNeil (Alexisonfire, Black Lungs), Random Acts of Violence is a brutally bloody meditation on our cultural celebration of cruelty and societal reactions to violence as art.

After working on the script for over 8 years, Baruchel and co-writer Jesse Chabot finally found the right time to make it happen. You can tell it’s a project they’re passionate about; the script is nuanced yet forthright, dissecting the intersection of real violence and pop culture when it comes to topics like true crime and the horror genre. This is Baruchel’s second time working a set from the director’s chair (the first being Goon: Last of the Enforcers), and it sets a promising tone for any future horror endeavors. 

In the film, comic book creator Todd (Jesse Williams, Cabin in the Woods), his wife Kathy (Jordana Brewster, the Fast and the Furious franchise), assistant Aurora (Niamh Wilson), and best friend, Hard Calibre Comics owner Ezra (Baruchel), embark on a road trip from Toronto to New York Comic Con. Bad things start to happen, people start getting killed, and it soon becomes clear that someone is using Todd’s “Slasherman” comic as inspiration for the murders.

via Elevation Pictures

Visually, Random Acts of Violence knocks it out of the park. The lighting soaks each setting in color; it smothers in rich, moody tones akin to the saturated scenes of Gaspar Noé. Steadicams and shifting dutch angles burrow under your skin and force the film forward; it feels like a moving train that can’t be stopped, much like the murders themselves. Cinematographer Karim Hussein and Baruchel have developed a very distinct visual language that translates so incredibly well. It has a palpable energy that’s truly its own. 

The film perfectly captures the vibe of a graphic novel without feeling cartoonish. The score, the sets, the lighting, every element combines in a vibrant medley that still holds a lot of grit. This film has some serious character. 

And when it comes to the titular cruelty seen in the film, Random Acts of Violence pulls no punches. The violence is heavy, and some shots really hit me; they were raw and chaotic. Virtually everything is achieved practically — it’s visceral, surprising, and impressive. That said, it never feels excessive. It’s just enough to burn the images into your brain without going so over-the-top that it becomes silly. It feels rough, and it feels real. 

via Elevation Pictures

Branching off from the 2010 one-shot graphic novel of the same name (by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti), Random Acts of Violence expands on the comic’s original concept. In the film, we see Todd not as an enthusiastic new talent, but as a jaded and weary writer who just wants to bring his series to its brutal, bloody end while avoiding responsibility for his violent creation. In a similar shift, the character of Kathy takes agency and gives a humble yet dedicated voice to victims of “real life” tragedies. By adding these dimensions, Baruchel and Chabot are able to open the dialogue about violence and art, giving each side of the argument its fair dues. 

The film captures this glorification of true crime and killer culture while ensuring that there is a focus not only on the villain, but on the victims. But it doesn’t take a soft hand when dealing with our obsession with violence; the script is very blunt when presenting both sides of the argument for/against responsibility, and in the process, skewers the way the horror genre has been commonly approached. 

The film opens with a monologue on the nature of art and its criticism, tucked away in the panels of a “Slasherman” comic. When Todd tries to justify the inclusion of this esoteric writing in his final issue, he is questioned by Kathy for attempting to put a bit of medicine in with the sugar. “Everybody wants all sugar all the time”, he sighs, exasperated in the corner he’s drawn himself into. 

via Elevation Pictures

During a brief scene of a newscast, a scrolling poll asks “is our country too violent”. Baruchel confronts that question with the visceral acts of violence that pull the film along. These meta moments steer the conversation about our cultural obsession with cruelty, and the horror genre’s perceived propensity for thoughtless bloodshed. “Real art is born of truth,” the script states, “everything else is masturbation”. The delicious irony of that statement is not lost on me as the film builds to its blood-splattered climax. 

Through all this, the film uses brutality to push the story. Though Random Acts of Violence is a well polished film, its scripted acts of violence are not glamorous; they’re clumsy and realistically frenzied. Horror as a genre has been so often perceived as just inflicting pain on others for the sake of entertainment, and it’s been demonized for this. Random Acts of Violence is a vicious yet humbly self-reflecting horror that realizes the glorification of murder and mayhem while acknowledging its criticisms. 

This is a horror film for horror fans who like a dose of medicine with the sugar. Gory, subversive, and self-aware, Random Acts of Violence just gets it.


You can check out Random Acts of Violence in theaters and on-demand in Canada on July 31, or on Shudder US, UK, and Ireland on August 20.

For part one of my interview with Jay Baruchel on horror, slashers and Random Acts of Violence, click here. For part two on directing, effects, and his top horror movies, click here.

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The Pope’s Exorcist Officially Announces New Sequel

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The Pope’s Exorcist is one of those films that’s just fun to watch. It isn’t the most terrifying film around, but there’s something about Russel Crow (Gladiator) playing a wise cracking Catholic priest that just feels right.

Screen Gems seems to agree with this assessment, as they have just officially announced that The Pope’s Exorcist sequel is in the works. It makes sense that Screen Gems would want to keep this franchise going, considering the first film scared up almost $80 million with a budget of only $18 million.

The Pope's Exorcist
The Pope’s Exorcist

According to Crow, there may even be a The Pope’s Exorcist trilogy in the works. However, recent changes with the studio may have put the third film on hold. In a sit-down with The Six O’Clock Show, Crow gave the following statement about the project.

“Well that’s in discussion at the moment. The producers originally got the kick off from the studio not just for one sequel but for two. But there’s been a change of studio heads at the moment, so that’s going around in a few circles. But very definitely, man. We set that character up that you could take him out and put him into a lot of different circumstances.”

Crow has also stated that film’s source material involves twelve separate books. This would allow the studio to take the story in all kinds of directions. With that much source material, The Pope’s Exorcist could even rival The Conjuring Universe.

Only the future will tell what becomes of The Pope’s Exorcist. But as always, more horror is always a good thing.

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New ‘Faces of Death’ Remake Will Be Rated R For “Strong Bloody Violence and Gore”

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In a move that should surprise absolutely no one, the Faces of Death reboot has been given an R rating from the MPA. Why has the film been given this rating? For strong bloody violence, gore, sexual content, nudity, language, and drug use, of course.

What else would you expect from a Faces of Death reboot? It would honestly be alarming if the film received anything less than an R rating.

Faces of death
Faces of Death

For those unaware, the original Faces of Death film released in 1978 and promised viewers video evidence of real deaths. Of course, this was just a marketing gimmick. Promoting a real snuff film would be a terrible idea.

But the gimmick worked, and franchise lived on in infamy. The Faces of Death reboot is hoping to gain the same amount of viral sensation as its predecessor. Isa Mazzei (Cam) and Daniel Goldhaber (How to Blow Up a Pipeline) will spearhead this new addition.

The hope is that this reboot will do well enough to recreate the infamous franchise for a new audience. While we don’t know much about the film at this point, but a joint statement from Mazzei and Goldhaber gives us the following info on the plot.

“Faces of Death was one of the first viral video tapes, and we are so lucky to be able to use it as a jumping off point for this exploration of cycles of violence and the way they perpetuate themselves online.”

“The new plot revolves around a female moderator of a YouTube-like website, whose job is to weed out offensive and violent content and who herself is recovering from a serious trauma, that stumbles across a group that is recreating the murders from the original film. But in the story primed for the digital age and age of online misinformation, the question faced is are the murders real or fake?”

The reboot will have some bloody shoes to fill. But from the looks of it, this iconic franchise is in good hands. Unfortunately, the film does not have a release date at this time.

That’s all the information we have at this time. Make sure to check back here for more news and updates.

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Panic Fest 2024 Review: ‘The Ceremony Is About To Begin’

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People will look for answers and belonging in the darkest places and the darkest people. The Osiris Collective is a commune predicated upon ancient Egyptian theology and was run by the mysterious Father Osiris. The group boasted dozens of members, each forgoing their old lives for one held in the Egyptian themed land owned by Osiris in Northern California. But the good times take a turn for the worst when in 2018, an upstart member of the collective named Anubis (Chad Westbrook Hinds) reports Osiris disappearing while mountain climbing and declaring himself the new leader. A schism ensued with many members leaving the cult under Anubis’ unhinged leadership. A documentary is being made by a young man named Keith (John Laird) whose fixation with The Osiris Collective stems from his girlfriend Maddy leaving him for the group several years ago. When Keith gets invited to document the commune by Anubis himself, he decides to investigate, only to get wrapped up in horrors he couldn’t even imagine…

The Ceremony Is About To Begin is the latest genre twisting horror film from Red Snow‘s Sean Nichols Lynch. This time tackling cultist horror along with a mockumentary style and the Egyptian mythology theme for the cherry on top. I was a big fan of Red Snow‘s subversiveness of the vampire romance sub-genre and was excited to see what this take would bring. While the movie has some interesting ideas and a decent tension between the meek Keith and the erratic Anubis, it just doesn’t exactly thread everything together in a succinct fashion.

The story begins with a true crime documentary style interviewing former members of The Osiris Collective and sets-up what led the cult to where it is now. This aspect of the storyline, especially Keith’s own personal interest in the cult, made it an interesting plotline. But aside from some clips later on, it doesn’t play as much a factor. The focus is largely on the dynamic between Anubis and Keith, which is toxic to put it lightly. Interestingly, Chad Westbrook Hinds and John Lairds are both credited as writers on The Ceremony Is About To Begin and definitely feel like they’re putting their all into these characters. Anubis is the very definition of a cult leader. Charismatic, philosophical, whimsical, and threateningly dangerous at the drop of a hat.

Yet strangely, the commune is deserted of all cult members. Creating a ghost town that only amps up the danger as Keith documents Anubis’ alleged utopia. A lot of the back and forth between them drags at times as they struggle for control and Anubis keeps continuing to convince Keith to stick around despite the threatening situation. This does lead to a pretty fun and bloody finale that fully leans into mummy horror.

Overall, despite meandering and having a bit of a slow pace, The ceremony Is About To Begin is a fairly entertaining cult, found footage, and mummy horror hybrid. If you want mummies, it delivers on mummies!

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