Random Acts of Violence

The comic book creator Todd is struggling to come up with a worthy conclusion to his horror series "Slasherman." Inspired by a murderer who terrorized the I-90 highway in the late '80s, the series has become immensely popular but has also faced criticism for profiting from real tragedies. To overcome his writer's block, Todd takes his wife Kathy, who is working on a book about the murderer's victims, his assistant Aurora, and his friend Ezra on a signing tour and research trip along the haunted stretch of road. A decision they will regret when murders clearly inspired by Slasherman soon follow in their footsteps. Has the original murderer returned, or has the obsession with the comic taken one of Todd's fans completely off the rails? Based on a graphic novel by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, Jay Baruchel's adaptation is an extremely bloody, creepy, yet comedic meta-reflection on art as a reflection of a often violent reality. Alongside splatter horror, it raises questions about whether an artist has a responsibility for how their creation is received and interpreted by the audience. Filmed in a series-inspired aesthetic by Karim Hussain and featuring plenty of gruesome practical effects, Baruchel's film is sure to leave a lasting impression.

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