Jay Baruchel is probably best known for his comedic roles in films such as “She’s Out of My League,” “Knocked Up,” and “This is the End.” But for his latest directorial effort, “Random Acts of Violence.” the actor-turned-filmmaker is venturing into the world of horror.
As seen in the trailer for “Random Acts of Violence,” the film tells the story of a comic book creator and his crew of friends that find themselves on a bloody trip from Toronto to the New York Comic Con event. Along the way, it becomes clear that a crazed fan is using the creator’s “Slasherman” comic book as inspiration for a violent string of killings. And eventually, the creator finds himself in the crosshairs.
In our review of the film from last year’s Fantastic Fest, we said, “‘Violence’ will find an audience in horror fans searching for explicit gore and a throwback aesthetic, but Baruchel works hard to push back on those very horror fans for the role they may play in celebrating acts of brutal violence. That being said, the director never puts himself above the genre—this is not the work of a self-serious artist dabbling in horror for kicks—but neither is he interested in traditional modes of entertainment.”
In addition to “Random Acts of Violence,” Baruchel has also directed the comedy sequel, “Goon: Last of the Enforcers.”
“Random Acts of Violence” will arrive on the Shudder streaming service on August 20 and in select theaters and VOD on July 31 in Canada. You can watch the trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis:
What are the real consequences when life begins to imitate art? Comic book creator Todd Walkley (Jesse Williams), his wife Kathy (Jordana Brewster), assistant Aurora (Niamh Wilson) and best friend, Hard Calibre Comics owner Ezra (Baruchel), embark upon a road trip from Toronto to New York Comic Con and bad things start to happen. People start getting killed. It soon becomes clear that a crazed fan is using Todd’s “SLASHERMAN” comic as inspiration for the killings and as the bodies pile up, and Todd’s friends and family become victims themselves, Todd will be forced to take artistic responsibility.