Lowlifes – Tubi Review (4/5)

LOWLIFES on TUBI is a new horror movie that puts a spin on the classic city folk versus hillbilly horror plot. A wonderful surprise that you do not want to miss out on. Read our full Lowlifes horror movie review here!

LOWLIFES is a new Tubi horror movie and it’s a good one! Just recently we saw the horror comedy Slay on Tubi, which is essentially about vampires versus drag queens. The movie has been hailed as a wonderful surprise, and with this new release, we’re getting yet another great Tubi horror movie.

For this one, however, there is no horror comedy. Instead, it turns out to be one bloody slasher where all the horror tropes are turned on their head. For one, this may be called a “Canadian backwoods horror film”, but it’s a delicious twist on the old The Hills Have Eyes stereotype.

Continue reading our Lowlifes horror movie review below. Check it out on Tubi from April 11, 2024.

A new take on backwoods horror

In the 2024 horror movie, we meet a road-tripping family with two teenage kids who are getting tired of their dad’s RV vacations. Or rather, the daughter (who is the oldest) has had enough while the son is still trying to impress dad.

Yes, exactly like The Griswold family of the National Lampoon Vacation movies.

For this family, the vacation is about to take a sinister turn. Their survival instincts are put to the test when they get involved with a family of hillbillys. I recognize that this is not a politically correct name – or even a fair one – but in this case, those living in the backwoods are no dummies.

The city folks from L.A. will have their work cut out for them, as they end up staying the night at a remote homestead.

While Lowlifes is a spin on the backwoods horror tropes, we also get some very classic (even stereotypical, but they feel like tributes) characters in this movie. From the girls kissing girls to a big dude, who just grunts, and even the city folk who have no appreciation for the country charm.

Wonderful cast all around

While this is a very bloody slasher, we do get some dark humor along the way. However, be warned that the further we go, the messier it will all become. There’s a charm to this kind of movie and Lowlifes manages to always stay right on track.

A big part of making this all work as well as it does – and it is freaking brilliant at times – is the casting, which is just perfect.

The vacationing family is dad, Keith, portrayed by Matthew MacCaull. You may recognize Matthew MacCaull from Deadly Midwife on TUBI or the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters series on Apple TV+. He has that charm-turned-psycho look perfect. It means you never know if he’s the hero or villain.

Mom, Kathleen, is portrayed by Elyse Levesque (Disquiet), who is both kind and focused – when she’s not popping pills, anyway. The son, Jeffrey, and daughter, Amy, are portrayed by Josh Zaharia (Ghostwriter) and Amanda Fix (Orphan Black: Echoes) respectively.

And then there’s the backwoods family. The key character in this family is the younger sister, Savannah. She’s portrayed wonderfully by Brenna Llewellyn. Savannah is like a Katniss Everdeen of The Hunger Games type. Basically, she has wits and instinct along with impressive bow skills.

In other key roles that may be smaller, but still important, we see Cassandra Sawtell as the older sister, Richard Harmon as the cousin Vern, Ben Sullivan as Billy, and Dayleigh Nelson as Big Mac. Also, Alexander Calvert (Gen V) is Deputy White, who is a minor character throughout the story.

Watch Lowlifes on Tubi now!

The new Tubi horror movie is directed by Tesh Guttikonda (Summerland, co-writer of Influencer) and Mitch Oliver (The Druid’s Hand short film). The screenplay was written by Al Kaplan (Critters: A New Binge series, Zombeavers).

Whatever you expect from Lowlifes, be ready to get a few surprises along the way. Not only is the cast full of familiar genre actors, but they also work remarkably well in their respective roles. Also, the twists and turns along the way are just pure treats for us as viewers.

I even enjoyed the one-liners that are classic in horror movies when we get toward the end. And speaking of the ending?! Don’t think you have it all figured out. This movie does not hold back or stop with its style of flipping things on its head. I loved it!

LOWLIFES is out on Tubi from April 11, 2024.

Details

Directors: Tesh Guttikonda, Mitch Oliver
Writer: Al Kaplan
Stars: Amanda Fix, Matthew MacCaull, Brenna Llewellyn, Elyse Levesque, Josh Zaharia, Cassandra Sawtell, Richard Harmon, Kevin McNulty, Ben Sullivan, Alexander Calvert, Dayleigh Nelson