Alright, folks, gather ’round and let me tell you about this low-budget, high-tension carnival ride of a movie called Lowlifes. Get your popcorn and get ready for a fun one.

So, here’s the gist: a wholesome, all-American family—Dad Keith (Matthew MacCaull), Mom Kathleen (Elyse Levesque, Ready or Not), rebellious teen Amy (Amanda Fix), and eager-to-please son Jeffrey (Josh Zaharia)—decides to take an RV trip through the middle of nowhere. You know, because nothing ever goes wrong in the countryside, right? Of course that’s wrong! Don’t take an RV trip where you know there could be mutant, inbred, cannibalistic hillbillies!

Let’s get back on track. The family’s little escapade turns into a horror show faster than you can say, “Don’t trust the locals.” The fam stumbles upon a couple of sketchy hicks, Vern (Richard Harmon) and Billy (Ben Sullivan), who are looking for their missing cousin, Melior (spoiler: he’s probably not coming back). What follows is a night of murder, betrayal, and a ton of blood-soaked insanity that’s so over-the-top, it feels like a backwoods episode of Maury. Even if you think that set-up sounds cliche, promise me you’ll stick with it.

If you’re looking for a profound exploration of the human condition, Lowlifes might not be your cup of tea. But it’s a hell of a horror romp with genuinely surprising twists, quality acting, sick kills, and gore. But I’m not discussing the plot any more.

The film toys with themes of class disparity, social privilege, and how utterly disgusting people can be when pushed to their limits. And let’s not forget the undercurrent of good ol’ family dysfunction. The movie has something to say about the disparity between city slickers and country folk, but honestly, you’ll be too busy trying to figure out who’s gonna get axed next to care about the social commentary.

The directorial duo of Tesh Guttikonda and Mitch Oliver does a bang-up job keeping the pacing tight and the tension higher than Keith’s cholesterol after a BBQ. They clearly know their horror tropes and use them to their advantage, flipping them like pancakes at a greasy spoon diner.

The film’s chaotic energy is palpable from the get-go, as it moves from one gut-punching twist to another. The directors pull no punches—just when you think you’ve got the plot figured out, they swerve, sending you careening into a wall of unexpected gore and gristle. If this movie were a person, it’d be that friend who always insists on one more drink after you’ve already had six and are considering calling it a night. You know, the one who’s the reason you end up at a questionable 24-hour diner at 3 AM.

The script, penned by Al Kaplan, is like a love letter to every B-movie horror flick that ever made you cringe and cheer at the same time. The dialogue is snappy, darkly funny, and more than a little unhinged. It’s clear that Kaplan had a blast writing this, stuffing it with as many twists, turns, and one-liners as humanly possible.

One of the standout lines in the movie is, “I eat pussy, not people!”—a bit of dialogue that will either make you howl with laughter or cringe in your seat, depending on your tolerance for tasteless humor. And that’s the beauty of it: the script doesn’t give a damn if it offends your delicate sensibilities. It’s here to entertain, and if it has to throw a couple of blood-soaked punches to do that, so be it.

Matthew MacCaull as Keith is the perfect mix of “nice guy next door” and “holy crap, this dude is a psycho.” He’s got that Jake Gyllenhaal-in-Nightcrawler vibe down to a science—respectable one minute, unhinged the next. Elyse Levesque as Kathleen plays the fluttery, pill-popping mom with an edge, giving off strong “desperate housewife who might stab you” energy.

But the real stars of the show are Amanda Fix and Brenna Llewellyn. Fix, as Amy, is a force of nature—sarcastic, rebellious, and just dangerous enough to make you wonder if she’s really the victim or the villain. Llewellyn’s Savannah, meanwhile, is a revelation. She’s like Katniss Everdeen if Katniss were way more into murder and less into revolution. Their chemistry is off the charts, and they bring a level of intensity to their scenes that elevates the entire film.

Richard Harmon and Ben Sullivan as Vern and Billy are perfectly cast as the skeezy locals who seem like they’ve wandered in from a different movie altogether—something in the vein of Deliverance but with more teeth.

The cinematography by whoever they got to point the camera and hit record (because let’s be real, this is a B-movie) is surprisingly effective. The film doesn’t shy away from the gore, but it’s not so over-the-top that it comes off as cartoonish. The close-ups are brutal, the wide shots are eerie, and the whole thing has a grimy, claustrophobic feel that suits the story perfectly. The lighting? Moody as hell. The use of shadows and light creates a sense of dread.

Lowlifes shines brightest when it leans into its B-movie roots while simultaneously delivering a story that’s smarter than it has any right to be. The writing is sharp, the direction is tight, and the performances are way better than you’d expect from a film with a budget smaller than your average student loan. It also manages to be genuinely scary at times, which is no small feat in a world where horror movies often sacrifice suspense for shock value. The film doesn’t just rely on jump scares (though there are a few good ones); it builds tension in a way that keeps you on edge from start to finish.

Let’s be honest: Lowlifes isn’t breaking any new ground. It’s not the next Hereditary or Get Out, but it doesn’t need to be. The film wears its influences on its sleeve, and if you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll recognize the nods to classics like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes. The twists, while fun, are occasionally predictable if you’ve seen more than a couple of horror movies in your life. And there are moments where the film’s low budget is painfully obvious. But again, that’s part of the charm.

In a world where horror movies are either too polished or too pretentious, Lowlifes is a breath of grimy, blood-soaked air. It’s fun, it’s nasty, and it’s got a sense of humor darker than the bottom of a well. If you’re looking for a movie that will make you laugh, scream, and possibly question your life choices, then fire up Tubi and give Lowlifes a watch. I recommend it.