For a while now, Tubi has been one of the best streaming services for horror. It features over 10,000 horror movies, more than any other streaming service, and the fact that it’s free doesn’t hurt. Tubi has been releasing originals for the past few years, but they’ve mostly flown under the radar. That has just changed. Tubi recently released an original titled Lowlifes. To my surprise, it is one of the best horror films of 2024.
The film was directed by Tesh Guttikonda and Mitch Oliver from a script by Al Kaplan. Lowlifes was released without major fanfare, leaving it mainly overlooked by genre fans (until now). And that’s a shame. I expected the kind of low-budget flick we get with recycled plots. But that’s not what I got.
The film sees a family on their yearly trip in an RV: a dad, a mom, a teen daughter, and a teen son. While the family looks beguine enough, the family harbors a secret. At first, you think it is a story about rednecks stalking the vacationing family, but then the movie does a 180. We get two families both fighting to survive during a spaghetti dinner gone terribly wrong. Did I mention that one of the families are bonified psychos with a taste for human flesh? Yeah, it’s that kind of movie.
The story feels familiar but is a fresh tale with its own gritty charm. It has a faint Texas Chainsaw meets The Strangers feel, if that makes sense. It’s intense as hell and had me screaming at the characters on my TV to “run,” “lookout,” and “whoop his ass.” Needless to say, I got into it, something that rarely happens these days.
The cast was well chosen, especially regarding the families’ daughters. Amanda Fix played the pot-smoking, back-talking daughter of the preppy family. Brenna Llewellyn stars as Savannah, the family-dedicated, piano-playing lesbian next door. These two girls go for broke. Not only do they capture the emotion of the situation, but they put up one hell of a fight. Not to say that the other actors didn’t do well, they did. But both Fix and Llewellyn impressed the hell out of me.
Are you in the mood for action? Lowlifes has a lot of it. There is bloody fight scene after bloody fight scene and some social commentary thrown in, though it’s secondary to the story. While Lowlifes is trope-heavy, it’s also entertaining. If brutality and gore are your thing, you’ll be pleased. If you’re into twists, this movie has a ton. It’s a fun watch with a lot of unexpected goodies.
Yes, I meant it when I said Lowlifes is one of the year’s best horror movies. It’s everything a good horror movie should be: smart, bloody, brutal, and badass. And you can watch it now, streaming free on Tubi. Do yourself a favor and watch it tonight.
