With a title like Random Acts of Violence, you're not exactly expecting a family-friendly affair, but you might not be expecting just how violent these random acts get.

Directed by Jay Baruchel (the voice of Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon, lest we forget) and on Shudder now, the movie based on the comic book of the same name sees Grey's Anatomy star Jesse Williams play Todd Walkley, who is struggling to find a way to end his comic book SLASHERMAN.

Todd sets off on a road trip with his wife Kathy (Fast & Furious star Jordana Brewster), assistant Aurora (Niamh Wilson) and best friend/publisher Ezra (Baruchel) to New York Comic-Con, hoping that he'll solve his creative dilemma along the way.

What he doesn't expect is to be trailed by a series of grotesque murders, seemingly inspired by the deaths in his own comic book and things soon get really bloody, really fast.

Shudder/Elevation Pictures

Watch Random Acts of Violence on Shudder

For a movie with a runtime of around 80 minutes, Random Acts of Violence sure packs a lot into its brief stay. It's smarter and sharper than you'd expect from its bloody concept, so you could almost say it has a brain to go with its literal brains on display.

One of the reasons Todd wants to end his successful comic book is that he's dismayed with the continued violence in it, especially since SLASHERMAN was inspired by real-life murders with genuine victims whose families were forever affected by their loss.

When the real-life murders start up again, Todd is forced to assess his responsibility for the killing spree. Would they have happened even if he didn't publish his comic book? How much of an effect does art have on real life?

It's a meaty subject and while Random Acts of Violence addresses it, it certainly offers no easy answers. There's also a fine balancing act on display too, as in telling its story, the movie offers some extremely graphic violence of its own.

We're not being dramatic when we say the movie is set to be the goriest and most disgusting of 2020, one that even the most hardened gore hounds might not want to watch while eating.

Not only are the killings graphic, but the killer's signature touch is to leave their victims in gruesome displays that they believe is their art. Think Hannibal, just with more blood.

The effects on display are truly impressive and gut-churning, whether it's an unforgettable 'threesome' or the most messed-up family Christmas dinner ever. You'll both want to look away and applaud the work.

With most of the crimes committed against women though, it feels at times though that Random Acts of Violence wants to have its cake and eat it too. There's a hypothetical version of this movie that could have been made without the need for the bloody violence and macabre displays. It could be argued that the movie is doing the exact thing that it seems to be criticising.

Equally, by making it hard to watch and so extreme, does that make its point more effective? By confronting us with it in its rawest form, it forces you to think about your reaction to the violence.

"I've wondered a lot how much this idea of 'the woman as victim' had been sort of drilled into my subconscious, from music videos to victims in horror movies," Baruchel told The Independent in a recent interview.

"I could name the Zodiac Killer and John Wayne Gacy, but almost none of the people they killed. I could name Freddy and Jason and Michael Myers, but none of their victims on screen. What the f**k is that?"

Baruchel recalled the debate around the Columbine shootings when Marilyn Manson's music was being blamed, while artists were defending their right to make art about anything without social consequence.

"But once you put that out there, once you engage in a debate with a stranger, or on Twitter, or you put up a poster, I believe you are somewhat connected to that, and you are somewhat responsible. There are consequences to putting shit out," he added.

Shudder/Elevation Pictures

To that extent, he likely will relish the debate that Random Acts of Violence is sure to provoke in terms of whether it goes too far in displaying the very thing it aims to criticise.

You can say what you want about it, but the movie certainly isn't easy to forget.

Random Acts of Violence is available to watch now on Shudder.

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Grey's Anatomy star Jesse Williams' new movie Random Acts of Violence is the goriest and most disgusting of 2020 - digitalspy.com