Billy Magnussen And Lulu Wilson Lead Joe Lynch’s Buzzkill, A Boozy Horror Comedy With Bite

I love a clean, high-concept horror hook, and this one is basically begging for a crowd on a Friday night. Director Joe Lynch is loading up his next movie, a horror comedy called 'Buzzkill,' and the premise is so blunt you can hear the pitch in the room: a monster you can only see when you are drunk.

The premise

Set in a small Texas town, 'Buzzkill' follows Sheriff Red, a recently widowed, recovering alcoholic who gets pulled into a grisly case as locals start turning up murdered and dismembered. The twist: the creature doing it feeds on blood alcohol content. With the town’s annual brewery festival looming, everyone is about to be prime rib for this thing. Red has to wrestle his recovery and pick up the bottle one last time to take the monster down and save the town.

Cast and characters

Billy Magnussen ('Road House') is playing Sheriff Red, the sober-but-shaken lawman forced back into a bottle for the greater good. Lulu Wilson ('Becky') is on board as Lydia, Red’s pissed-off little sister who is not exactly over what life has thrown at their family. The script is by Colin McLaughlin.

What it feels like

The movie is being described as 'A Quiet Place' meets 'Another Round' — which is both hilarious and kind of perfect for what this is going for. If you are hearing the words alcohol-fueled and monster movie in the same sentence and picturing chaos, yes, that is the vibe.

Who is involved

• Director: Joe Lynch ('Wrong Turn 2: Dead End,' 'Suitable Flesh')
• Writer: Colin McLaughlin
• Cast: Billy Magnussen as Sheriff Red; Lulu Wilson as Lydia
• Producers: Brothers Dane and Cole Eckerle via Bad Grey; Jonathan Schwartz and Nick Shumaker for Anonymous Content
• Executive producer: David Levine
• Magnussen is also producing through his company HappyBad Bungalow; partners Anne Hollister and Shane Andries are co-executive producers
• Sales plan: AC Independent and The Veterans will bring a sizzle reel and the script for buyers to check out at the American Film Market next month

'Colin has crafted a story that’s equal parts hilarious, scary and action-packed — an entertaining romp from start to finish. Joe Lynch’s track record and ability to create high-octane genre chaos makes him the perfect filmmaker for the job. Add our stars, Billy and Lulu, plus our partners at Anonymous Content and The Veterans — and we couldn’t think of a better team to be brewing this movie alongside.'

The Joe Lynch factor

Lynch has been reliably rowdy in the genre space for years. Beyond 'Wrong Turn 2' and his Lovecraft/Gordon salute 'Suitable Flesh,' he directed 'Knights of Badassdom,' 'Everly,' 'Mayhem,' 'Point Blank,' and a segment in 'Chillerama.' On the TV side, he has helmed episodes of '12 Deadly Days,' 'My Dead Ex,' 'Creepshow,' 'Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion,' and 'Tales from the Void.'

Deadline first flagged the casting of Magnussen and Wilson, and honestly, that pairing with this setup feels like exactly the kind of midnight-movie energy this needs. If the finished film leans into the dark comedy as hard as the logline does, this could be a nasty little crowd-pleaser.