Much of the story of Bye, Son revolves around this villainous creature or bison that is encroaching around this small group of friends. However, there seems to be nothing scary about this scenario as audiences have already seen movies with the same exact plot line and beats that seem to just be repeating itself over and over.

The description might sound funny and horrific to some people that like that sort of thing, but it ultimately falls flat on its execution in more ways than one. Bye, Son is a horror film that has a decent premise but fails to add anything new to the genre, and what’s worse than that is that there doesn’t seem to be any real danger. The film sees a group of friends out camping or vacationing depending on the occasion and they all encounter a frightening creature that has been stalking them. As you would expect from the title, it happens to be a vicious and psychotic bison that looks unscary even by children’s standards.

The majority of Bye, Son has audiences submerged with characters that are very unlikable. One of them is a weirdo scout, a bratty and annoying influencer, and a trust fund baby. There are a litany of stock characters that are less memorable than the story that surrounds it. For that matter, the acting from the cast, while it could be worse, was nothing to boast about as it seemed that most of the actors were reading their lines like middle schoolers in a school play. It may not win them a Razzie, but perhaps, at least a nomination.

The fact that this bison never seems to show audiences how threatening it can be, the scare factor for this creature never seems to be….scary. The filmmakers need to show us why this monster is so terrifying. The only thing that has been seen is an ominous figure roaming through the forest with some scary music in the background. The audience really has no reason to fear this creature. The only thing that seems scary is how dull the title was in making this movie. To its credit, there are some nice shots of cinematography that look very professional. At times, it might look like something from a summer show that’s been broadcast on the CW, but it is still nice to look at for a movie of this caliber.

To wrap this all up, Bye, Son is not good by any means. It is uneven, unscary, and the acting leaves a lot to be desired. The film needs more anticipation behind it and more scares with the creature that remains at the center of the story. If that doesn’t happen, audiences won’t be able to connect with the material or even be scared by what is supposed to be scary. It felt more like a movie that was trying to parody scary films rather than be scary by itself. Had they gone in that direction, it might have worked. Either way, it’s not something I am recommending.