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When a quiet teen named Lola asks her classmate Brent to the Prom, she’s promptly but politely rejected as he already has plans and a date for the event. Things appear to be settled on the matter until Brent is kidnapped later in the day and brought back to an isolated little farm house where he discovers Lola and her father are behind the crime. Now he must undergo unspeakable torture and degradation at the hands of the obviously unstable young woman and her father, a man with an apparent incestuous love interest in his daughter.
Facing mind-numbing pain and eventually his demise, Brent takes the opportunity to escape over and over again until his options run out. He must face down his captors and fight for his life or end up in Lola’s macabre collection. Can the police, his mother and girlfriend locate Brent before it’s too late?
The Loved Ones is one hell of a film; it’s exceptionally disturbing and gruesome! The concept and style of this production is reminiscent of films like Otis and Mum & Dad, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you’ve seen and enjoyed either of those films. While not nearly as blackly comedic as the above it still has enough of a black streak running through it to keep the tension from becoming completely unbearable. I know some out there may be asking themselves why that’s a good thing but, in my opinion, “more” doesn’t always mean “better.” In the case of The Loved Ones, it’s that perverse sense of humor and visual flair tempered with the unflinching violence and torture that makes this production so unique.
I won’t jabber on about the camera work, score or lighting because this first-time feature from Sean Byrne looked and sounded fantastic, not one issue comes to mind. The two most striking things you’ll find in this production though will be the character of Lola played to the nutty hilt by Robin McLeavy and the exceptional special effects. McLeavy’s Lola was so psychotic it’s hard not to like her, a few times I even found myself actually rooting her on! All the actors did a good job for certain but most of them, including Xavier Samuel’s emotionally damaged Brent, came across lifeless and bland in comparison to McLeavy.
As I mentioned, the special effects were top-notch so prepare yourself for all kinds of ugliness including head drilling, foot stabbing, throat slashing, flesh eating and head smashing. This film easily stands toe-to-toe with other films erroneously labeled “torture porn” so the gorehounds are going to get their pound of flesh, no doubt about it.
Would I recommend it? Damn right I would. Rent or purchase it, either one is fine because it’s a solid film and a worthy addition to any horror fans collection. It’s no certainly no classic-to-be but it’s bonkers entertainment from Australia and a bullseye for Sean Byrne.
