Who doesn’t love a great cautionary tale about the darker ramifications of PROM behavior?
Before you answer, if you love absolutely brutally funny & disturbing horror, see THE LOVED ONES. I saw this film about a year ago now it feels like. It played at SXSW about two years ago now. And it is back for an encore screening tonight, but the good news is – the film is going to be released in the U.S!! At last.
This one has been sitting in a can since 2009. It took a long time to find a distributor. Not because it is bad. Not because it sucks, but because it is as tough and brutal a movie as a studio has released. Contrary to the somewhat sweet posters – this movie has a bloody heart in the center of its valentine. I can not wait to see it with a full audience tomorrow night.
I saw it alone with my wife. We screamed. It made me scream like I broke a nail. It felt illegally awesome. I mean, this is an Australian Prom Exploitation film unlike anything you’ve seen.
Well… think HOSTEL, THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS, CARRIE, WOLF CREEK – but imagine a film with those levels of brutal nasty horror… but also the kind of crazy high camp that makes it all absolutely palatable.
I really do feel the the story should just sneak up on you. It’s been well reviewed online by just about everyone. In some ways I’m writing this review now, because I know it has a screening tomorrow night at the Alamo Village – and I really can’t wait to see it with a full audience as part of SXSW. I love that this one is finally coming to non-film festival screens soon.
The best thing about the film is that it gives you characters to root for, villains to kind of understand & feel for, then other things. Things I won’t mention, but things that should be concerned about nightmare capable children being able to handle. This is a very hard R. Brutally so. I do not recommend bringing a kid in to see this. It’s just, brutal. However, I kind of believe that every kid that saw FOOTLOOSE see THE LOVED ONES in a special double feature. Because it’d just feel so twisted and wrong. And good. So good.
The film has solid dramatic performances. When the eventual twist occurs, you suddenly realize that the genre has changed rather aggressively. The results are spectacular in their own wonderfully terrible ways. I’m pretty sure there’s no way in hell I’d survive anything in this movie. I watch out of sheer admiration. If the lead character can survive… for a majority of a film like this at least – I’m amazed. It’s just so god damned horrible that you just feel so relaxed about your own life.
It’s cathartic horror. Horror that releases tension and ultimately relaxes you. You’re not living in the outback, middle of fuck you very much! Seriously, I’m way too dainty to survive this. I expect the characters to die, because who the fuck would want to survive this? Again, I did cover my mouth and nose with my hands in that – OHMYGOD – reactions.
Really looking forward to seeing this one again!
