The Loved Ones (2009)

When Brent turns down his classmate Lola's invitation to the prom, she concocts a wildly violent plan for revenge.

Director:

Sean Byrne

Writer:

Sean Byrne

Stars:

Xavier Samuel, Robin McLeavy, Victoria Thaine

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Xavier Samuel	...	Brent
Robin McLeavy	...	Lola 'Princess'
Victoria Thaine	...	Holly
Jessica McNamee	...	Mia
Richard Wilson	...	Jamie
John Brumpton	...	Daddy
Andrew S. Gilbert	...	Paul
Suzi Dougherty	...	Carla
Victoria Eagger	...	Judith
Anne Scott-Pendlebury	...	Bright Eyes
Fred Whitlock	...	Dan
Leo Taylor	...	Teacher
Brandon Burns	...	Takeaway Shop Attendant
Stephen Walden	...	Timmy Valentine
Igor Savin	...	Rhys Agnew

Storyline

In order to avoid a ghostly figure in the road, high school senior Brent Mitchell wraps his car around a tree, killing his father. Constantly confronted by his mother's emotional collapse after the accident, Brent escapes into a marijuana fueled world of loud metal music to block the pain and guilt. Dejected and out of sorts, he has a shot at happiness with his girlfriend Holly, a grounded, caring girl with drop dead good looks, a dream date for the high school prom. But his plans are thwarted by a disturbing series of events that take place under a mirrored disco ball, involving pink satin, glitter, syringes, nails, power drills and a secret admirer. Brent has become the prom king at a macabre, sadistic event where he is the entertainment.

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Plot Keywords:

prom | high school | killing | escape | high school prom | 

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Taglines:

Prom night can be torture

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody violence and torture, sexuality, some language, teen drug and alcohol use

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 November 2010 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Agapimenos

Filming Locations:

Hobsons Bay, Victoria, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Screen Australia, Omnilab Media, Ambience Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Under the instructions of director Sean Byrne, Robin McLeavy prepared for the role of Lola by researching the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, as well as watching Misery, Natural Born Killers and the works of Quentin Tarantino.

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Goofs

In the scene where Mia and Jamie are in the car at the school dance and they are smoking pot, the cigarette in Mia's hand changes positions along with her hand in between shots.

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Quotes

Eric: The trick is not to go too far. Just enough to break through the skull.

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Connections

Featured in Welshy Reviews: Granny (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Lost Cause"
Performed by Cosmic Psychos

User Reviews

Loved it

I wouldn't have thought, that I could watch one more torture horror movie and be entertained by it. "The Loved Ones", however, may be the last movie of that subgenre to actually be worthwhile. Really worthwhile, that is.

Much like "Wolf Creek", another Australian horror movie that took an ancient old premise and turned it into a tense and thrilling hellride, "The Loved Ones" is so masterfully crafted, it succeeds where it should fail. The actors - first and foremost the devilish pairing of Robin McLeavy and beady eyed John Brumpton - are just terrific, as is the cinematography and the set pieces. Beautiful bubblegum pink mixes with blood and guts. Director/writer Sean Byrne knows how to balance his first feature film between repulsive scenes and comedic relief.

In the end "The Loved Ones" becomes almost cartoonish and Tarantino-esquire in its climax: The movie has got you rooting so much against the villains that when they finally get theirs, you will howl in satisfaction.

Yep, "The Loved Ones" is the torture movie to end all torture movies. Hopefully, because NOW really everything has been said that needed to be said in that subgenre.