"The Loved Ones": Pop Murder, Glitter and Blood

The horror genre suffers from a lack of originality and a recycling of ideas, that makes it hard to find exciting, and innovative explorations of fear on film. "The Love Ones" completely breaks this vicious cycle to present us with an infusion of twisted, sadistic horror and dark (very dark) high school comedy.  Directed by Sean Byrne, the film is set in an Australian town, specifically the town's high school, and with it all the perks of popularity and rejection.

Brent (Xavier Samuel) has found refuge in drugs after his father's death, for which he feel guilty since he was driving the car when they crashed. The story starts the afternoon before the end of year dance. Holly (Victoria Thaine) is Brent's girlfriend and she is intrigued as he tells her someone else asked him to the dance. This other girl is none other than Lola (Robin McLeavy), a very awkward and quiet girl, who we will see, doesn't take rejection too well. Brent decides to take a hike to clear his mind before the special night, but suddenly he is kidnapped, and this is where the story leaves many cliches out the door to become truly original in its own disturbing way. Tied up to a chair, dressed very elegantly, Brent is subjected to unspeakable torture, and even an attempt to bring him into a zombie-like state. All of this under the excuse of having Lola's personal end of year dance, in which she will of course, be crowned as the queen. There is glitter, crazy twists, cannibals, skull drilling, pop music, dancing and teen sex, is it missing anything?

The film does follow some formulas to horror films, but is the presentation and the over stylized execution that make it so clever. There is a side love story of two misunderstood kids that fall in love, under the backdrop of Lola's deranged need to be loved. It is gory and violent, so the most sadistic viewers are sure to be satisfied, but there is also strange comical moments, that for some brilliant reason don't seem out of place. The tone of the film is very specific and like nothing I have seen. Is as if "Mean Girls" took place in the "Saw" universe. Pop music underscoring brutality, just seems fitting.
The film takes much care on its sound design to create an atmosphere for each one of the characters, accompanying each scene with the most inorganic tunes to add to these stylized vision of murder in  the wake of teenage love.

Probably the tone of the film was what made it hard to market it here in the United States, where it got a very limited release. Because, although, it is a horror film in its own right, the over the top tones that mix in satire and a parody to teenage films, makes it difficult to classify. It is rare that a film really brings something new to a genre that is plagued with the same old tricks just with more blood and body parts being cut off. "The Loved Ones" does justice to its title in some many levels, it could refer to Brent's loved ones or to Lola's "loved ones" and how each of us (even the murderous psychopathic kind) have  different definitions of those around us that mean something to us. Highly recommend this film for pure twisted, scary fun, I'm sure there will some people that will be completely thrown off by the film, but give yourself a chance to feel like you don't know what the hell is going on. "The Loved Ones" out on DVD this upcoming Tuesday. Grade A-