THE LOVED ONES (2009)

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 84 MINS
WRITER(S)- SEAN BYRNE
STARRING- XAVIER SAMUEL, ROBIN McLEAVY, AND VICTORIA THAINE
DIRECTOR- SEAN BYRNE



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

I am actually late to the game and just viewed this flick for the first time last week. This is one that came up during a horror discussion I was in, and I was strongly recommended to give it a watch. So, I did. And now, I can see what all the fuss is about!

First of all, before we get into the more detailed stuff, let me say how writer, Sean Byrne got something right, he composed a very simple story. So many horror films nowadays try and show off with an overload of special fx, and/or cgi. The majority of film makers fail to see how you don't need a complicated story or plot to make a good horror film. All you need is a basic, primal emotion to feed off of, such as resentment or revenge.  And you need the right mind to execute that idea right. All I'm saying is, this movie is a prime example of how you don't need anything out of reach to make a solid genre film.

Upon watching, I found the humor injected into the film, and actually laughed a lot. That being said, I also cringed a lot, and found myself not wanting to move from my chair! Once I started watching, I found it hard to pry away. It's not a long film either, so it's all paced very well and keeps you invested.

I can't really think of another motion picture like this, it's in a class on its own, really. It's a new type of revenge story, but keeps true to the gritty nature of what we'd expect to see. It also crosses a few lines that you don't expect, and has some very painful-to-watch torture scenes.

Lola (Robin McLeavy) is played to perfection, and is one twisted chick! I liked the concept of this film, it's something new and different, yet impeccibly simple. It's actually fun to watch even though it can be brutal in nature.

One of the things that I really took to, is how Lola's father is just as screwed up as she is, if not more! The fact that he's in on everything along with her, really sets off how screwed our lead character, Brent (Xavier Samuel) is. Basically, the point to the story is that you need to watch what you say to people and how you say it, just in case they turn out to be a crazy. In this case, being rude to a female who asks you to prom can end up being the worst choice of your life. You just never know when the girl you're making fun of with your friends may turn out to be a psycho, and make you pay for it in ways you don't want to imagine. 

Looking at the full picture, it's just as much about survival as it is torture. And I'm extremely impressed. This is one that left a good impression on me, to say the least. I actually plan on buying it on Blu-Ray as soon as I catch up on all the other movies I have to buy and catch up on. I'm telling ya, watching and reviewing movies is a work that you can get drowned and overwhelmed with, but movies like this are why I do it. Whenever you find that diamond in the rough, it makes it all worth it.

So, in other words, if you're like me, and late to the game on this one, go find yourself a copy and watch it asap! It's damn good, and I wish I was ahead of the ball on this one. But, one of the best things about watching so many movies is that regardless of how many you've seen, there's always ones you find that you didn't know about before. If you like creepiness, gore, and laughs, then you need to see this. Essentially, it's a horror film that has it all!