Diagonaldi Very well executed

Helloturia I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Michael Ledo Brent (Xavier Samuel) is going to the prom with his girlfriend Holly (Victoria Thaine). When wallflower Lola (Robin McLeavy) asks him to go with her, he politely turns her down. The opening scene and DVD cover set the stage for the brutal torturous scenes that follow.Pot/Metal head Brent has his issues as does the Valentine family which develops later on. Robin McLeavy provides us with some odd passive demented sexuality in a good performance on an old genre.Guide: F-word (in music) sex and nudity (Victoria Thaine)

keelhaul-80856 The girl from Hell on Wheels, with the Indian tattoos on her chin, stars in this Australian flick. Not a bad horror film, considering I've seen a lot and it takes plenty to impress at this point.It could have been more spectacular, but for a low-budget Indie type film from another country, it delivers enough entertainment and irony to keep you happy.More could have been done with the basement dwellers, and I don't think you can pour hot liquid into a tiny hole in the head without scalding the person's face off and the guy holding him.The protagonist should have run into the night instead of up a tree.The dorky kid who dated the cop's goth daughter was pretty funny. This added a light reprieve to the other gory stuff.Overall, not a bad effort, in a world populated by tons of crappy horror films.

Mace The Loved Ones was a film that I went into blind. As someone who usually doesn't find too much enjoyment in torture porn-films, I was pleasantly surprised to find an uncommon amount of character and excellent acting, along with the aforementioned merciless barbarism. While the characters aren't anything to write home about, they were realized with a surprising amount of efficiency. We never entirely understand the motives of the characters, but in this case, it doesn't make the film any less enjoyable. All of the characters are quite flawed and all of their imperfections are made clear through interesting, and often disturbing, interactions. The characters were surprisingly dimensional for a movie like this, and that was mostly thanks to the performances. Robin McLeavy, in particular, was uncompromisingly sinister. Despite being a teenage girl, it was not hard to despise her character, which is important for the main villain. The violence is nightmarishly sadistic, and as the film reaches one narrative twist after another, it only grows more intense, as does our thirst for revenge. You never quite know where the plot is going, and each new horrifying development feels like a punch to the gut. The film doesn't waste time either. We're thrust into the nightmare quite early, giving the feeling of sickness in our stomach time to linger. Moments of dark comedy also work to make the experience strangely amusing. Despite the rather polished main plot line, there is a secondary strand of narrative that feels unnecessary and frankly pointless. It never goes anywhere and only seems to be there for something to cut to when the audience needs a break from the cruelty. The Loved Ones repeatedly batters the audience with it's stomach-churning violence. The plot takes many sharp narrative turns, and while it's not always enjoyable to watch a film so unflinchingly deranged, it's certainly invigorating, up until our thirst for revenge is so satisfyingly quenched.

CinemaClown A delightful surprise that packs in enough violence, gore & humour to satisfy the blood- thirsty fans of horror cinema, The Loved Ones arrives as a breathe of fresh air in the torture porn subgenre of horror that never discards its story or characters when revelling in unflinching brutality and is further uplifted by a downright deranged performance from Robin McLeavy.The story of The Loved Ones follows Brent, a high-school senior who blames himself for an earlier accident which resulted in his father's death, has turned to recreational drugs since then, and his only source of happiness in life is his girlfriend Holly. But his real nightmare is set in motion when he politely refuses an invitation for the prom night, offered by another student named Lola.Written & directed by Sean Byrne, The Loved Ones marks his feature film debut and it is by every means a sensational start to his filmmaking career. Byrne's direction is commendable for he remains in control of every aspect of this film, knows where to draw the line and what part to not neglect. And he also makes sure that the emphasis stays on the characters rather than focusing entirely on the new means of torture.The technical aspects are wonderfully executed and play a vital role in setting the desired ambiance which is consistently maintained till the very end. Camera is expertly used with fitting colour tones, lighting & some clever angles complimenting its imagery while the creepy score further amplifies its sinister mood. But the real highlight is the performance from Xavier Samuel & Robin McLeavy, with the latter turning Lola Stone into one of the most intimidating horror villains in recent memory.On an overall scale, The Loved Ones is a blood-soaked Australian horror that gets as nasty, barbaric & disturbing as one expects it to but unlike other examples of its genre, it features a highly gripping storyline, compelling characters & ingenious use of horror elements. The subplot plays no role in the final outcome but it helps in bringing the balance back into the picture whenever there's an overdose of sadistic, prolonged torture. Vicious, relentless, entertaining & satisfying, The Loved Ones is by every means a welcome entry in the horror genre and is absolutely worth your time & money.