Remember that girl that asked you to prom, but you turned her down? Well, it’s payback time.
The Loved Ones was a film that was part of South by Southwest’s Midnighters program back in 2010. Upon seeing it, the question wasn’t if it would ever get a distributor, the question was when. This horror entry from Australia, a continent that just continues to impress with its films (Animal Kingdom, The Proposition, et al.) and talent pool.
So when Paramount Pictures picked it up for distribution I was glad, because gems of the horror genre are few and far between. With the success of The Cabin in the Woods, it would be divine if this little movie got some attention when its limited release comes around at the start of June (via Tugg.com).
Winner of the TIFF’s Midnight Madness Audience Award, the film is described as Sixteen Candles meets Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Robin McLeavy stars as Lola, a quiet teen who kidnaps her crush Brent (Xavier Samuel) after he turns her down for prom.
Going strictly by the poster and trailer some might assume that this is another “torture porn” retread. Don’t. The Loved Ones pulls back from outright gratuitous violence, but it is violent nonetheless. Enough to please horror aficionados and not outright turn people off.
From what I recall about the movie, I feel this U.S. trailer does the job of setting up the story but not giving away too many surprises. Watch it and take a look at the poster below.
The Loved Ones gets its limited release in Austin, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco on June 1st.