Have you heard about the lonesome loser? That's the song that plays as a car drives down the road. At the wheel is Brent (Eclipse's Xavier Samuel), with his father as a passenger. A bloodied guy wandering in the middle of the road (don't you hate that?) causes the car to swerve and crash, killing Brent's father. Six months later, Brent's hair is longer, he's guilt-ridden and with a girl named Holly (Victoria Thaine). We then meet Lola (Robin McLeavy), whose introduction is rather abrupt. There's no real lead-up to it. After seemingly appearing out of nowhere, she asks if Brent will go to the school dance with her (this is the only bit where she looks/sounds like a relatively nice normal girl and not INSANE). He apologises, politely informing her that he's going with Holly. He then leaves, as Lola stares after him evilly. If this wasn't a big enough hint that she's unhinged, we also see her watching Brent and Holly as they have sex in Holly's car. Brent later ventures to the middle of the bush with his dog, where he's chloroformed from behind by a man who we learn is Lola's sicko father (John Brumpton).
Brent awakes to find himself bound to a chair in formal wear at Lola's home, the place decked out like the school dance. We get an early indication of just how evil Lola is, as she's listening to 'Not Pretty Enough' by Kasey Chambers on repeat when her equally twisted father presents his "Princess" with a dress....then proceeds to watch her get changed into it. Together, they inject Brent in the neck with a blue substance to keep him quiet, then force him to pee in a glass (or have that particular appendage nailed to the chair). He manages a momentary escape, before being chased up a tree by Lola's father in his Kingswood and having rocks thrown at him by Lola, which causes Brent to fall onto the car below, knocking him out so they can tie him up once again. Then the REAL pain begins, as Brent has knives hammered into his feet, a heart carved into his chest with a rusty fork (and salt tossed on the wound), and is forced to dance with Lola whilst being subjected to KASEY CHAMBERS. If that wasn't bad enough, it seems his sufferance has been for naught, as Lola informs him he's not her prince, just a frog. Seems she's much more interested in her daddy....and the feeling's mutual.
Think things couldn't possibly get any worse for poor Brent? Think again! Lola proceeds to drill a hole into his forehead and the sounds of it are truly disgusting. She then wishes to tip boiling water in it to boil his brains, but the hole's not big enough and she wants to make it bigger. Her father obliges, but Brent finally frees himself again and gets some long overdue revenge against the psycho bastard. Brent unfortunately winds up trapped in a hole with Lola's previous brain-boiled boyfriends, which he has to fight off. She makes the fatal mistake of telling him exactly what she's going to do next (go after his mother and Holly), and looks truly scary as she does so. Next thing, she's walking down the middle of the road singing to herself creepily (guess which song) when Holly happens by in her car. Cue girl-fight. Brent makes another miraculous escape from Lola's House of Pain and (despite the holes in his feet and forehead) drives a car to Holly's rescue. Lola proves to be one tough mother to kill, but once Brent finally puts an end to her psychotic Kasey Chambers-loving life...it's pretty damn satisfying. Great use of a slow-mo closeup too.
There's a subplot that we keep cutting to, involving Brent's friend and the goth girl he wants to go to the dance with named Mia (Rachel McAdams lookalike, Jessica McNamee, who does what she can with her limited role). While it provides a bit of relief from all the torture scenes, and Mia's revealed to be connected to a previous victim of Lola's, it doesn't really amount to very much. Though Xavier Samuel's mute for the majority of the film, you can't help but feel for the guy (I also felt sorry for his poor dog). His performance is all about the way he reacts to the horror he's put through. He portrays pain like nobody's business. The stand-out performance, however, has got to be Robin McLeavy. Lola is one twisted sister, and McLeavy completely immerses herself in the role, taking 'deranged' to a whole new level. She's created a frighteningly sadistic character who's right up there with the best of them. John Brumpton is also excellent. The two play off each other exceptionally well. Theirs is a truly disturbed dynamic and it makes for captivating viewing. I'm sure certain people will check out this movie solely for the violence, but what should really be appreciated here is the acting and directing. First-time filmmaker Sean Byrne has created a dark, tension-filled horror affair (with a morbid sense of humour) that thankfully doesn't overstay its welcome. Displaying great skill with a camera, shots are finely crafted and he gets the most out of his actors, as well as the Australian setting.
Brent awakes to find himself bound to a chair in formal wear at Lola's home, the place decked out like the school dance. We get an early indication of just how evil Lola is, as she's listening to 'Not Pretty Enough' by Kasey Chambers on repeat when her equally twisted father presents his "Princess" with a dress....then proceeds to watch her get changed into it. Together, they inject Brent in the neck with a blue substance to keep him quiet, then force him to pee in a glass (or have that particular appendage nailed to the chair). He manages a momentary escape, before being chased up a tree by Lola's father in his Kingswood and having rocks thrown at him by Lola, which causes Brent to fall onto the car below, knocking him out so they can tie him up once again. Then the REAL pain begins, as Brent has knives hammered into his feet, a heart carved into his chest with a rusty fork (and salt tossed on the wound), and is forced to dance with Lola whilst being subjected to KASEY CHAMBERS. If that wasn't bad enough, it seems his sufferance has been for naught, as Lola informs him he's not her prince, just a frog. Seems she's much more interested in her daddy....and the feeling's mutual.
Think things couldn't possibly get any worse for poor Brent? Think again! Lola proceeds to drill a hole into his forehead and the sounds of it are truly disgusting. She then wishes to tip boiling water in it to boil his brains, but the hole's not big enough and she wants to make it bigger. Her father obliges, but Brent finally frees himself again and gets some long overdue revenge against the psycho bastard. Brent unfortunately winds up trapped in a hole with Lola's previous brain-boiled boyfriends, which he has to fight off. She makes the fatal mistake of telling him exactly what she's going to do next (go after his mother and Holly), and looks truly scary as she does so. Next thing, she's walking down the middle of the road singing to herself creepily (guess which song) when Holly happens by in her car. Cue girl-fight. Brent makes another miraculous escape from Lola's House of Pain and (despite the holes in his feet and forehead) drives a car to Holly's rescue. Lola proves to be one tough mother to kill, but once Brent finally puts an end to her psychotic Kasey Chambers-loving life...it's pretty damn satisfying. Great use of a slow-mo closeup too.
There's a subplot that we keep cutting to, involving Brent's friend and the goth girl he wants to go to the dance with named Mia (Rachel McAdams lookalike, Jessica McNamee, who does what she can with her limited role). While it provides a bit of relief from all the torture scenes, and Mia's revealed to be connected to a previous victim of Lola's, it doesn't really amount to very much. Though Xavier Samuel's mute for the majority of the film, you can't help but feel for the guy (I also felt sorry for his poor dog). His performance is all about the way he reacts to the horror he's put through. He portrays pain like nobody's business. The stand-out performance, however, has got to be Robin McLeavy. Lola is one twisted sister, and McLeavy completely immerses herself in the role, taking 'deranged' to a whole new level. She's created a frighteningly sadistic character who's right up there with the best of them. John Brumpton is also excellent. The two play off each other exceptionally well. Theirs is a truly disturbed dynamic and it makes for captivating viewing. I'm sure certain people will check out this movie solely for the violence, but what should really be appreciated here is the acting and directing. First-time filmmaker Sean Byrne has created a dark, tension-filled horror affair (with a morbid sense of humour) that thankfully doesn't overstay its welcome. Displaying great skill with a camera, shots are finely crafted and he gets the most out of his actors, as well as the Australian setting.