Meek, mousy teenager Lola Stone (Robin McLeavy) hardly registers on most guys' radar at high school, but those unfortunate enough to become the object of her twisted desires find that she can make quite the impression when she really wants to-by carving a bloody heart into their chest and drilling a hole into their forehead. With a little help from her doting daddy (John Brumpton), 'Princess' Lola always gets her man, which ain't good news for troubled teenager Brent Mitchell (Xavier Samuel), the latest unlucky lad on whom she has become fixated.
On paper, the basic plot for The Loved Ones might not seem all that original, coming across as a blend of Stephen King's Misery, Brit horror Mum and Dad, and a John Hughes teen angst movie, combined with elements from many a modern torture flick, and yet it still manages to be one of the most satisfying indie horrors for many a year.
Sean Byrnes' taut script and intense direction, the film's relentlessly sadistic violence and tense action, coupled with a hint of incest, a spot of cannibalism, and not one, but two gratuitous sex scenes ensure that The Loved Ones is a thoroughly entertaining experience from start to finish, but it's the excellent McLeavy who elevates the film to unmissable status. Her loopy Lola has to be one of the most memorable movie nut-jobs since Psycho's Norman Bates; like Norm, she might not seem like much of a threat at first, but once Lola's true nature is revealed, she becomes a genuinely terrifying figure, a brutal monster capable of committing even the most heinous of acts with a demented smile on her face.
On paper, the basic plot for The Loved Ones might not seem all that original, coming across as a blend of Stephen King's Misery, Brit horror Mum and Dad, and a John Hughes teen angst movie, combined with elements from many a modern torture flick, and yet it still manages to be one of the most satisfying indie horrors for many a year.
Sean Byrnes' taut script and intense direction, the film's relentlessly sadistic violence and tense action, coupled with a hint of incest, a spot of cannibalism, and not one, but two gratuitous sex scenes ensure that The Loved Ones is a thoroughly entertaining experience from start to finish, but it's the excellent McLeavy who elevates the film to unmissable status. Her loopy Lola has to be one of the most memorable movie nut-jobs since Psycho's Norman Bates; like Norm, she might not seem like much of a threat at first, but once Lola's true nature is revealed, she becomes a genuinely terrifying figure, a brutal monster capable of committing even the most heinous of acts with a demented smile on her face.