Opening a movie with the Little River Band is a risky move but we have seen skilled directors show that the most unlikely a song can be perfect if placed in the right setting. For example, Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" will now forever be associated with Shaun of the Dead and as much as I don't like Rob Zombie flicks, I can't argue with the use of "Free Bird" at the end of The Devil's Rejects. After the opening scene of The Loved Ones, I knew that I would never again hear "Lonesome Loser" on oldies radio without thinking of this movie. The song is a perfect fit because it could very well be the theme song for the character of Lola and it also helps to quickly and effectively establish the lead character Brent (Xavier Samuel) who we will be rooting for as the events of the movie unfold.

Although we only get a few minutes at an actual high school prom, the fabled night is the centerpiece of the movie. Brent is approached by the homely Lola (Robin McLeavy) to be his date for the dance but he politely rejects her as he is going with his girlfriend Holly (Victoria Thaine). It is revealed that Lola has a "thing" for Brent when we see her creepily watching Brent and Holly have sex in a car. Her unstable psyche blooms as the movie progresses. On the afternoon of the big night, Brent is abducted by Lola's dad and wakes up tied to a chair in Lola's dining room with a disco ball relentlessly projecting spinning circles evoking thoughts of the dinner scene from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre with a vibe that is slightly less manic. Joining Lola and her dad for the party is her mom who appears to have been lobotomised. Much craziness ensues as Lola and her dad torture Brent with knives through the feet, a bloody chest carving, salt cast on the wounds, the the eventual appearance of a drill as is clearly seen on the poster for the film. As this is all going on, there is a parallel plotline occurring that shows Brent's best friend Jamie (Richard Wilson) having an awkwardly comical prom date with the school's resident goth girl who has a big chip on her shoulder for reasons that are partially explained as the story moves forward.

Lola Stone has become my new favorite psycho chick. This is a girl who certainly keeps on trying despite a history at failing at her unorthodox attempts at wooing guys by bringing them back to her house and torturing them with her father who has incest on his mind. McLeavy transforms the girl from an unpopular geek to a confident sociopath as soon as she puts on the pink prom dress her daddy bought her. Like a superhero donning a costume, this dress creates a sexy vixen who manipulates her father and plays on his lust for her by asking him to watch while she changes. From here, she uses her dad like a lovesick henchman as she orders Brent to follow her orders and play out her prom night fantasy. While these scenes have their moments to make audience members squirm, they are played with such a darkly comedic tone that they do not elicit the knee-jerk repulsion of other movies that rely on torture elements to succeed. The interesting thing about this flick is that although it has a lot of crazy energy, you get the sense that every character has a core of sadness. That is not to say that the movie is a total bummer but it does allow for us to experience that teen angst in a more subtle way than we are used to seeing. While the character of Mia (Jessica McNamee) wears this on her sleeve, the other characters are not that much different than her and have their own troubled minds (perhaps with the exception of Jamie).

Writer/director Sean Byrne has created an brilliant debut feature and will hopefully be another director that we can look forward to seeing more from. He cast great actors, provided strong characters, and set a pace to keep audiences engaged both viscerally and emotionally. The Loved Ones is right up there with other memorable debuts that we have seen in the new millennium such as Christopher Smith's Creep, Neil Marshall's Dog Soldiers, and Alexandre Bustillo/Julien Maury's Inside. He has also given us one of the more memorable female villains to grace the screen and one that will hopefully be discovered by many more horror fans in the years to come. (Josh Pasnak, 9/6/13)

Directed By: Sean Byrne.
Written By: Sean Byrne.

Starring: Xavier Samuel, Robin McLeavy, Victoria Thaine, Jessica McNamee.