10 Near Perfect Horror Movies Nobody Remembers
6. The Loved Ones
As the horror genre and all the subgenres within it become more and more saturated, it can become harder and harder for any film to stand out among the crowd. This is certainly the case in the world of revenge and torture.
There are plenty of outings - like Terrifier, for example - where the brutality and gore go to the extreme and the shocking seemingly for the sake of it. You could see violence in countless horror films, but there are some that deserve recognition that simply doesn't always come because of the sheer amount around it.
The Loved Ones is one such movie, with the relatively simple premise of Lola (Robin McLeavy) taking her prom invite rejection badly and then begins to torture the boy who was once the object of her affection. As things get deeper, they get far more disturbing, and it does transform into something more than just generic torture and pain for the sake of it.
Something that The Loved Ones' narrative avoids is making Lola a sympathetic character. She wasn't bullied or wronged in the same way as, say, Carrie White, and though Brent (Xavier Samuel) didn't want to go to prom with Lola, he wasn't a bad guy; he was decent enough, making his ordeal so much worse for the audience to watch. This was a fantastic first directing outing for Sean Byrne, and is arguably his best work to date.