The Loved Ones (2012)
86%RT Audience Score: 73%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 11 nominations
Successfully mixing the conventions of the teen and horror genres with a twist, Australian director Sean Byrne makes a striking directorial debut with The Loved Ones
The Loved Ones is a horror movie that will make you scream, laugh, and cringe all at the same time. With a cast of committed actors and a director who knows how to use color and music to create a truly terrifying atmosphere, this movie is not for the faint of heart. But if you’re a fan of inventive gore scenes and twisted humor, then you’ll love The Loved Ones. Just be sure to fetch the hammer before you start watching!
Production Company(ies)
Film4 Ingenious Film Partners Special Treats Production Company,
Distributor
Paramount Insurge
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Hobsons Bay, Victoria, Australia
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong bloody violence and torture, sexuality, some language, teen drug and alcohol use
Year of Release
2010
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 24m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 1, 2012 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 11, 2012
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
starring Xavier Samuel, Robin McLeavy, Jessica McNamee, Victoria Thaine, John Brumpton, Richard Wilson, directed by Sean Byrne, written by Sean Byrne, horror, R rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Marc Savlov, Eric D Snider, Eric Kohn, Calum Marsh, Phelim O’Neill, David Stratton, Chris Tilly, Matthew Turner, Xavier Samuel as Brent, Robin McLeavy as Lola, Jessica McNamee as Mia, Victoria Thaine as Holly, John Brumpton as Daddy, Richard Wilson as Jamie, produced by Mark Lazarus, Michael Boughen, MPAA rating, teen genre, prom, kidnapping, torture, revenge, psycho, horror comedy, Australian film, small scale, grisly dark humor, grotesque sequences, grief, love, one-note character, menacing figure, practical gore effects, lackluster ending, predictable, terrible acting, silly
Worldwide gross: $358,399
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $487,203
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,745
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 53,130
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Robin McLeavy – Lola
Jessica McNamee – Mia
Victoria Thaine – Holly
John Brumpton – Daddy
Richard Wilson – Jamie
Director(s)
Sean Byrne
Writer(s)
Sean Byrne
Producer(s)
Mark Lazarus, Michael Boughen
Film Festivals
Cannes
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 11 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (57) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (56) | Rotten (1)
Headed by [Jessica] McNamee as the spurned prom-bomb, [Sean] Byrne’s debut feature defines “sick and wrong” in all the right ways.
January 8, 2018
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Speaking of reusing old premises, The Loved Ones shows the right way to do it. In this outrageously creepy and entertaining.
January 8, 2018
Eric D. Snider
Film.com
TOP CRITIC
It’s a terrifying masterpiece that turns high school drama into a literal dead zone.
January 8, 2013
Eric Kohn
indieWire
TOP CRITIC
Sean Byrne endows his rote slasher material with the kind of blackly comic wit and levity that virtually guarantee its entry into the contemporary midnight-movie canon.
May 31, 2012 | Rating: 3/4
Calum Marsh
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Thanks to McLeavy’s incredible performance as the childish, spoiled and evil Lola, no matter how horrible things get, you just cannot take your eyes away from the screen.
May 9, 2011
Phelim O’Neill
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
The morbid jokes and the shocking moments of horror, all played straight by an excellent cast, plus some moments of grisly originality, combine in a film that’s better than the average for this sort of admittedly dodgy exploitation piece.
November 3, 2010 | Rating: 3.5/5
David Stratton
At the Movies (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
Compelling Misery-esque tale with a lead fantastic performance from Robin McLeavy. The violence hits especially hard, but at just 79 minutes it’s a bit too thin.
December 30, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5
Trace Thurman
Horror Queers Podcast
Iits viciousness does not seem market tested. It is sincere in its merciless plumbing of the outer edges of human cruelty.
August 30, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5
Tim Brayton
Alternate Ending
Employing a classic Aussie lack of propriety in the clinches, Byrne allows us to root for a split-ends, bad-hair guy to survive…
June 12, 2020
David Lamble
Bay Area Reporter
It’s an impressive debut feature from writer/director Byrne who spills blood, boils brains and cannibalises naked teens with wicked energy.
January 23, 2018
Frank Hatherley
Screen International
With a narrative that surprises at every turn, committed performances from all involved, and a sense of humour as dark as the horror on display, The Loved Ones is a true horror gem.
January 8, 2018
Chris Tilly
IGN Movies
The direction is superb, with strong use of colour, some truly nasty twists and turns, inventive gore scenes (“Fetch the hammer, daddy…”) and impressive use of music, all of which adds up to a pretty intense 84 minutes or so.
January 8, 2018
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon…
Plot
In order to avoid a ghostly figure in the road, high school senior Brent Mitchell wraps his car around a tree, killing his father. Constantly confronted by his mother’s emotional collapse after the accident, Brent escapes into a marijuana fueled world of loud metal music to block the pain and guilt. Dejected and out of sorts, he has a shot at happiness with his girlfriend Holly, a grounded, caring girl with drop dead good looks, a dream date for the high school prom. But his plans are thwarted by a disturbing series of events that take place under a mirrored disco ball, involving pink satin, glitter, syringes, nails, power drills and a secret admirer. Brent has become the prom king at a macabre, sadistic event where he is the entertainment.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Robin McLeavy’s performance as Lola is described as “creeping psychotic” and “menacing” by one critic.
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