| The Loved Ones | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Sean Byrne |
| Written by | Sean Byrne |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Simon Chapman |
| Edited by | Andy Canny |
| Music by | Ollie Olsen |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Madman Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4 million[1] |
| Box office | $358,399[2] |
The Loved Ones is a 2009 Australian horror film written and directed by Sean Byrne in his feature directorial debut. It stars Xavier Samuel, Robin McLeavy, Victoria Thaine, Jessica McNamee, Richard Wilson, and John Brumpton. The film follows a teenage boy who finds himself at the mercy of a classmate's demented party after he declines her offer to attend the school dance.
Plot[edit]
High schooler Brent is driving with his father Dan when a bloodied man appears in the middle of the road. Swerving to avoid the man, Brent crashes his vehicle into a tree, killing his father. Six months later, Brent politely turns down Lola Stone's invitation to the prom in favor of his girlfriend Holly. Lola secretly watches the two having sex in Holly's car. Guilt-ridden over his father's death, Brent has turned to self-harm with a razor blade hidden in his necklace. At home, Brent's mother Carla insists on him taking a taxi rather than ride with an inexperienced Holly. Brent leaves his house and goes to a nearby cliff. He briefly contemplates suicide, but changes his mind. As he listens to music, someone knocks Brent out.
Brent wakes up bound to a chair. His captors are Lola and her father Eric, who have decorated their house in imitation of a prom. The three are sat at a table along with a lobotomized woman they call Bright Eyes. Lola injects Brent's voice box with bleach, destroying his vocal cords making him unable to scream or talk. She begins to humiliate him, experiencing arousal in the process. Brent frees himself and runs outside, but is re-captured by the sadistic father and daughter, who pin his feet to the floor with knives. Lola shows Brent a scrapbook with photos of her past victims. Brent recognizes Timmy Valentine, the bloodied man who caused his crash. Timmy turns out to be the brother of Mia Valentine, the prom date of Jamie, Brent's best friend. Lola then brands Brent by carving her initials onto his chest and sprinkling salt on it. After Eric crowns Lola prom queen, she admits having incestuous feelings for him. The two dance and almost kiss before Brent interrupts them.
Eric opens a trapdoor on the floor, revealing a basement cellar with the previous abductees still alive. Lola drills a hole through Brent's skull and prepares to lobotomize him by pouring boiling water into the hole. Brent manages to free himself again. He attacks Eric with his hidden razor blade and stabs him with one of the knives he pulled out of his feet. He pushes Eric into the cellar, where the starving and now deranged (and presumably lobotomised) captives tear him apart. An unhinged Lola pushes Brent into the cellar and throws everything she can get her hands on at him. Brent finds a flashlight and a hammer among the thrown objects and uses them to defend himself against the captives. Lola then smothers Bright Eyes - who turns out to be her mother - with a pillow, out of jealousy.
When Brent does not show up to the date, a worried Holly informs Mia's father, a police officer. He enters Lola's house, where Lola kills him with a meat cleaver. Lola taunts Brent, saying she will kill Carla as revenge for her father, and kill Holly for breaking her heart. After she leaves, Brent climbs out of the pit using the pile of corpses. As Lola walks on the road, she sees Holly approaching in her car. She throws her scrapbook at the windshield, and attacks Holly, who flees on foot. Brent arrives in the police car and runs over Lola. Holly clambers into the police car and is shocked to see Brent; the two embrace tearfully. A severely injured Lola approaches the car. Brent reverses the car, striking Lola in the head and crushing her skull. Brent and Holly arrive back home, where a shocked Carla embraces her son.
