The Loved Ones

A troubled teen's prom dreams are shattered by a series of painful events that take place under the mirrored disco ball, involving syringes, nails, power drills and a secret admirer in this wild mash-up of Pretty in Pink and Misery.

TIFF: Last year's rocking doc Not Quite Hollywood proved that Australian genre films love to break the rules. In director and screenwriter Sean Byrne's first feature, The Loved Ones, he smashes them to a bloody pulp with a hammer.

In order to avoid a ghostly figure in the road, high-school senior Brent Mitchell (Xavier Samuel) 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-fuelled 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 (Victoria Thaine), 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.

Though new to the feature director's chair, Byrne cut his teeth in shorts, honing his instincts for dark, intense subject matter. With The Loved Ones, Byrne encourages the audience to laugh and have fun, only to sneak up and jolt them with horror when they're least expecting it. When an image of a bloodied teenager in a tux on a balloon-littered floor came to Byrne, he sought to bring to the screen a fusion of two horror classics – The Evil Deadand Carrie. The Loved Ones mashes up sharp, swift drama with a series of imaginatively gruesome yet humorous thrills that are bound to provoke reactions from more squeamish audience members, who will surely have their hands over their eyes and grins on their faces.

Destined to become a scary and deliciously deranged date movie, The Loved Ones isn't just another horror flick. It's a vivid, fun, sexy and relentlessly attacking roller coaster, set to a searing rock soundtrack with grooves to scream to.

--Colin Geddes

Sean Byrne was born in Hobart, Tasmania, and graduated with an M.A. from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. He has won various awards for excellence in directing for his short films, which include Sport (99), Work? (00), Sunday (00), Ben (01) and Advantage (07). The Loved Ones (09)is his feature debut.
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Larry Richman: On Sunday, September 13th I attended the International Premiere of The Loved Ones at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. The screening took place as part of the festival's Midnight Madness section at the 1300-seat Ryerson Auditorium. The first full-length feature from Australian director Sean Byrne, The Loved Ones stars Xavier Samuel of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse along with Jessica McNamee, Victoria Thaine, Robin McLeavy, and John Brumpton.

I had been anticipating this premiere for quite some time. Xavier Samuel starred in Newcastle, which was one of my Top Picks from the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. He also appeared in 2:37, one of my favorites from the Santa Barbara Film Festival in January 2007. In an exclusive audio interview after the World Premiere of Newcastle in New York last year, I sat down with Xavier, his castmates, and director Dan Castle to discuss the film. I was the only American journalist there -- I was joined by two Australian reporters.

Since then, almost overnight, Xavier Samuel has become a household name and I've stayed on top of the news. On July 16th I reported on the casting of Samuel in the forthcoming The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Then on July 22nd I was happy to pass on the news that his new film The Loved Ones would be having its International Premiere at TIFF, and on August 20 I was especially thrilled to announce that Xavier's attendance at the festival had been confirmed.

My day ended with the International Premiere of The Loved Ones at Midnight Madness.

In two words, the film is an instant classic. Sam Raimi step aside! This Australian Carrie-meets-Misery flick is perfectly executed in the hands of first-time feature director Sean Byrne. Star Xavier Samuel, as the sullen Brent, is simply mindboggling. He will eclipse many young actors in this awesome performance. He pulls off a stunning, agonizingly horrific portrayal of a teen forced to suffer at the hands of classmate Lola (Robin McLeavy), the jilted would-be prom queen.

The Loved Ones is not for the faint of heart. Visuals are shockingly realistic and beyond compare. Robert Webb's production design is a character unto itself. Bright colors and cheery music are a perfect counterpoint to the horrific action taking place in the claustrophobic setting. Byrne's team fires on all cylinders, crafting a modern horror story that has cult classic written all over it, in blood. Most of all, though, this is a tour de force for the young Samuel. It's too bad they don't have Oscars for "Best at Pain Endurance." His performance in The Loved Ones gives new meaning to the term "tortured actor."

(NOTE: The Loved Ones went on to win the Midnight Madness Cadillac People's Choice Award.)