The Loved Ones - 2009

The Loved Ones - 2009 - Director - Sean Byrne


Ugly duckling is snubbed and gets revenge.  That's the basic story behind the 2009 indie horror film The Loved Ones.  It's easy to classify this as another Australian torture porn film much like the Wolf Creek movies, but The Loved Ones stands out mostly because of the great pairing of Robin McLeavy and John Brumpton who play the "not pretty enough" daughter and the father with lots of daddy daughter issues. 

Xavier Samuel plays Bret who in the beginning of the movie has a car accident that kills his father.  Brett is never the same again and neither is his alcoholic mother since his fathers death.  He slips into an angry marijuana induced heavy metal rebellious teen mood; that doesn't phase his high school sweetheart who appears ready to save him from the path of self destruction.

Its the last dance of the school year and Brett is  going with Holly (Victoria Thaine) but when the "Ugly Duckling" Lola asks Bret to go with her; he tries to let her down easy by saying he already has a date.  This flips the switch in Lola and we can see she's already plotting her revenge.  Her Daddy played by John Brumpton drugs Brett and takes him back their house.  Brett wakes up tied to a chair and Lola is in her prom dress along with a disco ball hanging in the dining room.  This is Lola's prom and she always gets what she wants...

The Loved Ones has its moments of gore and squirm, especially when daddy is teaching his little princess how to lobotomize their new victim.  If you like the sub genre "torture porn" films like Hostel and Wolf Creek then The Loved Ones should be on your radar.  It has all of the typical torture "love me or I'll chop this off" stuff but its done in a fresh new way that a lot of this sub genre seems to miss.

"'It's just a flesh wound!"

13 Sins - 2014

 13 Sins - 2014 - Director - Daniel Stamm

So.. 13 Sins which is a remake of a 2006 horromedy called 13 Beloved stars Mark Webber as Elliot Brindle a down on his luck salesman / soon to be father who is in desperate need of cash.  To make things a bit more stressful; Elliot's developmentally disabled brother will be forced back to a mental institution and his racist father will be moving in with him.  So needless to say he has alot going on, thats when the phone call comes offering him $1000 if he'll kill and eat a fly.  Yep. "a fly".
Now he's given an option to continue with 12 more challenges that will mean more money deposited directly into his bank account. Each of the following challenges become morally difficult and dangerous with a reward in the millions.

No!! I'm a RIGHTY!!





 
If you liked Would you Rather or Cheap Thrills then you'll like 13 Sins the premise is the same, someone is offered endless amounts of money if they're willing to do some disturbing tasks. There's something about a situation where money is no object if your willing to do anything for it.  We as a society have the all mighty dollar at our focal point throughout our lives, and the idea of completing mundane to horrific tasks to make money can be entertaining. 

13 Sins is an efficient thriller with some good laughs thrown in. Daniel Stamm does a good job keeping us on track following Elliot as he jumps through his hoops.

This isn't the $64,000 question.

Nothing a few Advil couldn't fix.

Hatchet 3 - 2013

Hatchet 3 - 2013  -Director - BJ McDonnell

 So I haven't really been a huge fan of this series for some reason.  I think because the film makers are going for their own version of a campy Friday the 13th knock off that doesn't always work for me.  But for some reason this episode in the series is a lot of fun.  It has some pretty juicy moments for those that like the splatter.  

Victor Crowley is alive and well and still living in the swamp, although after Marybeth (Danielle Harris) turned his head into a pile of goo in the last movie I'm not so sure how.  Who cares lets kill some town deputies!
After turning herself into the authorities Marybeth is locked up in the town jail for MURDER. Eventually with the help from Caroline Harris (Amanda) who is no stranger to slasher flicks (Halloween 2 2009) and Sid Haig who steals the show as a racist crazy they head back to the swamp to finish off ole' Vic.





The pacing in this film is perfect, no slow points trying to explain the unexplainable.  Its also not short on splatter.  If your in need of a good horror fix you could do a lot worse.

 Sid Haig!!!

 

Ouch!!
That's gonna leave a mark

Martyrs - 2008

Martyrs - 2008 - Director - Pascal Laugie

Martyrs is easily one of the most disturbing horror movies I have ever watched.  Lets just say its not for the faint of heart or those with weak stomaches.  
Lucie (Myle`ne Jampanoi) and Anna (Morjana Alaoui) have both suffered a horrifying abduction and escaped and are now seeking revenge upon their captors.  Lucie hallucinates continuously while attempting to hunt down the ones who tortured her.  Afterwards Anna soon begins to face the same visions and torment that Lucie had and eventually uncovers a much larger group that has a very specific plan for her.

This film will keep you on the edge of your seat and will disgust you throughout.  The fun part is that you will never know what direction it's going. There are many turns that will ultimately shock you in the end. 

The acting is totally top notch and some of the best I've seen in an indie horror film.  If your a fan of foreign horror and like to think a little while watching; check it out.

Martyrs is a French subtitled film so for those that don’t like to read while watching a movie (Kevin) this may not be for you.  This movie is easily in my personal top 10 and is available in NETFLIX.

The Pact - 2012

The Pact - 2012 - Director: Nicholas McCarthy

After their mother passes away two sisters return to their childhood home to gets things in order.  Thats when things start to go bump in the night.  One of the sisters starts to have some disturbing dreams and images that lead her to discover some of her mothers troubling past.

Indie horror movies are a dime a dozen but every now an then you get one that really nails it, The Pact is one of those.  Its grainy, dreary look and haunted house theme lend to a suspenseful feeling throughout.  Caity Lotz is wonderful as Annie who has to figure out what happened in her mother's past.  Casper Van Dien (yes him.. Starship Troopers) is underutilized as the detective who doesn't really believe Annie's story.

The Pact isn't heavy on special FX or gore but the twisty ending makes up for it.  If you enjoy turning off the lights and turning up the sound on creepy movies, The Pact won't disappoint you.

Don't do it...NO