You are currently viewing The Loved Ones (2009) – Australian coming of age

The Loved Ones (2009) – Australian coming of age

The Loved Ones is one helluva coming-of-age movie. It moves quickly, it’s brutal, and most of all it is extremely good. But it is a small and compact ride. I hope you are ready for quite a bit of whiplash because this movie has a lot of that.


Prom is not a thing in Sweden. I genuinely thought it was just an American thing but alas, I was wrong. It is evidently also an Australian thing. The Loved Ones starts out pretty bog-standard. Guy gets asked to prom, he already has a girlfriend, he rejects girl, and lives happily ever after. With the small exception of a kidnapping ruining his prom night. There’s also a very welcome side-story about his friend finding “love” with a goth girl. Maybe not the most original setup but how it’s made is what makes this an awesome experience!

It is rare that murderous psychos make me feel uncomfortable nowadays. This psycho is on another level though. The way she acts, her relationship with her family, the extreme changes of mood are just some of the things that make her both intense and terrifying. The acting is top-notch, the characters being a bit cardboard cutouts are still made very well, and the pacing is *chef’s kiss*. The gore and torture are made very well and they even manage to make a few twists to the formula. The relationship between the psycho and her father made me physically cringe at times in the best possible way!

If you are looking for something quick, pretty funny and terrifying at the same time, and a generally good time. Then look no further than here. The Loved Ones feels like a sleeper hit from way back when. I hope that this small review manages to shake some life back into this. It is also a good reminder that you can make a good coming-of-age movie even with a grotesque horror backdrop! Enjoy the Australian madness my friends!

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