Parents' Guide to The Loved Ones

This debut feature film from Australian director Sean Byrne is chaotic, intense, and, amid the bloodshed, boldly unique. There are aspects of The Loved Ones that certainly lean into torture porn territory, but it flips gender roles on their heads, casting a teen girl as the antagonist, rather than the victim. McLeavy is gloriously unhinged as that central character—a girl who's been turned down one too many times and decides to take her humiliation out on those who don't reciprocate her feelings. She's edgy and unpredictable and takes a maniacal but childish pleasure in her victims' pain. Don't be fooled by the bright pink dress and shiny disco ball on the ceiling, though: there's a Texas Chainsaw Massacre edge to this family as they sit around the table, a teen boy strapped to a chair and a mother figure strangely unresponsive. The less said about the incestuous undertones the better, but this is a creepily dysfunctional house to rival some of the horror greats. The film is played pretty straight, but there's a dark humor amid the almost indulgent displays of violence, which will no doubt appeal to many genre fans. The movie definitely marked Byrne as one to watch back in 2009, and his follow-ups, The Devil's Candy and Dangerous Animals haven't disappointed.