Australia is the home to some truly twisted horror stories, with the land of terrifying animals also the home of terribly good storytellers. One of the country’s hidden horror gems, The Loved Ones, is now available on Paramount Plus, and it’s about time you get around to it.
The Loved Ones is Australia’s loving answer to Carrie and a decade filled with schmaltzy teen romcom movies. Instead of a happy ending on prom night, however, The Loved Ones features absolutely horrific bloodshed that will satisfy your darker urges. Directed by Sean Byrne, the 2010 cult horror classic has a reputation as one of antipodean cinema’s finest genre flicks, and is now available for United States audiences.
Available to stream exclusively from Paramount Plus, there’s never been a better time to catch-up on the Aussie horror flick. The Loved Ones is named after a classic “pub rock” tune of the same name, by a band of the same name. The only way it could get more Australian is if the film reels were smothered in vegemite.
The cast of The Loved Ones is not quite A-list, but you will recognise them from several other films. Xavier Samuels had appearances in The Twilight Saga and recently in Blonde, while Jessica McNamee was in the ill-fated Mortal Kombat film from 2021. Byrne later directed another excellent horror film The Devil’s Candy which released in 2015.
If you were still on the fence, you may be swayed by the critical reception. Sitting at 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, The Loved Onesis one of the best reviewed Australian films ever made.
The Loved Ones is available to stream exclusively on Paramount Plus.