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Not all horror films feature masked slashers or machete wielding killers that can survive multiple sequels and numerous on-screen deaths. From the land down under comes a mind numbing piece of exploitive grotesquerie that pits one man's taste for obscene sex against the backdrop of mid-'80s suburbia. As a feature, motives must be questioned when making something as filthy as Hounds of Love. However, the movie definitely wields a sharpened blade of realism that cannot be denied. All three leads throw themselves headlong into a story about male dominance, the dangers of long running mental abuse, and how easily an unassuming teenage girl can be windswept into the unknown confines of depraved captivity as a sex object.
True terror exists in a world of film that brings us reality based situations that ooze victimization and horrifying pain. Over the last decade, Australia has stepped up to the plate and given genre fans a steady diet of brutal and unusual stories that not only show us the dark sides of human nature but dive head first into the overtly perverted and visceral. With movies like Wolf Creek and The Loved Ones raising the bar, 2016's Hounds of Love comes along and does it again. Set in Perth in 1987, this sexually devious project is a disturbing watch that puts viewers through the ringer with scenes of physical abuse, violence towards women, and the molestation of teenage girls.
Hounds of Love is dripping with '80s vibe. From dingy looking set pieces fully dressed in period specific shades of drab vintage brown to costume design that screams with the retro details of an era lost, this is a cold hearted piece of cinema that's never shy about physical harm or full on assault of the senses. Director Ben Young takes a calculated risk that totally pays off. Where some might shy away from this type of graphic content, Young runs headlong into it by making an unnerving film that's high on shock factor and character building.
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| We're not good people. |
Score
-CG