Love Hurts

I watched 2022's 'Most Horrible Things' (apparently also known as 'Love Hurts' which is probably a better title on reflection) on a streaming service and, as many people probably feel, streaming services do just tend to fill up their channel with 'content' rather than considering the merits of what they're putting out. For that reason, many of the horror films I watch on their are pretty dire. Perhaps that was a good thing when I sat down to watch it, as my expectations were pretty low.

And it is certainly low budget. Set over the course of a night where six strangers are invited to dinner at the promise of $10,000 each for their stay by the mysterious owner. Naturally, things don't go to plan and the bodycount starts to rise as the night progresses.

But, just because there's no budget or even big name actors, doesn't mean it's not worth considering. The characters, being basically only eight of them, all get a chance to be in the spotlight and there are some nice 'reveals' about some of them that I didn't see coming.

All the actors play their parts well (my personal favourites were the mansion's host/owner and his loyal butler!) and I kind of knew that all would not be what it first seemed and that there were probably going to be a few twists and turns as the story unfolded. I was right in that there are a few 'left turns' the story takes, but I'm notoriously bad at predicting these sorts of things, so maybe it's just me when I say that I never saw any of them coming.

Naturally, there are no huge alien invasions or high-speed car chases, so if you choose to watch this you're going to need to be in the mood for a slow burner. I've read a few other reviews and it seems that opinion is split with other viewers either loving or hating it. Personally, I wouldn't say it's a classic that will stand the test of time, but it's definitely worth watching if you're in the mood for this sort of film and you get the chance to see it as part of your streaming package.

It starts out at a murder scene, but it is dark, so we cannot tell what the police are investigating. It then switches to a party scene, where the guests are invited to this Valentine's Day dinner, and each will get $10,000 if they make a 'breakthrough'. It switches back and forth between the party and the police asking questions about the murders. Simple to say, the 'butler' assures the police he/they have friends in high places. The characters are not likeable, and in many ways it is boring. As the police probe, the background story has more and more tension among the guests. So one is following two different threads. The police cannot figure out a motive, which is the stumbling block, as those who orchestrated everything also seem to have every angle figured out. Certainly not worth paying to see in a theater.

The film has a lot of flaws, including questionable acting and poor direction (at times), but there is something very compelling about it overall. The plot we've seen before in several horror films, but there is an interesting twist in this one and a back story that actually works well. Yes, it is stupid at times and absolutely absurd at others; characters do things that don't make sense and the dialogue is often eye-rollingly cheesy, but it is entertaining and manages to hold viewer interest throughout. That is more of an accomplishment than many horror films can deliver. I think most people who are looking for this kind of film will find it amusing.

This is a very curious movie. It's meant to be a sinister horror/thriller, with an eccentric who invites a group of random persons for a dinner party in his mansion, under the pretense that they will be paid 10.000 dollar if they will experience an "emotional breakthrough". Then, in the course of the evening, he starts provoking them, playing with their minds and revealing some of their hidden personal secrets. This causes some of them to snap and totally lose control; as a result eventually blood flows, and worse.

This may sound interesting, and is does have potential, but the execution is really bad. The pace is way too slow, the photography is lackluster, and especially the acting is below every par. Only the host (Sean Sprawling) and his butler (Simon Phillips) do a good job, but the actors playing the guests are all terrible. The script is very talkative, and the whole movie is very low on action.

Biggest let-down is the lack of any comprehensible or relatable motive for the host (or for his commissioner, as a twist at the end of the movie reveals) for their actions. The interrogation by the two police-detectives doesn't really help in getting answers, they are so awkward and amateurish that the result is hardly surprising.

In fact, my only positive feeling concerns Sean Sprawling: as the gender-fluid androgynous host his (their) attitude, gestures and dialogues are almost theatrically choreographed, and lend him (them) a definite, larger than life charisma. But that alone wasn't enough to save this disappointing project.

Had hopes...those were so dashed. Typical dinner party/get money plot with 6 people and a very werid host. They kept showing a girl in a bathroom on the floor covered and tied up....we never find out who this person is or why. Little story line with no sense. Love the butler, but who is he really. The guy that is the host...sorry, but if ugly had a stick it would beat itself silly. The back and forth with the dinner party and police scenes were just terrible. I did like the twist, but the rest of the story is bland at best. I did get if 5 stars since I didn't fall asleep during this one. Love the house. If you are bored please watch it, otherwise do your nails.