Hounds of Love

I have always been a fan of Australian Horror/Thrillers. Let's face it, with the vast outback and big Cities Down under, there is a lot of room for varying plots and story lines that make for great entertainment.

"Hounds of Love" is a story set in the late 80's about a psychotic couple who kidnap and abuse young women. Without giving too much away about the story, it follows a common theme often seen in Horror/Thriller Genra's made these days but, to its credit, there are sub plots and other mysterious factors going on beneath the surface of the main story.

I thought the acting was above par and the low light settings in the home and quirky behavior of the main characters (the kidnappers) lends an eerie air to the film that works well to bolster the uneasy feeling you get watching the film.

There are many frustrating points in the film, which are by design. It is no easy task pulling off scenes that get under your skin so much you want to scream at the television or movie screen. This film does so on several occasions thanks to the talent and ability of the director and actors.

What I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that a commonly told story had many sub plot variations happening as well as sticking to the main thematic plot. This, I found, was unique to the modern day Kidnap/torture stories film production companies pump out as often as a McDonald's commercial.

Of course, you be the judge but I definitely recommend this film for fans of the Genra/s. Anyone who has ever read any of my reviews will know I am not one to hold back when a film stinks to high Heaven. I tell it as it is. With that, you will get your $'s worth with this film.

Hounds of love is a brutal, needlessly revolting exploration of the minds and deeds of psychopaths. No spoiler needed there. It is brilliantly acted, but as I sat and gave nearly 2 hours of my time to it, i wondered why it was made? With 'Snowtown' a few years back, and an endless number of overseas films dealing with this content, the Australian film industry is not going to stay afloat with horrific scenes as ones captured in this film. I''m not sure I am ever going to be able to laugh at Stephen Curry again; he plays the truly evil lead character here. Emma Booth who came to prominence a decade ago in the industry is impressive here; no doubt; it is guttural and devastating her performance. Ashleigh Cummings as the poor teenager violated by the couple is scaringly believable. The film recreates the look and feel of Western Australia in late 1987 and is creatively shot, edited and directed, but again I ask - why? This is not entertainment. It is torture porn. It is based on real life serial killers as was Snowtown but it has no real purpose.

I am viewing it as part of the 2017 AACTA screening process for the Australian film awards. Certainly Cummings and Booth deserve nods for their work, and Susie Porter is always sturdy and believable; here in a supporting role. Judging by the several pages of reviews already submitted for this film, my entry is probably not required, but this viewer is obviously not impressed by such horror and torture. No matter how brilliantly acted.

I write as an escaped West Australian. We've all got something to live down.

Like Adelaide, Perth has had classic serial killers with an eerie Australian twist. Riffing on a grim 1980s case, Ben Young delivers a fine first feature, for which the Metacritic 72% is not far off the mark. The cinematography is great, capturing the endless hot sky and bleaker suburbs (read Coolbellup or Hamilton Hill) of the 1980s. Also a fine score. The three key players are excellent. The script maybe needed a little more rounding for the ending to gel properly, but I sure felt the tension.

As with Don't Tell and Berlin Syndrome, here's a rare Aussie feature that captures Australia but which I'd be proud to show overseas. Discouragingly, I wonder if the three taken together will pull much more than $1-2m.

Actually uses a real street name, no kidding. Hope it doesn't lead to disaster tourism. Meanwhile, some eagle has already spotted the curious anomaly of the 7-character number plate, never issued in Perth before the 1990s.

I will confess to often finding Australia to be a haunting place. I have a strange fascination with it. It's hard to explain, but I really enjoy watching Australian films, because of that.

Hounds Of Love is a well made psychological drama. It's harrowing, because of it's subject matter, but I also find it quite subtle, in the way it's handled. The central characters are all well played, but Emma Booth as tormented wife Evelyn White, I found pretty mesmerising.

It was also refreshing to see the male protagonist (Stephen Curry) portrayed as a streak-of-piss coward, as I feel many of these types of individuals are, in real life.

Class.

Oof, that was brutal. It's movies like this that make me question why I keep watching movies like this.

The story is quite simple, boiling down to a murderous couple tormenting their latest victim. As a Canadian, it brought to mind the relationship between Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo, but upon researching the film, it seems it more closely shadows the case of Australian couple David and Catherine Birnie. Which is to say that I suppose every country has a similar tale that lives in local infamy, while the world at large tries to tune out how frequently these things actually happen.

Attempting to turn this kind of tragedy into a piece of entertainment puts you on shaky ground. Even the survivor of the real life case has called out the film for needlessly drawing attention to these horrible people. The movie does go out of it's way to avoid the gore porn tag, with a lot of the violence being implied and appearing off-screen, and the tone never approaching a glorification of the situation. The filmmakers do understand the gravity of the circumstances and make you uncomfortable by design. There is a mastery in how they deliver this, and many of the scenes are chillingly effective.

The movie also justifies it's existence through it's exploration of the relationship dynamic of the killers. It poignantly portrays domestic abuse and the kind of conditioning that emotionally shackles people to situations that externally seem obviously bad. It handles this subject matter well, with a believable dynamic between leads Emma Booth and Stephen Curry.

Nevertheless, the very nature of the premise is grotesque, regardless of how much tact you approach it with. It's brutal exposition of misery is sure to leave you feeling icky, and will be of little value to all but the most calloused moviegoers.