The Loved Ones, not pretty enough at box office

Damn – that’s pretty much a flop despite Madman’s extensive marketing everywhere

clearly, quirky horror films don’t interest Aussie audiences

should still do OK on dvd

Script had massive flaws, obvious to anybody who cared enough to have a read. Still Sean’s a real directing talent, maybe he should hand the writing over to a pro. The script screamed of a cynical attempt to ride the outdated horror wagon, and in the end didn’t really add anything new to the genre…the audience isn’t stupid. Still I’d like to see what Sean directs next.

God damn it, i had very high hopes for The Loved Ones. Still, Jackass was surprisingly good, and aimed at a similar demographic but with a hell of a lot more marketing power, i guess it took most of The Loved One’s audience…

it’s hard for Aussie films to compete against studio films, especially with the money thrown at them

the thing is, Jackass isn’t even a real movie, its a documentary where stupid people do stupid things…but like funniest home videos

but then, if that’s what people want to see…

To me, the title is terrible. If you haven’t got a marketing budget, you at least need a descriptive title that appeals to your projected audience.

If we do assume the film was aimed at the same market as Jackass 3D or Paranormal Activity 2, it’s hard to imagine a teenager giving The Loved Ones a second glance when looking through the listings. It sounds like an art house drama.

When promotional money is scarce, more attention needs to be given to creative ideas that don’t cost anything.

Jim if you think The Loved Ones “didn’t really add anything new to the genre” you clearly don’t know anything about horror. The movie is being lauded around the world as one of the most original and quirky horrors in a long, long time. Lola stone is a highly original character, the combination of black humour, the style, the cut away scenes to comic relief, is all innovative for torture movies. Flipping the date movie on its head and throwing in bits reminiscent of Misery is also quite a new take.

The reality is the Aussie market is extremely tough for horror, and the marketing campaign didn’t really cut through. I also wonder whether releasing after Halloween and the release of Saw exhausted OZ’s very limited horror audiences.

I sense M that you might be the producer of The Loved Ones? Either way, horror is a pretty broad genre with a very forgiving audience, if I think the Loved Ones didn’t add anything new to the genre and I had read the script, might you not think that I would have read the screenplay, knowing the horror genre and then deducted that “Ho-Hum..not much here I haven’t read before” Its not crap script, it just didn’t leave me thinking…”Gee I can’t wait to see that” and so if I felt..if it gets made? I’ll catch it on DVD..and I think the movie going audience picked up on the same feeling through the marketing campaign…it didn’t seem intriguing and it didn’t really grab my interest…I did point out that Sean is a good director, and I’d like to see what he does next, I think he has a natural talent for horror but maybe he should hand over the writing reigns to another writer…nothing wrong in saying it, there should be more of it, there’s a lot of very talented writers plugging away at keyboards…So M rather than shaking the voodoo genre stick….maybe read the light in between the dark..isn’t that what horror is all about?

I think the Loveds Ones was a fantastically commercial horror that people who saw it clearly go into. I sense that the delay in releasing it and the propensity for GEN X to seek it on the net harmed it. It had huge international momentum and holding it off for so long until a stupid weekend with jackass and saw was suicidal.

Yep going against Jackass was definately a bad idea. Lets wait (and hope) and see if this one has legs.

Hi Jim. Hear what you’re saying but don’t think the screenplay is the problem. This thing won a major award at Toronto and the Siren Award at Fantastik against films like Jennifer’s Body, Daybreakers and Scott Pilgrim. It’s @ 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s pretty much the most critically acclaimed horror movie this country has made. The problem is it got squashed by Jackass 3D and there’s too much horror around right now. I don’t think most people know this film even exists.

Friggin Gen X and their net thieving ways… they’ll be the death of us all…utter bastards

Jay..if you had read the script…you would’ve seen the problem…I don’t think anybody can really blame Jackass 3D…I think what can be blamed is people thinking that horror just sells and people just go along to it regardless. The film is basically torture porn with a little quirkiness thrown in for good measure…it’ll find a home on DVD. The Animal Kingdom has been lauded overseas as well, but somehow the same praise wasn’t carried through with this same film but I did find this on IMBD ( and no I didn’t write it and no I’m not Jim Schembri)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt13...../171714784

“I was waiting so much for this movie because all the reviews you can find on the net labeled it as a really good movie that stands out above mediocrity…Well, after I saw it, the only thing I can say is that it’s a terrible movie if you relate to the screenplay, really useless and just an excuse to show some brutal torture scenes. The Loved ones is not original, rather a bad mixture of ideas already used in better ways in other movies. I still recognize that the picture and the direction are great but these are just technical aspects that don’t make a movie a masterpiece. One of the big disappointments of the 2010…”

This from somebody who I take it is a horror genre lover..

if you read the rest of the reviews they are a mixed bag with most hinting towards being pretty negative especially from somebody who saw it at Toronto, scroll down to the bottom and you will find a review by somebody who sat behind the Spierig Brothers.

Look.. I thought there were obvious flaws with the script, I think they carried on through into the production and the final edit. Maybe the fact that all of those involved in this films development are Horror genre fanatics…this might have had something to do with an independent appraisal of the script…all screenplays need some cold calculating eyes now and again.

Me, my wife and our 17 years old son went to The Loved Ones on Sunday and loved every minute of it. This is a great genre movie, well scripted, acted, edited. Doesnt rely on any CGI, not even to enhance skies or backgrounds. This is old school film making at its best, most assured. This deserves to be seen by a wider audience. We had to travel from Bendigo to Melbourne specifically and it was well worth it. We even considered stopping in Kyneton on the way home (where this was filmed) but were to scared!

Yep agreed – the cinemas seemed to be spaced too far apart for an urban audience – many of whom don’t drive. My friends and I are all over 40 though and loved it.. Smart, funny, unpredictable and with strong female leads. Don’t agree that the script was poor. Universally acclaim – only a couple of negative reviews….

Jim, I took a look and the reviews you’re talking about are all user reviews from punters, many of whom probably ripped it off the net. Check out (official) external reviews and I think you’ll find the film has been highly acclaimed.

Jay- By users/ user reviews, you actually mean audience members, the same tribe who also dictate how a film succeeds or bombs at the box-office. I know it might sound weird but the audience is a big part of the film making machine. The reviews you are reading are from people who actually gone to see it and the majority of those aren’t that positive

Interesting debate going on here. I checked out imdb because I’m weighing up whether to see the film and Jim’s comments turned me off. But then I found that 13 or the 18 user reviews are actually positive and nearly all the critics reviews are positive. Don’t know why you’re saying otherwise, Jim. Unless you just like kicking a dog when it’s down.

Dear Claire…

Enough..the local reviews aren’t positive, read this little street rag called “The Age” not positive at all, the film, which I went and saw with three friends, one who walked out after thirty minutes, the other began texting and I sat there, because I love cinema, bored out of my brain, wondering why the film wasn’t scary. I had read the script when it was about to go into production, it had problems on the page. Still and I stand on a fruit box while saying this…I HOPE Sean Byrne gets to make more films because he’s a real directing talent…writing might not be his thing. The dog is kicking itself and it started with a boot to the head with a script that was very lacking dramatically.
A lot of what was on IMBD was far from positive and if trawl around the net you will find a pattern, a pattern that says ” I read all these reviews that really beat this film up…I went and saw it and it was a dud”….now thats the audience vibe and it works with this other great thing called word of mouth…and word of mouth from ten people…I know…who have seen the film is 100% negative

I like dogs, I never kick them but they are prone to eating their own S#%T from time to time, especially in our industry…Claire

Wow Jim,

I think you may have some issues – and not just with this film.

No LT…my issues are mainly with an industry that bemoans a lack of public support for its product and still refuses to listen to audience feedback or development feedback. If you feel my issues are repeatedly saying that Sean is a great Director and has a promising career I’m happy to cop that. I’m just sick of listening to filmmakers talk bitterly about how they can’t get a break and when they do, and the film isn’t well received, its blame blame everything except what was obvious from the outset…the story.
Yes you can get enough aspiring and ambitious people involved in a film and none of them will point out the blindingly obvious, or want to hear it from somebody independently. I think we need to move on from this way of collaboration. Creatively I think we are about to begin an amazing period in Australian film, we just need to lift the blinkers and go back to what filmmaking is about, a collaborative creative act, developed through the prism of the Directors vision. I mean imagine what Sean will direct next, I know I’ll buy a ticket…he’s directing talent is obvious, his writing ability might not be..and I also feel The Loved Ones will have a celebrated life on DVD…
I’m speaking my mind based on continued experience within this industry and what I’m reading here in terms of critique is an example of the same defense mechanism’s employed over and over again by filmmakers…what can be learned by a failure at the box office? A lot…but if I read above there seems to be a willingness not to learn and somehow blame.. Jackass…or blame the audience for getting it wrong…the blame is on the shoulders of the story

my issues aside LT..where do you stand?

Jim, you’ve made your point ad nausea. I think you need to learn economy of language. Maybe feed your comments through a good script editor.

exit stage left

I’m agreeing with Jim’s comments on this one.

I saw the film at the Sydney FF. The budget for the film was around $3.5mil.

The script wasn’t ready, and Sean didn’t add anything new to the genre that we hadn’t seen before.

Jim changing your name to Charlie B doesn’t help anyone, and certainly should not be used as a platform to make your overly verbose, and bitter comments for the 15th time. If you come to see me again we can get the medication going again. Now breathe…..

Ummm…no Charlie B isn’t me, but hey thanks for the wisecrack about the medication and the psychologist stab..you should get a gig writing comedy, it was really that insightful , witty and very on the money, maybe you could juts become a Producer, I hear they’re doing all the top comedy writing in Oz these days, go for it…overly verbose?..or am I just another film loving fan/filmmaker with an opinion? I mean the platform is put here to comment, you don’t have to read what I write or agree with it…I’m simply watching and commenting Doctor Sherlock..thank god you’ve got all the answers..and wit…shocking wit..shockingly witty.. in fact..I’m not joking…that’s really very cluey