Friday, January 25, 2013

Pretty in Plasma

Sorry about the delay.  Real life, y'know.

So, anyway, apparently, Australians spend their entire lives in fear.  Maybe it's from being descended from criminals, I don't know, but these are some truly paranoid individuals.

And considering this guy's prom date, they have every right to be.





For those of you who have NOT seen this twisted, little gem, Brent (played by Xavier Samuel) goes all Goth LiveJournal Poetry after a car accident that killed his dad (caused by a beaten and bloody dude just kinda wanderin' into the street (this is important).  He gets asked to go to the prom by Lola (Robin McLeavy), who is not his girlfriend, and turns her down (quite nicely, actually).  We kind of get the idea that Lola isn't quite right when she spies on Brent and his girl making out in the parking lot.

During Brent's daily ritual of brooding, he gets knocked unconscious and wakes up tied to a chair at a tacky dinette set with Lola, her dad (John Brumpton) and Bright-Eyes, their pet vegetable.  Since Lola wasn't invited to the school dance, Dad turned the house into a prom for her.  Complete with paper crowns, disco balls, pretty dresses and cordless drills, knives and syringes full of bleach to keep her date from screaming.  (I STILL want to know where these people get syringes.)


Best Daddy EVER!

And the rest of the night is spent showing us exactly how twisted Pretty Princess Lola really is.  The girl may not be the most creative torturer on the planet but she certainly makes do with the materials she has at hand.  And she's had practice.  A lot of it.
 
Just in case you're wondering, it's kind of amazing what you can do with a fork and a handful of salt.
 
EEW!  Look what you did to my DRESS!
 
 
This is yet another instance of a FANTASTIC first time out for a new director.   Sean Byrne is definitely a director to watch.  The film is flawed but it DOES give us a frenzied blend of Pretty in Pink, Carrie, Prom Night, and Hostel which is kind of amazing to watch.  The comedy elements do kind of shock you out of the horror every so often, but they work.  I definitely rank this up there with Mum and Dad in terms of sheer awesome.

Unless you absolutely cannot stand torture horror, this should DEFINITELY be on your list.

6 comments:

  1. Oh man, and the Dahmer-zombies. That's what this movie brought to mind...yeeees sir. This is the most fun torture movie I've ever seen, and I am usually not a fan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think that's because it didn't take itself seriously AT ALL and had some interesting linkages that weren't immediately obvious. Like the goth girl that goes to the prom? The sister of the beaten guy at the beginning. MIND BLOWN!

      Delete
  2. I loved this way more than I expected. Easily one of the best releases of last year - for us, at least. Seems we had to wait a couple of years to get our shot at seeing it.

    The Info Zombie published a post bemoaning the lack of good, old-fashioned villains, and I directed him here. I think Robin McLeavy created one of the best screen villains I've seen in awhile.

    I'm also glad to see I'm not the only person on this side of the Atlantic who saw Mum And Dad, an unheralded gem.

    BTW, thanks for throwing the Dog Farm in your blogroll!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Y'know, you'd THINK that, in this day and age of globalization, we wouldn't have to wait for the awesome imports but, there you have it. I check the lists at Wikipedia pretty much monthly to see if anything new is coming out and I still can't keep up.

      As for good, old-fashioned villains, I think you're absolutely correct. It seems Australia has a decent handle on them and with Lola and Mick Taylor they've started their own little stable of well-rounded psychos. I kind of miss that sort of thing in US films. Mama does give us an amazing supernatural baddie to deal with, though.

      Mum and Dad is AWESOME and I'll gladly tell ANY horror fan about it. It needs as much exposure as it can get.

      And, finally, you're very welcome. I try to keep the awesome stuff over there. Anyone that remembers drive-ins gets a slot. :D

      Delete
  3. I absolutely loved this film. Nice review.

    ReplyDelete