When I first saw the Midnight Madness programme for 2009 I was quite excited. Red carpet premieres and the return of one of the greatest horror directors ever.

However amidst the furor there was another reason for my enthusiasm; there was a new film from Australia The Loved Ones.



Anyone who has been following trends in world cinema cannot deny that there are a lot of new voices emerging from down under. Greg Mclean Wolf Creek, Rogue. Neil Armfield Candy. Midnight Madness was served with a one-two punch last year with the great documentary on Ozploitation - Not Quite Hollywood - and Jon Hewitt's slow burn thriller Acolytes. A new voice can now be added to this new: Sean Byrne who makes his feature film debut with The Loved Ones.

I cannot quite place my finger on what draws me to Australian cinema. Aussie cinema feels to me quite familiar yet slightly exotic. Perhaps it is the unrestrained nature of the stories; like Paul Goldman's Surburban Mayhem. Australia also has those amazing wide open vistas that lend themselves to great photography and if the Midnight Madness programme brochure is any indication, The Loved Ones will also showcase amazing cinematography. Don't take my word for it, Midnight Madness alumni Simon Barrett (the screenwriter of Dead Birds) says of the The Loved Ones "...is beautifully shot and consistently entertaining. [This film] will kill at Midnight Madness!" Fangoria magazine also says of this film: "Perverse, demented and unpredictable."

And one final word from Sean Byrne on his own film: "I wanted this to be something that really gets the audience on their feet, gets their adrenaline pumping."



The tagline for the The Loved Ones is "You don't have to die to go to hell." Well Mr. Byrne, I speak on behalf of myself and my fellow Midnight Madness devotees, we are ready for you to take us to hell!

See you at Midnight!

Robert Mitchell