Watch Hounds of Love

In the movie "Hounds of Love" from 2016, which takes place in Perth, Australia in the 1980s, a teenage girl named Vicki (Ashleigh Cummings) is abducted by a seemingly ordinary couple, Evelyn (Emma Booth) and John White (Stephen Curry). For days, the couple torture and abuse Vicki in their home, using her as a pawn in their sick fantasies. As Vicki's family and the police desperately search for her, Vicki must find a way to escape before it's too late.

The film opens with a slow, almost tranquil shot of a suburban neighborhood, set to the haunting tune of an off-screen choir. But this peaceful façade is quickly shattered as we see Vicki walking alone down the street, her face cast in shadow. She's a troubled, rebellious teenager, but nothing could have prepared her for what was about to happen.

Evelyn and John are an unsettling couple, at once charismatic and menacing. Their quiet suburban home with a white picket fence is a perfect façade for their twisted relationship, and the way they work together to manipulate Vicki is both horrifying and fascinating to watch. Booth delivers a stunning performance as Evelyn, playing her with a chilling blend of charm and brutality. Curry is similarly adept at portraying John as a man who can go from kind to terrifying in a matter of seconds.

As Vicki tries to outwit her captors and find a way to escape, the tension in the movie ramps up to almost unbearable levels. Director Ben Young uses a subdued color palette and a slow, deliberate pace to create a sense of dread, drawing out every moment of Vicki's captivity. It's an extremely effective technique, making the audience feel as trapped and helpless as Vicki herself.

One of the most powerful aspects of "Hounds of Love" is the way it portrays the psychological dynamic between Vicki and her captors. The film never shies away from the brutality of their actions, but it's also clear that John and Evelyn are both deeply damaged individuals who are themselves victims of circumstance. This complexity adds a layer of depth to the movie that elevates it beyond the usual torture-porn fare.

Cummings is excellent as Vicki, capturing both her vulnerability and her inner strength. It's a testament to her performance that we never once doubt that Vicki is capable of fighting back against her abductors, even as they continue to strip away her dignity and sanity.

For a movie about such a horrific subject matter, "Hounds of Love" is surprisingly beautiful to look at. Young's direction and cinematographer Michael McDermott's visuals create a sense of otherworldliness that serves to underscore the surreal horror of Vicki's situation. It's an impressive accomplishment, and one that adds an extra layer of profundity to the story.

Ultimately, "Hounds of Love" is a tough movie to watch. It's unflinching in its portrayal of violence and abuse, and there are moments that will leave even the most jaded viewers feeling sick and disturbed. But it's also a deeply human movie, one that shows how even the worst of us are capable of love and compassion, even as we commit unspeakable acts. This is a film that will stick with you long after you've turned it off, and it's a testament to the power of cinema to move and disturb us in equal measure.

Hounds of Love is a 2017 crime movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 48 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.5 and a MetaScore of 73.