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[Review Repost] ‘Hounds of Love’ is a Tense Abduction Story From a New Perspective

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Stephen Curry as John in Ben Young's Hounds of Love (2016). Photo by Michael McDermot.

Having domestic abuse in my family history makes it a sensitive subject. It’s not just that abuse was normalized decades ago, it’s that a woman wasn’t even believed if they had reported it. While the idea of a Bonnie and Clyde is romanticized by modern film (i.e. Natural Born Killers), it’s actually terrifying to think of the fear and hopelessness many women have experienced. This is why I love Ben Young’s Hounds of Love, an abduction story that also shines a light on not one, but two victims.

The Australia feature, which has already won various awards, follows a young girl, Vicki Maloney (Ashleigh Cummings), who is kidnapped by a serial killer couple, John (Stephen Curry) and Evelyn White (Emma Booth). The duo torment Vicki as they struggle with their own domestic issues.

What really struck a chord within me is that Young made the conscious decision to tell the story from the perspective of Evelyn, not Vicki. In turn, Hounds of Love is about a woman freeing herself from the abuse and torment of her “lover”, who has been manipulating her since she was 13 years old. While this doesn’t negate being an accessory to murder, it does allow the viewer to experience an abduction story from a sympathetic angle, one that I’m quite sure I’ve never seen before.

Booth’s performance is so powerful that it’s hard to watch, only adding more tension behind Curry’s manipulative persuasions. It’s all glued together, however, by Young’s excellent writing and directing, which gives this ensemble a morbid sandbox to play in.

There are no twists or turns in Hounds of Love, only good old-fashioned storytelling in the vein of the most compelling “Unsolved Mysteries” or “Forensic Files” episodes. It’s an important movie, however, that I can only hope opens people’s eyes to the different kinds of abuse that happens daily right under our noses.

Hounds of Love is now on VOD and in select theaters.

Horror movie fanatic who co-founded Bloody Disgusting in 2001. Producer on Southbound, V/H/S/2/3/94, SiREN, Under the Bed, and A Horrible Way to Die. Chicago-based. Horror, pizza and basketball connoisseur. Taco Bell daily. Franchise favs: Hellraiser, Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Scream and Friday the 13th. Horror 365 days a year.

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SCREAMBOX Investigates UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Several Documentaries Streaming Right Now!

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As someone who is obsessed with UFOS (or more recently known as UAPs) and the concept of extraterrestrials, I love a good documentary. Sightings have been on the rise since the 1940s, with the atomic bomb seemingly acting as a catalyst for new visitors. But what are these UFOs/UAPs? Is there an explanation or are they simply beyond our explanation? Why are they here? Who are they? How much do our governments know? The questions are endless and so are the documentaries that attempt to uncover the secrets behind decades of sightings and alleged confrontations.

Whether you’re a seasoned viewer or new to the rabbit hole, there’s always a handful of interesting documentaries to get your neurons firing and leave you with sleepless nights. SCREAMBOX is investigating with the addition of several docs, all streaming now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered service. Here’s the breakdown:

Aliens (2021): Beam into this unidentified streaming documentary for a glimpse into Extraterrestrial life. Aliens are hypothetical life forms that may occur outside Earth or that did not originate on Earth.

Aliens Uncovered: Origins (2021): Before Area 51, hidden deep in the desert, the military discovered a hidden gem that helped them create Project Bluebook.

Aliens Uncovered: ET or Man-Made (2022): The crash of Roswell wasn’t meant for New Mexico. In 1947, a neighboring state had 3 major sightings that were swept under the rug.

Aliens Uncovered: The Golden Record (2023): In the late 70s, the US government launched a message to our distant neighbors.

Roswell (2021): This high-flying documentary examines the July 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Theories claim the crash was actually that of a flying saucer, but what is the truth?

Also check out:

The British UFO Files (2004): Since the 1940’s the British Government has been investigating the Flying Saucer phenomenon. High-ranking military and government personnel, speak out for the first time, offering unique eyewitness accounts and inside information.

Alien Abductions and Paranormal Sightings (2016): Amazing Footage and stories from real people as they reveal their personal encounters of being abducted by Aliens.

And do not miss Hellier (2019): A crew of paranormal researchers find themselves in a dying coal town, where a series of strange coincidences lead them to a decades-old mystery.

These documentaries join SCREAMBOX’s growing library of unique horror content, including Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Here for Blood, Terrifier 2, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, The Outwaters, Living with Chucky, Project Wolf Hunting, and Pennywise: The Story of IT.

Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.

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