Indie
[SXSW Review] ‘Hounds of Love’ is a Tense Abduction Story From a New Perspective
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 will have its North American Premiere at SXSW on Saturday, 3/11 @1:30PM at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar.
Additional Screenings:
Tuesday, 3/14 @1:30PM – Alamo Ritz
Wednesday, 3/15 @9:00PM – Alamo Ritz
Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.
The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:
“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.
“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.
“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.
“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”
Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.
WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.
To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.
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