Some Kind Of Hate shows us the ugly, uncompromising side of teenage reality. During our formative high school years, most people are the worst version of themselves, and Director Adam Egypt Mortimer knows it. His script reduces teenage bullying into a primitive, purely psychological game of torment and removes any social media flavor to present an unflinching new take on the trope of the social outcast out for revenge.

In lingering on the ramifications of bullying, and touching on those who “move on” from it, Some Kind Of Hate will have you cringing by the inciting incident. The editing ensures that when the protagonist, Lincoln ( a moody and effective Ronen Rubinstein) is smacked around, you feel the jarring loss of control yourself. When he’s reprimanded for lashing out, and sent to a juvenile rehabilitation camp in the middle of nowhere, the script makes you feel his lust to be anywhere else.

It’s inside this chakra focused new age healing commune, that we’re introduced to our cast of expendable teens. Right away you’ll feel just how different Some Kind Of Hate is from other slashers. Each of these characters is deplorable in their own regard. It’s a notable departure from most slashers, because this isn’t about an assortment of fun-loving teens unleashing evil. In fact it’s quite the opposite. It’s about the evil you find in yourself when you’re lost in a moment of transition.

In the dregs of this commune, Lincoln feels lost. He’s tormented by a group of listless assholes and he inevitably becomes consumed with rage. In his moment of ultimate vulnerability a real flesh and blood hot girl, Kaitlin (Super lovable, and ultimately desirable grace Phipps) , and a vengeful self-destructive spirit girl, Moira (a fearless Sierra McCormick), befriend him. The horror really begins to spin out of control as both of these relationships develop.

Throughout the runtime the most inviting character on the screen is the blood-drenched Moira, but within that Mortimer presents the arid desert as a character unto itself. The script pushes the on screen torment in a way that will have you considering your own past sins, and forces you to realize you can’t really escape who you once were.

The moodiness of the script and visuals is sometimes undercut by a jarring and inconsistent soundtrack, which is at times pounding, and at others perfectly on point. But there is such a sliding scale that it’s impossible to anticipate what sort of song will carry the transition into the next scene. It’s a missed opportunity, but ultimately not one that detracts too much from the experience.

The themes are heavy, the visual are beautiful, and the trope reversals are constant. Some Kind of Hate ultimately becomes better than the revenge stories that inspired it. Because it understands that amidst psychological torment there are real physical consequences that are under the surface. It isn’t afraid to get under your skin, and linger there because it wants to drive you into feeling uncomfortable.

And when it really excels, it shows the complete loss of control wrought by bullying and torment. Things escalate all too easily, and Mortimer’s script shows an intimate understanding of the dangers of real-world bullying. Moreover, it provides a sound solution and shows that the cycle of violence only ends when someone decides to walk away.

It essentially takes everything you thought you knew about the revenge sub-genre and offers constant reversals among a sea of social commentary. It’s the type of thing Wes Craven would ultimately be proud of because watching Moira’s reign of terror should be mandatory in any middle school. This is a movie that will teach you about real-world horror. It preaches the pitfalls and horrors of real violence, and the perfectly embodies the consequences of psychological violence.

Some Kind of Hate is a bold and brutal film that will challenge your conception of yourself. It’ll bring you back to the worst parts of your teenage years and force you to reexamine the roles you played in the arena of public school bullying. It’s unflinching, chilling, and ultimately required viewing. This isn’t your standard empty minded slasher flick; this is a challenging deconstruction of real world issues with an incredible horror twist. It’ll burrow into your skin, and refuse to leave.