150 Words About . . . HOUNDS OF LOVE (2016)
By James Newman
Hounds of Love is a thriller from down unda’ that’s loosely based on the real-life crimes perpetrated in 1986 by Australian psychos David and Catherine Birnie.
A young lady (NOS4A2’s Ashleigh Cummings) is abducted by a couple (Stephen Curry and Emma Booth) who thrive on sexual violence. The man is the ringleader here, but his wife does his twisted bidding because in many ways she’s a victim too. Meanwhile, amidst the demented goings-on inside that nondescript house, we’re offered the slightest hint of hope, as the missing teen’s mom will stop at nothing to find her missing daughter.
Hounds of Love straddles a fine line between art and exploitation. It’ll make you feel dirty (it ain’t quite Henry: Portrait of a Serial killer, but could be Henry’s second cousin). It is absolutely worth a watch, but maybe just once, because in the end you’ll feel you’re complicit in something insidious.
