Hiroshi Katagari, who is known for working on films such as Avatar: Way of the Water, returns to what he loves, directing, after six years. His first action comes in the name of the horror thriller Love Hurt Most Horrible Things. This is a reunion of the Gehenna cast and Katagari, who returns Sean Sprawling and Simon Philips to the set.
In Most Horrible Things, six young strangers receive an invitation to a dinner party that will change their lives. Hosted by a charming and mysterious individual on Valentine’s Day, these guests have everything to win and nothing to lose. One of the most loving and life changing nights from most people’s perspective turns deadly when the host reveals their dark and dangerous secrets to the overly optimistic people on the floor. People are left wondering, how can all love be so deadly? The cast includes Sean Patrick Flanery, Natalie Burn, Andrés Erickson, Rich Paul, and Sean Sprawling.
Most Horrible Things commence with the climax, uncovering four cadavers in a mansion. Then, it goes back and forth. Detectives Holden’s and Denver, played by Sean Patrick Flanery and Natalie Burn, respectively, are interrogating Sean Sprawling’s host and his butler, played by Simon Philips, along with other witnesses to the Valentine’s Day exclusive dinner party in which the four were gruesomely slain.
Coming back to the party, the host of Sean Sprawling’s cryptic party gives his guests’ his undivided attention, inquiring about their aspirations and emotions. Those present at the party are brought to a much deeper level of understanding, that leads to some achieving a breakthrough, while the rest engage in quarrels regarding sexuality, racism, and many additional socially pertinent issues. All in all, a script can be created from Most Horrible Things that is deeply embedded with social commentary and sheds light on society. It is unfortunate, however, that the script by Aviva Dove-Vie Bahn and Brittany Fonte, contains too little horror and too much “social commentary.”
Most Horrible Things divulges where its story is headed when the focal point of the movie reaches two male guests engaging in an extremely uncomfortable argument regarding racism. For those viewers who have experienced similar ‘murder mysteries’, there is no question that this movie by Hiroshi Katagari is a mystery. To put it more simply, it is a murder mystery.
From hearing those words, it is easy to assume that there is a high level of horror in the film; rather, it is a horror in the classical sense. It, instead, focuses on the psychology of the individual, dressed in eerie tones that bring to mind the movies “Blind” and “Pretty Boy”, and a sweeping soundtrack that, at times, make it feel as if there is a grim undertone to the film made completely out of murder mystery clichés. The combination of these elements makes the movie a lot more terrifying than it truly is.
That does not mean there are loose ends in the Most Horrible Things mystery. With the many twists and the veteran film fans constantly wondering what would happen next. The film’s conclusion is a little predictable but if you don’t see the twist coming in the first place, then Most Horrible Things will leave you shocked like one of the many survivors in the film.
To watch more movies like MOST HORRIBLE THINGS (aka LOVE HURTS) (2022) visit hurawatch.