Love Bomb: Beware the deadly dating app (spoiler-free review)

Love Bomb has the right kind of sultry music in its opening that reminds me of a late 1980s or early 1990s erotic thriller. I mean that only in a good way. Initially, the film focuses on an unsettling love triangle but then takes all kinds of unexpected twists and turns, making for an engaging, if slightly uneven, watch.

Directed by David Guglielmo, with a script by Kathy Charles, Love Bomb contains three main leads, which morphs into a bizarre game of predator and prey. Jessie Andrews stars as Anna, Zane Holtz as Tom, and Josh Caras as Josh. Initially, Anna and Tom act like a couple, specifically a couple that uses an app to lure Josh into Anna's web, as Tom watches. This leads to lots of unsettling voyeurism, power dynamics, and steamy scenes. The app is meant for one-night stands.

From there, however, the movie takes a number of turns that makes it clear much of this is staged for the Love Bomb app, as a means to draw more and more subscribers. However, it's unclear who's truly running the show. Is it Anna, or is it Tom? Do one of them actually run the app and have more sinister intentions to drive up numbers? Is Josh just a helpless and lonely sucker? Without spoiling anything, I'll just say that the film tosses out plenty of red herrings.

The last act is the most coherent, and without spoiling anything, I'll note that Andrews gives the strongest performance. She's fierce, determined, and deadly in her actions, doing whatever she can to obtain what she wants. The runtime is tight, under 90 minutes, and while some viewers may grow frustrated with the constant narrative turns, the wait is worth it for the jolting last act.

While Love Bomb certainly mimics the sexually explicit aesthetic, tone, and even musical score of erotic thrillers, it morphs into its own creation by the halfway point. The use of the social media app offers a unique layer to what otherwise could have been a forgettable thriller. This is one dangerous dating app and gruesome reality show.

While Love Bomb has a few flaws, including some choppy performances, it's a twisty thriller that unleashes a few memorable bloody and sexy moments. Give Guglielmo and Charles credit for updating a familiar genre and keeping viewers guessing as to each character's true intentions.

Love Bomb arrives on VOD beginning November 8.