In my opinion, this year has not been one of the best for horror films. Besides some of the horror documentaries I have seen this year, I have not given one film a four-star rating yet. Until now. It took me nearly six months to see a film worth giving such a high rating and, as in the past two years, the film that I find to be approaching masterpiece status happens to be an independent film that will see only limited theatrical release and then go to DVD some time this year.
DEADGIRL is a coming-of-age horror film. It starts with two high school outcasts: Rickie (Shiloh Fernandez) and JT (Noah Segan) drinking and trespassing in an abandoned mental hospital. While exploring the basement of the massive facility, they come upon a large, heavy steel door. The two work hard to pry it open and are horrified by what they find inside. On a gurney, under a plastic sheet, lies a young girl, naked, bound with chains and a gag in her mouth. The boys think she’s dead, until that see that she is breathing. Rickie freaks out and wants to free the girl, but JT thinks they should think about it first. They both decide to leave, however, JT just can’t forget about the girl and continues to go back there day after day. Eventually they find out that the girl is basically a zombie. JT becomes obsessed with the girl and he and another friend, Wheeler (Eric Podnar), use the girl as a personal sex slave. Rickie, however, does not approve and wants to try to stop his friends, not only from using the girl, but from telling other people about their little secret. Eventually others find out, ideas are formed and things start to get out of hand.
Here we have a horror film that takes the zombie genre and puts it to play in a new light. Typically, with the majority of zombie films that we see today, the writers and filmmakers seem to be obsessed with the Romero zombies and storylines. Everything has to lead to an all-out zombie apocalypse and a bunch of gun-toting bad asses need to save the day. With this film, we don’t get any of that. The characters are all very well-developed individuals, from the leads to the supporting characters. They all have personalities and the audience is able to relate to each of them in one way or another. The script also puts into perspective more than one social issue common not only with the age group of the characters, but with issues that face the world in general. The script is well-rounded and original, taking the zombie film to a whole new level.
I wish I could say that one of the film’s strongest points is the performances of its actors, but, sadly, that’s not the case. While the lead actors such as Fernandez and Segan give good performances, the real show stealer is Jenny Spain who plays the dead girl. A lot of the supporting roles also are very well-performed, such as the roles of Wheeler (Podnar) and JoAnn (Candice Accola). I also have to give a nod to Michael Bowen as Rickie’s mother’s boyfriend. But in some of the lesser roles, particularly the actors who play the jocks, they seem to be too into the roles and they come off as laughable stereotypes. Honesty, I don’t buy these actors in these roles. They didn’t ruin the film for me, but I just I don’t buy them as the jock type that we’re all familiar with.
The film is shot very well and has a nice even pace to it. The production values are great, and the effects are executed very well. The filmmakers give both the less-is-more routine, but also give fans of gore a little taste here and there. There is a lot of sexual and graphic violence in the film and even a bit of comedic action as well.
DEADGIRL is a horror film that I really enjoyed. It’s one of those zombie films where you never really know what’s going on with the girl and all you know is that she can’t die for some reason. The word “zombie” is never used, as it never was in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. We only know that something is not right and that there is a mystery to the girl. This is just one of those films that kept me glued to the screen. It’s a fantastic piece of horror cinema, and so far this year it’s the best horror film I’ve had the pleasure of viewing.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
