After shocking audiences at various film festivals across the world and enjoying a brief theatrical release, the independent horror film, "Deadgirl," was released on DVD last month.
While "Deadgirl" has received a lot of attention, it has also been dividing audiences, with some claiming it a work of brilliance and others being turned off by the film’s subject matter.
After finally seeing it on DVD, I’m not surprised with audience reactions, as "Deadgirl" walks a fine line between entertaining and downright disturbing.
The film opens up with two high school friends, JT and Rickie (Noah Segan and Shiloh Fernandez), cutting class to go wreak havoc in an abandoned mental hospital.
When they check out the basement, they discover a door that has been rusted shut. After prying it open, they are shocked at what they find on the other side: a beautiful naked woman (Jenny Spain) chained to a gurney.
Upon investigation, they find that the woman is dead, but she is still clearly breathing and moving – but still barely responsive – and also, she can’t be killed.
Their discovery makes JT have a disgusting revelation: they can keep the dead girl as their own personal sex slave.
Rickie instantly rejects this idea, as he has already been trying to rekindle a childhood romance with his beautiful classmate, JoAnn (Candice Accola of TV’s "The Vampire Diaries").
That doesn’t stop JT from going through with his sick plan, and even from inviting their stoner friend Wheeler (Eric Podnar) to the hospital for sex with the dead girl.
However, the bizarre and repulsive acts that JT has justified soon start to have horrible consequences on his psyche, and things start to get bloody once other people discover his secret.
As if the plot synopsis isn’t enough of an indication, "Deadgirl" is a very disturbing film. I spent most of the 100-minute run time in a state of severe anxiety – though for a film like this, that’s definitely a good thing.
With "Deadgirl," writer Trent Haaga has created a horrifically allegorical coming-of-age tale that works quite well.
While there have been countless movies that have analyzed the troubles of adolescence and sexual development, it’s doubtful any had the same twisted spin that Haaga put on this story.
Directors Gadi Harel and Marcel Sarmiento do a great job keeping the tone of the movie both dark and – believe it or not – very humorous at all the appropriate times.
Another surprising feat of "Deadgirl" is that the cast is, for the most part, quite good.
While there are some bad line deliveries here and there, everyone who’s on screen feels believable – which is more than can be said about most horror movies with high school-aged characters.
Dark Sky Films has released "Deadgirl" in an unrated director’s cut, and there is also an R-rated version available.
According to www.movie-censorship.com, there are only a handful of shots that were changed to achieve the R-rating.
Regardless, for a movie like "Deadgirl," it’s best to stick with the unrated cut. Because honestly, I don’t think there’s anyone who rents horror movies looking for something that’s tame.
Grade: A
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