Rating of
3/4
Intelligent but uncomfortable viewing.
cockney0_1 - wrote on 08/06/09
There is a trend among horror movie makers at the moment to tackle some really harsh and troubling subject matter, but in an intelligent and thought-provoking way. 'Martyrs' is one such example where what is happening on-screen is excruciating but at the same time very compelling, and never once does it feel exploitative or gratuitous in the same way that so many movies tackling similarly disturbing subject matter can, and 'Deadgirl' follows a similar path.
'Deadgirl' is the story of two teenage outcasts, Rickie (Shiloh Fenandez) and J.T. (Noah Segan), who decide to bunk off school and hang out in a derelict hospital. Whilst doing the normal teenage boy thing of drinking beer, smoking and general vandalism, the two friends get chased by a wild dog and end up getting lost amongst the endless maze of corridors. Stumbling across a patially hidden iron door, the boys manage to open it and venture inside, where they discover a naked female chained to a gurney and covered in a plastic sheet. Seeing she is still breathing, and ignoring Rickie's pleas to leave well alone, the seemingly troubled J.T. hits on the idea of keeping her as the boy's sex slave. After a heated arguement J.T. lashes out and punches Rickie, who decides to leave. Rickie picks up a gun and later returns to the hospital where J.T. reveals that the female started to attack him so he continually hit her and broke her neck, but she was still breathing and moving. As Rickie begins to protest, J.T. grabs the guns and shoots her three times, but she still keeps breathing and moving. The next day, Rickie returns to the hospital where he discovers his and J.T.'s friend Wheeler (Eric Podnar) having sex with the female (now known as Deadgirl) and he discovers that J.T. has been staying there overnight and seems to be becoming obsessed with Deadgirl. As things spiral out of control, and the friendship between Rickie and J.T. gets tested to great lengths, more people get to hear about Deadgirl, until J.T. discovers (in a very eye-watering scene) that if you get bitten by Deadgirl, you become just like her. Deciding to kidnap unsuspecting females and make more 'Deadgirls', J.T. and Wheeler attempt such actions at a late night service station. Failing spectacularly, fate intervenes and they end up kidnapping JoAnn, (Candice Accola) who is the uninterested object of Rickie's affections. Rickie then returns to the hospital and discovers J.T. and Wheeler have tied up JoAnn with the intention of making her their new undead love interest, leaving Rickie as the lone voice of reason in a very twisted situation that's about to get even worse.
Overall, despite how the story looks on paper, 'Deadgirl' is handled very intelligently and several issues to do with growing up and 'coming of age' are dealt with, especially the fraught and destructive friendship between Rickie and J.T. There are other subtexts going on as well; the obvious one being the 'men will shag anything' angle, which although untrue (trust me, I know) is definitely there. The nudity in the movie is never gratuitous or titillating in the slightest, and this adds to the mature handling of the subject matter, and whilst the acting is far from Oscar-winning, the performances from the main leads are fairly convincing.
But there are flaws. The movie never seems to be quite sure whether it wants to be taken seriously or viewed as slightly comedic. Of course, a streak of subtle dark humour throughout these sorts of movies is usually welcome, but essentially what we are dealing with here is rape, and although the power of suggestion is used more than anything too explicit, it still seems wrong to derive laughs from it. Had the movie been a little more consistent with it's direction then maybe it wouldn't seem quite so discomforting to smirk at some of the scenes, i.e. when J.T. and Wheeler bodge their kidnap attempt. That said, it could have been a lot worse.
If you're looking for a movie that's a little different from the norm, then 'Deadgirl' certainly fits the bill. Never overly graphic or explicit, 'Deadgirl' wisely stops short of being the all-out sleaze-fest it could have been. As long as your moral compass allows you to view such subject matter with an open mind, then you'll find it to be an enjoyable (in the right way) movie.
