Deadgirl: A Review

Following on from yesterday's horror review, here's something completely different! This is a little film from 2008 called Deadgirl. I picked up Deadgirl in a record shop for £2, where I was swayed by the DVD box boasting of the producers of Heathers (one of my favourite films of all time) being involved! I'll be honest, for £2 I wasn't expecting much and what I got was a rather disturbing but beautifully filmed film, with more in common with the airy feel of The Virgin Suicides than any usual high school horror film.

The premise is generic to start out with. Two highschool guys with family problems and little to no popularity decide to ditch school and get fucked up in an abandoned mental hospital. Think you can tell what's coming? Forget it. Though this film starts like teen slasher, the beginning is really all they have in common. Things do take a turn for the worse inside the hospital, but in a completely different way. In fact, the thing that is meant to kill them is restrained. It cannot hurt them, and there lies the focus of the film. The whole film is about morals, battling with your emotions, witnessing a crime and doing nothing about it. What would you do in that situation? When is a good time to confess when things start escalating in a deadly way?

The lead guy in this, Shiloh Fernandez, was on the short list to play Edward Cullen in Twilight. You can tell why. He's intriguing to look at, he's broody but he could never be a teen heartthrob. Whereas Robert Pattinson is safe, there's a danger behind Fernandez's eyes. It seeps through into the film, doubting your trust in him even though he's the main character. The rest of the cast are fantastic as well, with good performances making everyone seem believable. The Deadgirl especially, is really freaky!

What I like about this film is no one is a wholly good or bad character. I guess the point they were trying to make is that everyone has a little bad in them, everyone has a price you could pay them to sin. It's pretty deep stuff, and I think this film could have become a massive cult hit. I think what's stopping it reaching that status is the ending, which is unclear and ambiguous, with not enough resolution. Sometimes it feels a little silly, and sometimes it feels like its taking itself too seriously. All in all it's an enjoyable two hours, and for £2 it's a bargain! It is gory, and disturbing, but if you think you can handle it, I totally recommend this! I got my copy from Rise but it's also available from all the usual places!