Just when you thought there was no originality left in cinema, along comes Deadgirl - a film that takes influence from the zombie genre, and manages to craft something new and totally disturbing out of it. The film transcends the genre to the point where it's only relationship to it is the fact that one of the major players in the story is a zombie - the focus of the film is always on the central characters. It has to be said that Marcel Sarmiento's film has its problems; it's rather amateurish and the plot doesn't always make complete sense, but the story always has enough to overcome this. The plot focuses on two school kids, JT and Rickie, that decide to skip class and head off to an old abandoned mental hospital. Their foray eventually leads them down into the basement; where they are shocked to discover a woman's body. Disgust turns into curiosity for JT, and he becomes fascinated by the body, which he discovers is alive though "cannot be killed". The pair begins to argue and after Rickie leaves, JT decides to act out his sick desires on the seemingly lifeless girl.
It has to be said that Deadgirl is not a film for the weak stomached as the main themes of the story are completely sick and twisted, and the film has the ability to keep on shocking the further it gets into the horrific plot. The plot heavily hinges on the sexual desires of the male leads. Many have questioned the plausibility of the plot in this respect believing that the majority of kids would not act in the way that the majority in this movie do. However, it's clear that the film is not meant to be realistic. At its heart is a naked zombified female found in the bowels of an abandoned asylum, so obviously realism is not one of Deadgirl's key elements. The film is more a coming of age story; albeit a twisted and depraved one, but the way that it examines the leading characters is always interesting. The pacing is slightly skewed in that it's rather slow burning for the most part, but builds into something of a frenzy at the end, and it is somewhat predictable how it's all going to turn out. But in spite of it's problems, Deadgirl needs to be celebrated for it's originality and for being one of the only films I've seen to take the subject of necrophilia and make something interesting out it (it's MUCH better than the God-awful Nekromantik). The film is clearly not for everyone; but I would certainly recommend everyone gives it a look.
It has to be said that Deadgirl is not a film for the weak stomached as the main themes of the story are completely sick and twisted, and the film has the ability to keep on shocking the further it gets into the horrific plot. The plot heavily hinges on the sexual desires of the male leads. Many have questioned the plausibility of the plot in this respect believing that the majority of kids would not act in the way that the majority in this movie do. However, it's clear that the film is not meant to be realistic. At its heart is a naked zombified female found in the bowels of an abandoned asylum, so obviously realism is not one of Deadgirl's key elements. The film is more a coming of age story; albeit a twisted and depraved one, but the way that it examines the leading characters is always interesting. The pacing is slightly skewed in that it's rather slow burning for the most part, but builds into something of a frenzy at the end, and it is somewhat predictable how it's all going to turn out. But in spite of it's problems, Deadgirl needs to be celebrated for it's originality and for being one of the only films I've seen to take the subject of necrophilia and make something interesting out it (it's MUCH better than the God-awful Nekromantik). The film is clearly not for everyone; but I would certainly recommend everyone gives it a look.