Deadgirl

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Deadgirl
Deadgirl.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Written by Trent Haaga
Produced by
  • Marcel Sarmiento
  • Gadi Harel
Starring
CinematographyHarris Charalambous
Edited byPhillip Blackford
Music byJoseph Bauer
Production
company
Hollywoodmade
Distributed byDark Sky Films
Release dates
  • September 6, 2008 (2008-09-06)(TIFF)
  • July 24, 2009 (2009-07-24)(United States)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Deadgirl is a 2008 American horror film written by Trent Haaga and directed by Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel. It stars Shiloh Fernandez and Noah Segan as teenage boys who discover a naked female zombie, portrayed by Jenny Spain. When one of the boys wants to keep her as a sex slave and the other objects, their friendship is tested.

Contents

Plot

Rickie and J.T. are two high school seniors who gaze at the girls they wish they could get, especially Joann, the object of Rickie's affection, whom he has known since he was a child. One day, they decide to cut class and end up in an abandoned psychiatric hospital. They discover a mute, naked woman in the basement, chained to a table. While J.T. is interested in raping her, Rickie refuses and, after failing to dissuade J.T., leaves but, certain that his story will not be believed, tells no one about the woman. The next day, the two return to the basement where J.T. reveals that the woman is undead, which he discovered after attempting to kill her three times.

When Rickie finds that J.T. also invited their friend Wheeler to rape the woman, nicknamed "Deadgirl", he decides that it is time to free her. He is able to cut the chain on one hand before he hears J.T. and Wheeler approaching. He hides, and J.T. begins to rape her. After he notices that her hand is free, the woman attacks him and scratches his face.

Rickie asks Joann out on a date, knowing she has a boyfriend. She rejects him, and Joann's boyfriend Johnny and Johnny's friend Dwyer beat up Rickie and Wheeler. Wheeler rebuts that they "have their own pussy now" and Johnny throws them in his trunk, and drives to the asylum with Dwyer to see Deadgirl. Rickie convinces Johnny to force Deadgirl to perform oral sex on him, and Deadgirl bites Johnny's penis, infecting him. The next day, Johnny races to the bathroom during class and his intestines burst out of his body, leaving him in the same undead state as Deadgirl.

Having figured out that this is an infectious rotting disease, J.T. and Wheeler decide it is time to make a new Deadgirl with a fresh body. They lie in wait outside a gas station for a female victim. After an unsuccessful kidnapping, Joann confronts them about Johnny and they capture her. Rickie heads to the basement with a machete to free Deadgirl and finds Joann and Deadgirl tied up to each other, encircled by J.T. and Wheeler. J.T. tries to convince Rickie to let Joann be bitten while Wheeler starts to feel her up. Rickie defends her by slicing Wheeler's hand off while Joann unties Deadgirl, who feasts on Wheeler and J.T.

Rickie and Joann flee but cannot escape through the locked entrance. Rickie runs off to find an escape route, and when he returns, Joann is gone. He returns to the basement, where Deadgirl knocks him down, breaks down the door, and escapes outside. Rickie finds Joann and sees that J.T. has stabbed her in the back. J.T. urges Rickie to let him bite her so she will live undead. Rickie assures Joann that he loves her and will save her. She coughs blood into his face and rejects him again, then slowly dies afterwards.

Later, Rickie is seen living a seemingly normal life. He goes back to the asylum's basement, where, tied up in bed in clean lingerie and romantic lighting, is his Deadgirl, Joann.

Cast

Production

Deadgirl was the only feature film by Hollywoodmade, a defunct Los Angeles-based production company. [1] Deadgirl is rated R for "strong aberrant sexuality, graphic nudity, bloody violence, and pervasive language". [2]

Film festivals

Deadgirl was publicly screened for the first time at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. [3]

The film was also screened in 2008 at these film festivals:

Soundtrack

VCR Records was to release the Joseph Bauer-composed soundtrack (OST), in summer 2015 on Vinyl. [11]

Reception

Deadgirl has a 37% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 17 reviews; the average rating is 4.52 out of 10. [12] Peter Debruge of Variety wrote that it "takes a disturbing adolescent male fantasy and glosses it up just enough to pass for a legitimate horror movie", though he complimented the acting and atmosphere in the early scenes. [13]

The film was controversial and has been called misogynistic. In response, writer Haaga proposed a sequel about two women who find a naked, male zombie. [14] In 2012, Complex included the film in its list of 15 most uncomfortable moments of female nudity in film. [15]

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References

  1. ↑ "Hollywoodmade.com". Archived from the original on May 27, 2009. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
  2. ↑ "The Film Rating System (CARA)". Filmratings.com. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Toronto International Film Festival". TIFF.net. November 15, 2011. Archived from the original on September 18, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Fantasticfest.bside.com". Archived from the original on August 21, 2009. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya". Sitges Film Festival. January 1, 1980. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  6. ↑ AFI
  7. ↑ "Annual Festival of Independent Film". Cucalorus. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Leeds International Film Festival". Leedsfilm.com. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Melbourne Underground Film Festival - MUFF 14". Muff.com.au. January 13, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Lone Star Film Society". Lsiff.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  11. ↑ Deadgirl OST Coming To Vinyl
  12. ↑ "Deadgirl (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  13. ↑ Debruge, Peter (September 8, 2008). "Review: 'Deadgirl'". Variety . Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  14. ↑ Fernandez, Jay A. (March 12, 2011). "Is 'Deadgirl 2' Alive?". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  15. ↑ Barone, Matt (August 16, 2012). "The 15 Most Uncomfortable Moments Of Female Nudity In Movies". Complex . Retrieved June 29, 2016.
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