Girlhouse

I must say, I wasn't expecting much going into GIRL HOUSE. I was expecting your average, run-of-the-mill slasher film that didn't offer anything more than I've seen a hundred and one times before...but I was okay with that because I'm a dedicated horror fanatic. I grew up in the 80s. I love slasher films! Even the crappier ones. But thankfully, GIRL HOUSE was not crappy. Nor was it your average, run-of-the-mill slasher film. That's not to say it didn't have its faults, which is fine. I've only watched a handful of films that I feel are without fault.

The great opening sequence set the movie up nicely. I don't recall there ever being a dull moment throughout the film, so the pacing was very good. Of course there was a lot of nudity and that alone made moments that otherwise may have been dull, not dull. The acting was also much better than I expected. Everyone did a pretty good job. There was more blood than I thought there would be, and that's always a good thing. I don't want to say anything that may spoil something, so I'm gonna end this brief review shortly. I will say though, if you're a fan of slasher films, then you should see this at some point. You won't be disappointed. Even if you're not a fan of slasher films, you should still see it. Maybe you're a fan of nudity? I don't know. You could do much worse than GIRL HOUSE. Give it a shot.

"Girl House" has been called a slasher film for the digital age. The theme was done to death before the turn of the Millennium, though here there is a new twist, a couple of dudes are watching the carnage live on-line but are unable to warn the victims as one by one they are done to death by a disgruntled weirdo who has been driven into a frenzy by a cruel joke. Actually, it wasn't that cruel, but stranger things have happened in real life. In March 2014, a woman was given a 12 year sentence at Snaresbrook Crown Court after throwing acid in the face of a former friend. Mary Konye went to incredible lengths, disguising herself as an Orthodox Moslem woman, totally veiled, tailed her victim from the Underground station, and then attacked her. The motive was a throwaway remark that most people would have forgotten within a day or two if not an hour or two. Here it is not a remark but a caption on a photograph that unhinges a guy who although clearly highly intelligent is not exactly good looking, and is somewhat lacking in social skills, not to mention short tempered.

Okay, this dude is not just mad, he's insane because there are better things to do with a houseful of nubile young things than murder them, but if this tale has a moral it is never be unkind to anyone, even by accident. Or alternatively, once you knock the bad guy down with a golf club or a hockey stick, hit him again, and again, and again, and again...

Patience is a virtue not often found in slasher flicks. Usually it's rare to go ten minutes without someone meeting an unfortunate fate at the hands of a mass murdering psychopath. 'Girl House' breaks the mold in this instance. It has a rather unique structure to it where the story and characters are introduced to us for an extended period of time with little else happening. This might sound like a negative but it really wasn't. All the mayhem is saved for the final quarter of the film (barring the open scene - which was very well done) and it's a fun ride.

The characters, particularly the main one Kylie, are a lot more likable than you usually get in this type of film. The extra time given to the viewer to get to know them really pays off in this way. The sexuality of the film is always apparent but never overbearing and it certainly never becomes anything you could refer to as an "erotic-horror". The killer was intimidating enough to warrant a few decent scares and overall the movie is of a good quality. An impressive little entry into the genre that you will enjoy if this sort of thing is for you.

I saw this last night because the plot really caught my attention, and I was very pleased with it. This movie tries to do something different, many people may say it is the same as all slasher films, but this ''girlhouse'' thing is something I had never seen before, and it was very entertaining. The killer was creepy af, they definitely payed homage to the Texas chainsaw massacre because when the killer wore the mask it was extremely similar. Nonetheless, it has its flaws of course, it could have been pulled off smarter, this movie doesn't escape from some clichés, like knocking the killer out and instead of just finishing him, they just run away and hide, I mean they filmed a hammer he had attached to his back, she could have grabbed it and just killed him right there; also, some of the acting could have been better, but I really enjoyed this film, the main character was likable and not stupid, actually, there weren't that many stupid moves in this film, would watch it again, totally.

May not be the most exciting slasher flick in history but it may possibly have the highest production values.

Even the script is solid. Not mesmerizing. But solid.

Star Ali Cobrin has one of those odd faces -- she looks familiar to the viewer as if a composite of 4 or 5 well known female stars had been squeezed into one.

The biggest problem with the film ironically is how little sex, nudity or even slashing there actually is. In effect, this is a "cheat" in that viewer expectations are raised and there is no payoff.

But gosh-darn is this is a well made little film.