A Menina Morta

It doesn't take a genius, or a saint to realize that rape is wrong. Whether the victim is among the living or otherwise, it just ain't cool. But are there any rules pertaining to the undead? Apparently not. Or if there are, certain individuals in this film aren't the least bit concerned. Written by the legendary Trent Haaga, Deadgirl is An utterly tasteless story about two high school chums who go off playing hookie, and drinking, ending up at an old, abandoned mental hospital. Said chums soon make a shocking discovery in one of the rooms. A dead chick tied to a table. It doesn't take long for these two genius' to figure out that she's not dead, after all. That's right! Undead. So, I guess that would make this a zombie flick, wouldn't it? An original Zombie flick. A very, very mean-spirited zombie flick. It doesn't take nearly as much effort as it should have for the bad kid to talk the wuss into not telling anyone about their new discovery... So that they can just stop by now & then (every day) for a quickie, at the expense of their undead new friend. That's not that weird, right? Wrong! Very weird, and very wrong! In other words, this movie is hilarious. I'm glad some people can see that the living dead sub-genre could use a little reinventing, from time to time. And don't get the idea that Deadgirl is just a film about rape. It's also an intriguing character-study. A coming-of-age movie. A much deeper story than one would first assume. With plenty of dark humor never too far behind. So, if you're bored with all the same old predictable Horror patterns that's been around for many a decade, you may find this particular one to be original, and quite refreshing. Deadgirl offers not one dull moment, and is no doubt a future cult classic. I'd recommend giving Deadgirl a chance as soon as possible. 6/10

I have had a lot of trouble with this film. There are a lot of elements and actions in this film that could be considered ridiculous and flawed.

But you cannot mistake this film for just a brainless display if depravity.

There arn't many films that examine warped sexual desire with such efficiency. There are a LOT of boys in this film, and all of them do some...questionable things, to put it mildly. On the one hand, they are faced with something that they cannot comprehend, on the other they are faced with opportunity to do wrong. And they exorcise this to the fullest extent. The result is vile, repugnant and horrifically believable considering real world cases of gang rape such as was the case with Junko Furuta.

This film examines group mentality, and the conflict that arises from allowing terrible things to happen. And what it looks like to turn a blind eye.

Though, I do have respect for this film, I cannot recommend it.

You might think this is all smarmy and about necrophilia when two teens, Rickie (Shiloh Fernandez) and J.T. (Noah Segan), playing hooky find a dead girl (Jenny Spain) in the basement of a mental hospital. Well, she is dead, but she isn't. She's undead.

Soon, she becomes a sex tool for J.T and his high school friends.

The conflict between the two life-long friends simmers the entire movie until it boils over in the end as we reflect on just what it means to be human.

Lots and lots of blood and zombie action, not so much sex. But, if you are looking for a horror film, you will be disappointed, as it is more philosophical and can't be easily fit into a category.

I would have rated this film a full 10 out of 10, but I have to admit, it was so disturbing to me that I couldn't give it the full score.

Imagine, one zombie-girl being held captive by teenage boys. The zombie isn't the monster here, it's the boys.

This is most definitely NOT a date movie. This is more a flick that a person sees on their own and discusses later on internet message boards.

Not much blood and guts, no dystopian future... so why is it so disturbing? A quick perusal of the plot/synopsis should tell you why, I'm not going to give away any spoilers in this review.

I will say that this movie does a great job explaining the motivations of its male characters. I think it captures the angst, drives, and suffering of teenage males. Granted, the movie throws all of it to extreme contrast... but that only helps underline and illuminate those things.

The movie does a great job with cinematics and pacing. I expect to see great things from the directors.

I'd also like to comment on the movie poster (showing a woman's lips at a 90 degree angle). Brilliant movie poster on several levels.

I find myself sort of wondering why IMDb has this listed as horror. Sure, there's the titular zombie-like chick in the film, but she's hardly the focal point. Honestly, this seems to me a lot like what George Romero would've done if he was making his first movies today. Not that this will likely ever heralded like the original Night Of The Living Dead, but a lot of the points are still there. I know a lot of people who bow at the feet of the master will cry foul at that last statement, but let's face it...Romero's early stuff is rather slow paced, low on gore, and dripping with social commentary. And so is Deadgirl.

Basically what you've got here is the story of two disaffected teenage boys who come across a (sort of) dead girl in an abandoned hospital. Being teenagers, one disregards much of his humanity in favor of darker intentions while the other objects but does nothing to back up his protests. Slowly the story gathers more complexity as one teen begins essentially raping this (sort of) dead girl and eventually invites some friends in on the action. As troubling as this sounds (and it is), you've seen worse things in your life which is a bit surprising considering that in their minds this is basically a moving corpse. So eventually it's up to one guy to be the voice of reason and make everything right.

There's a lot of commentary here. Everything from peer pressure, the effects of apathetic and absent parents, and the apathy and angst of teenagers gets touched on and done quite well. All said and done I'd certainly recommend this to anyone who's looking for a horror movie with a bit more substance and a bit less gore. Sure...we all like our horror movies nice and violent, but sometimes it's nice to see one that takes a slightly different path.