The Theta Girl

I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to view this fantastic little indie film recently and must say that not only is it possibly the best independent film of 2017 but possible one of the best examples of low budget film making EVER! Filmed with such energy, imagination and flair that its hard to not to fall instantly in love with the film's charms (and shocks - as it has it's share). The film bends and expands across different film genres whilst staying completely cohesive, strutting it's stuff on it's own two feet with ease - at times feeling like a nightmarish acid trip that you are very much a part of. Gripping, fun, offbeat, gory, engrossing, stylish and original. See it!

I was asked by a friend to go see this and when originally give a gist of what to expect my initial feeling was "Oh criminey. Well at least it'll make for Rifftrax style bait."

After seeing it though I have to say I was very impressed with it. On a budget of about 14 grand, they produced a movie with an interesting and coherent plot, appropriate and well executed special effects, and overall a very well done Grindhouse style movie. I've seen movies 10,000 more expensive that were not fit to wipe the corn-syrup blood from this movie's boots.

If you love the grindhouse genre you will be pleased to find that you get that AND a fully well executed movie. Even if you do not like grindhouse you will still find a reasonably well executed revenge vengeance story.

Many of the positive reactions to this film have centered around the surprise that such a satisfying product could come from such a low budget. My surprise was, from the first screening I viewed, from the feeling this movie left in me—the reminder that consciousness has shared aspects, and that we act within that shared consciousness separately based on personal motivations. We even assume we are experiencing the same reality. This movie never felt cheap in a way that detracted from its aesthetic—rather it felt raw, vibrant and genuine as it explored this theme. Experiencing the effects of theta will make you scratch your head for days after. With a fast paced story captured in very real and unembellished, yet dramatic Columbia backdrops, an emotional plot brought to life by well-interpreted, believable characters, and a captivating and energetic soundtrack, The Theta Girl makes it a pleasure to be sucked into thinking about your own experience with reality. How improved or endangered would the world be, were a drug to be able to tap into consciousness like Theta does? Here we find it could be quite sick, and we don't want to look away. Scary, isn't it?

With a delectably original script and idea from David Axe and the artistic intuition of Christopher Bickel, this scrappy flick amounted to a gem of a film. Suffice it to say that despite the film being imperfect to some, I don't feel like picking it apart. I have often heard The Theta Girl referred to as "a little film," due to its budget and origins. It just doesn't feel like one.

With the face of Theda Bara, and the attitude of Mila Jovovich, Victoria E. Donofrio does the Horror Heroine genre justice on many levels as Gayce, The Theta Girl.

A classic in the making, The Theda Girl, plays on the model theme of religious extremism versus the gritty underground, that seems as relevant now as the time period the style of the movie gives tribute to, and yet creates familiarity between protagonist and antagonist with a shared "vision" of the end of the world.

For a meager $14,000, Christopher Bickel and David Axe have managed to bring an intriguing, well versed, and visually spectacular piece of independent Cinema to fruition.

Exceptional debut for Director, Chris Bickel. We are all looking forward to him refining his technique and bringing forth more sensational Cinema.

So the only reason i am writing this is the 20something obvious fake reviews here. you can clearly see that these accounts were only created to comment on it and give it a skyrocket rating. this being said, i take away 1 star from originally 5. the movie itself, well. let's put the good stuff first: the soundtrack was amazing. there's a lot of trippy synth and spacy rock that really pulls the viewer in. the concert at the beginning was expendable but after that the music was almost perfectly chosen. all in all there are plenty of spaced-out scenes you wouldnt expect when reading a summary. there's some late but decent blood and gore that earns the movie another star. acting is alright although none of the characters is really that likeable.

now for what didnt appeal to me: the lenght. it would have really worked out as a 1-hour-and-some flick instead of the 97, sometimes tedious minutes next, the "Main villain", if you can call him that, was just plain bad. his reasons, his acting, his motivation.. it was too low a reason for a killing spree. and finally, the poster art promises stuff the movie can't keep. it is obvious that the artwork tries to associate with 70s grindhouse flicks like the one with the one-eyed girl which name i cannot recall at the moment. it has the revenge alright, but none of the psychological torment that this kind of movie usually is expected to offer. kill some time with your buddies if you got nothing better to do but it's not a "future cult movie" like some of the reviews - the fake ones - like to suggest