2009 Top Tens (part 4)

Bloody-Disgusting, the web's no. 1 source for horror, has delivered a couple of year-end wrap-ups worth checking out.

Ryan Daley's list is here.
And Tex Massacre's is here.

Deadgirl was also a "runner up" on multi-hyphenate Luke Y. Thompson's site, which is here, and mostly worth pointing out because of the other honorable mentions. Sometimes it really is about the company you keep.

2009 Top Tens (part 3)

STYD's Ryan Rotten put together his list, which you can find here. It was a surprise to see Deadgirl listed since we thought for some reason he didn't dig the movie all that much. Nice to be wrong.

2009 Top Tens (part 2)

"Controversial, uncompromising and strikingly original" ... Deadgirl makes it onto About.com's end of the year horror list.

And thanks to Awkward Press for putting Deadgirl at the top of its list. While it's actually the 'Best Horror Movies You Probably Didn't See', it includes some that got pretty descent releases, including Paranormal Activity which grossed over $100 million. So not sure how much that distinction really holds true. But it's great being included. Either way.

"The level of ambition on the filmmakers’ part, along with some brave performances from its cast, permits this movie to transcend its own morally reprehensible story-line to probe something much darker, much more disturbing, and much more real… which is what the best metaphor-laden horror movies do: Allow the audience to explore the horror within themselves." - Awkward Press

2009 Top Tens (Part 1)

"First-timers proved that a great idea and a little ingenuity could transcend low-budget limitations and leave jaded fans shivering in their socks."

Okay, the writer may have been thinking Paranormal Activity when she wrote those words in her intro, but nonetheless, we're happy to see Deadgirl included in AMC's "Top Ten Horror of the Year" list. Here's the link.

We also got some notice in the Women Film Critics Circle's 2008 Awards, popping up in their "Top Ten Hall of Shame" ... placing us proudly amongst some sure-to-be Oscar-winners like Up in the Air, and Precious.

xoloitzcuintle

At every q & a about the movie, someone would invariably ask about the dog. As in, what the hell was that thing? The answer is pronounced "sho-lo-skwink-le", spelled "Xoloitzcuintle", and abbreviated as a "Xolo" ... and you can read all about it here.

Halloween Recommendations

"Deadgirl — From newcomer directors Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel and screenwriter Trent Haaga comes the most original and disturbing take on alienated youth and teenage peer pressure the horror genre has ever produced... The film’s brooding, stylized physical and psychological atmospherics are reminiscent of David Cronenberg’s most nightmarish work, yet it yields some hauntingly poignant moments." — The Oklahoman [OK's "most trusted news"]

Bonus recommendation from The Scope, St. John's arts and entertainment paper. Click here for a long, spoiler-heavy review that features some fairly astute observations.

UPDATE: The Philadelphia Inquirer suggests Deadgirl as well for this weekend.

Get the 411

"You might love Deadgirl; you might hate Deadgirl. But I don't think you'll feel ambivalent about Deadgirl... In the end, I wasn't quite sure how I felt about what happened in the movie, but the very fact that I couldn't stop trying to decide tells me all I need to know about its strength as a film." — 411mania

Also this week...

We were surprised to see a great review in West Virginia University's paper, The Daily Athenaeum: "While there have been countless movies that have analyzed the troubles of adolescence and sexual development, it’s doubtful any had the same twisted spin... I spent most of the 100-minute run time in a state of severe anxiety – though for a film like this, that’s definitely a good thing."

And BlogCritics kicked off its long, very favorable review with a thought that's been increasingly common: "Deadgirl, a film that is so much better than I was expecting..." We love it when that happens.

Btw, now that the movie is out, we'll be posting behind-the-scenes photos semi-regularly. Up top's the first one: Nicest-guy-in-the-world Andrew DiPalma (Johnny) takes a moment to prepare for his big scene. If you've seen the flick, you know what we're talking about...

Attention Tech Geeks:

"Deadgirl premiered at Toronto International Film Festival as the first independent production to use a completely tapeless digital production method. Pomfort SilverStack helped the filmmakers to realize a flexible, professional workflow with the best image quality..."

Click here to read the entire case study, courtesy of Pomfort SilverStack.

Scream King & Queen

Spike TV's Scream Awards will air next week, but here's a sneak peek at the red carpet...
While Dave Navarro does point out his date, the lovely Jenny Spain, you'll have to look pretty carefully for a glimpse. But it's worth it, as always.

Consider yourself warned

"Consider yourself warned. This is strong stuff, especially if you start thinking about it afterwards. Deadgirl takes the concept of coming-of-age and attaches it to a narrative that can only be described as stomach churning... There is undoubtedly a strong statement being made about class here and the struggle we all feel as teenagers to look beyond the momentary heartbreaks that seem to utterly define our nascent sexuality. Plenty of fodder for thoughtful discussion but not for the weak of heart." — Twitch

30 Days

The plan was to do a comprehensive summary of the last month, since that's how long Deadgirl has been out on DVD. But time does not permit a comprehensive summary.

So instead, here's a half-assed one:

We're at 40,000 ratings on Netflix, which really blew away our expectations. As previously noted, since not everyone rates the movies they've watched, it's hard to know exactly how many more people have Netflixed the movie.

And it's been neat seeing the empty Deadgirl spaces in Blockbuster (at least our local one, where it's rarely been back on the shelf).

For some reason, Best Buy has it in the Sci-Fi section, so that's probably something to be aware of, just in case.

Dave Navarro was a big fan of the movie and invited Jenny Spain on his radio show, where he described the movie as "terrifying" and "compelling" and added "Not only have I seen fucked-up stuff, but I've seen really fucked-up stuff ... and this disturbed me more." Then he took Jenny out to dinner.

Universal Studios and the Chiller/Eyegore Awards gave Deadgirl a prize for "2009 Best Villain of the Year" ... that would be JT (Noah Segan).

The media response has been enormous. Lots of great reviews, from larger newspapers (Boston Globe, Washington Post), to more local ones (Tampa Tribune, Kansas City Star) to all types of blogs and websites (DVD Talk, Cinematical) and everything in between. Most of them quoted below, so won't bother re-quoting here.

The Boston Globe even placed the movie high on it's list of 20 Best Zombie Movies of All Time (#6).

Because it's October, many people are doing some sort of 31-day horror movie countdown till Halloween, and many of these lists include Deadgirl. Thanks to everyone who has made it part of the festivities.

Deadgirl continues to split reactions almost right down the middle, as it's done from day one. On IMDB we're at 60% positive. Same with Amazon. On Netflix it's 56%. On Rotten Tomatoes, the T-Meter Critics are at 31%, but the Rotten Tomato Community is at 66%.

And easily the coolest part of the last few weeks is reading real-time reactions on Twitter. Good, bad, confused, angry, surprised, curious, and genuinely thrilled, tweets have covered it all and have come from everywhere.

Needless to say, it's been a really exciting first month for us.

Win your own dead girl

Our Canadian distributor, E1 Entertainment, is holding a FrightFest Contest, so click here while there's still a chance to win a copy of Deadgirl (each of the five winners also picks up a free dvd of Dead Snow, too!).


[note: Only open to Canadian residents. Here are all the rules.]

Innocence Lost

"An unbelievably taunt, surprisingly poignant and harrowingly bleak picture of innocence lost... Deadgirl gets under your skin. It bothers you. It challenges you. It does things that more experienced filmmakers with more experienced actors aren’t always able to do in much-bigger-budget movies." - The Tampa Tribune (online)

Congrats to Deadgirl's Nolan Gerard Funk... front page of the New York Times' Arts & Leisure section! Ok, it's not exactly The Tampa Tribune, but still.

In honor of Zombieland, The Boston Globe made its list of the "Top 20 Zombie Movies of All Time." In the top spots were the expected ones: Dawn of the Dead, Braindead, Night of the Living Dead, Return of the Living Dead and Shaun of the Dead... but coming in at No. 7 (and ahead of a bunch of other classics) is Deadgirl! "By far the most disturbing zombie film on the list, Deadgirl is a completely different and original take..."

The Perfect Intro

Here's the Deadgirl UK DVD main menu, designed by London-based graphic designer David Byrne. As the menu plays out, you'll see he did a phenomenal job capturing the essence of beauty and decay. Thanks David for putting some real thought into this. It's a great lead-in to our movie.

We have a winner

Universal Studios kicks off the Halloween season tomorrow night with the Chiller Awards, honoring just five people. Among the winners are Rob Zombie ("Filmmaker of the Year"), SAW's Tobin Bell ("Best Villain in a Film Series"), legendary make-up effects artist Rick Baker ("Lifetime Achievement Award") and – wtf? – Deadgirl's Noah Segan for "Best Villain"! We have no idea how that happened. We're just glad it did. The kid deserves it.

Click here for the press release, via CNBC.

Your Daily Dose of Deadgirl

"Deadgirl definitely has its disturbing moments. But I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it’s just as much a story about friendship, young love and loneliness... The two directors have done an excellent job of working with their actors to portray teenagers so numb and beyond moral reproach; I was reminded of a Larry Clark film, with a touch of George Romero thrown in to make it unique... Dark Sky Films have the making of a real cult classic on their hands. Obviously the subject matter is going to scare off a lot of people, but for those of you who like intelligent horror movies that have some substance, but still make you squirm, check out Deadgirl." — PopDose

"A dark, violent satire"

On the Washington Post entertainment blog, Paul Stelter makes some great observations about Deadgirl — and calls it a "dark, violent satire" (click the quote below for the whole thing)...

"While the taut 2008 indie horror flick boasts a supremely disturbing premise and some obligatory gore, the new director's cut DVD makes clear it's primarily a fable about male peer pressure and relationships." — Washington Post

A delight!

Fantastic Fest is kicking off Austin, so congrats to Tim League and everyone else involved on what looks like another great lineup. FF is where Deadgirl had its U.S. Premiere last September and we vividly remember seeing Harry Knowles come in for our first screening at the Drafthouse. Aint-It-Cool has had a lot of great things to say about the movie over the last year, but we always wondered what Harry thought. Until now.

In today's DVD roundup, he begins his mention of Deadgirl with "One of last year’s delights from FANTASTIC FEST..."

So there you go. And it was worth the wait. Thanks, Harry, and enjoy FF '09.

A common reaction

"I fully expected to despise this film, but it’s eerily intriguing."
— Real Detroit Weekly

Unrated vs R-Rated

In answer to the question: The reason both the Unrated and the R-rated versions of Deadgirl are listed at 101 minutes is that nothing was simply cut out to get the R. Not surprisingly, the MPAA felt a couple of scenes went too far. But instead of just removing the shots in question, we worked to either replace with alternate footage or digitally tweak the the original material. It was important to us that the scenes play out as intended, hopefully without feeling different.

The other difference is the bonus material. I don't believe the R version has the commentary, the fx photo gallery, the deleted scenes, etc.

Deadgirl, Live at 10

The great Dave Navarro will be talking to the deadgirl, Jenny Spain, tomorrow on his INDIE 103.1 show, Dark Matters (Wednesdays, 10pm-midnight). Can't wait to hear their conversation, as well as just finding out if the guy liked the movie or not. He tweeted a lot about getting ready to see it, but afterwards only went so far as writing: "After watching @jennyspain in DEADGIRL, I am relieved she is CALLING into the studio on Wednesday and not actually coming in! WOW!"

Hmmm...

Go Jenny! Click here for the indie103.1 site to listen live, or here for the Dark Matters homepage to catch the podcast later. And if you want to sign in to join the chatroom during the broadcast, click right here.

"What really stands out about the film isn't the shock value component, but the more tragic side of the story. The film's take on peer pressure and on standing your own moral ground makes some sense in the context of the story but underneath all of the bizarre plot elements there is a very real and very effective human element...one of those rare films that defies expectations and comes as a true surprise." — DVDtalk

And mothers, too

It's always nice to see that the audience for this movie is as difficult to define and predict as we imagined, and certainly not as narrow as some had predicted.

[Not to mention the 12,000* people who have rated the movie on Netflix in just its first week of release. Thanks to everyone who's rented or bought the movie, or tweeted, or asked for it, or blogged, or whatever. New movies are released all the time. But you all made this release feel very special.] * UPDATE: One day later, it jumped to about 14,500. Wow.

DVD Review

Fangoria reviews the DVD release of Deadgirl, including an nice look at all the extras included. Click here to read the whole thing.

"There’s no denying that screenwriter Trent Haaga and directors Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel have ventured into more ambitious territory than most youth-oriented fright cinema, which tends to take more simplistic views on relationships between boys and girls and sex and violence." — Fangoria

A "nihilistic teen horror film that plays as both grim morality tale and insane dark comedy." - MSN Movies

Second Impressions

"Deadgirl is a deceptive film in that it seems like a horror movie, but there are bigger issues lurking beneath the surface... The fears include loneliness, intimacy, growing up, and the realization that your dreams for your future might not be all that you imagine them to be. Though I’ll have to admit that on first viewing none of that came to me. I was just repulsed by the subject matter."
— Monsters and Critics

Monsters and Critics is one of the larger independent web-only news & review publications.

Jersey Pride!

It's nice to see some smaller, more regional papers review the Deadgirl DVD release. Here's what the Bergen County Record had to say (link to its online version, via newjersey.com here):

"This one-of-a-kind shocker takes a look at two high school misfits (excellent Shiloh Fernandez, Noah Segan) who encounter a not-quite-dead, not-quite-alive girl tied up in the bowels of an abandoned mental hospital. Surprisingly, directors Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel are less interested in spilling blood — though a lot is spilled — than in probing the adolescent male psyche. Smartly directed, the flick takes twists you won't see coming."

High School Horror They Love

There aren't many movie sites bigger than Cinematical. So it was pretty awesome to see Deadgirl (described here as "creepy, challenging stuff") as No. 2 on its list of "High School Horror We Love." Check out the whole list here.

Hard to shake

IGN didn't love the movie, but at least the reviewer added this honest tag on the end:

"Days after seeing Deadgirl, I find myself considering it, which even I can't yet determine speaks positively or negatively about the movie. It is the subject, not the quality, that's in question, and some will no doubt feel that the filmmakers have hit their mark. And if nothing else, it'll keep you talking for days to come."

A "seriously perverse twist on River’s Edge ... and it would be nice to dismiss Deadgirl as the worst sort of exploitation. Except that it’s been so well-written, well-made —walking a fine line between horror and satire— and well-acted, that you find yourself glued to the screen. It’s sick. It’s gross. It’s lurid. But you can’t say it doesn’t work." —  Kansas City Star

"A conclusion that's as spectacular and revolting as one would hope and/or fear." – McClatchy-Tribune

The verdict is in

"Not only sufficiently gory and suspenseful, but funny, perceptive, and moving, to boot. It deftly blends elements of horror with a story of coming-of-age and all its attendant angst, and gives us something unique, surprising, and wholly satisfying." - DVD Verdict

"Long Live Deadgirl" – on DVD!

So says Paper Magazine... "Trust me, it will unhinge your jaw...."

D-Day

Finally here!

Sexual Danger

"A well-executed horror film with a perverse kind of sexual danger."
- MSN Entertainment

"Absolutely bat-shit insane"

"In its conception, Deadgirl plays like a long lost Twilight Zone episode, revolving around the perfect kind of conflicted fall guys who make questionable moral choices as influenced by certain dark forces. The difference, of course, is that Deadgirl is fucking perverted... At a certain point Deadgirl finds its footing and spins itself into an absolutely bat-shit insane, yet alarmingly compelling and intelligent study of the male's uneasy relationship to its Id, peering into a certain dark corner of a 17 year old's sexual angst with open eyes..." - LAist

"It’s Stand by Me for a new, and waaay sicker, generation."
- Salt Lake City Weekly

Shining a light into the dark

"Randy adolescents open for a thinly veiled skin flick will be largely disappointed. Similarly, those sick to the back teeth of torture porn would do well not to dismiss this as just another bandwagoner, as co-directors Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel have far more on their minds here than simply mining a gimmick for the purposes of titillation... Succinct, intelligent and to the point, Deadgirl exhibits an intelligence far beyond that of your average genre shocker, ably given form by a superbly committed ensemble of talented up and comers. Shining a light into the dark, perverted corners of the mind it is occasionally unpleasant but mostly because, as an exercise in human nature run amok, its oddly, eerily plausible. You will never look at the creepy dead-eyed kid in the back row of chem lab quite the same way ever again." - JustPressPlay.com

"Sick, twisted and delightful"

"An interesting examination of classism, misogyny and high school cliques along with some blurred boundaries around necrophilia, Deadgirl brims with unpleasant moments that are sure to polarize audiences — either utterly repulsing them or making them laugh with discomfort ... Sick, twisted and delightful - Detroit Metro Times

There's something to it.

"Directors Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel lend adolescent emotional cred to taboo horror, taking the uncomfortable satire of, say, 'Teeth', and dragging it to an even gnarlier level. Shiloh Fernandez and Noah Segan are high-school outcasts who make a gruesome discovery while ditching – the nude body of a seemingly lifeless woman chained up in an abandoned mental hospital. Turns out she’s not exactly dead, and they’re not exactly good Samaritans. Extras: The unrated cut of the film includes commentary and a featurette. You’ll snort at the word choice when the filmmakers characterize this as a relationship story, but there is something to it." – The Boston Globe

BUSTed!

Yep, that's Deadgirl's Candice Accola on the very left, in what is probably the most gorgeous mugshot we've ever seen [click to enlarge]. Clearly, living in Georgia during the shooting of the new hit show Vampire Diaries is not keeping her out of trouble.

Three Days...

... till the release. As we turn the corner, a few more responses trickle in.

A SCREWED-UP WINNER

"The film belongs to Segan, who captures every nuance of J.T.’s steady descent into utter depravity, sinisterly posing moral questions to excuse his own indiscretions and touching on underlying themes of suburban isolation and homoerotic longing. Co-directors Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel, both relative newcomers, as well as camp horror writer Trent Haaga have a screwed-up winner on their hands with Deadgirl. It cuts deeper than expected... Buoyed by excellent performances and a cool soundtrack, Deadgirl is a thoroughly twisted ride." - Home Media Magazine

WITH A WARNING

"It’s hard not to reveal everything about the movie. If you can get through the sex with a corpse part, you’re really gonna enjoy this one... This one is gonna make people feel uncomfortable and someone may end up cursing me that I suggested they watch it but I enjoyed it enough to recommend it…..with a warning of course!" - The Film Reel

GUILTY THRILL

The Orlando Weekly highlights the "guilty thrill" of Deadgirl in its list of "OW-approved titles" out on DVD this week.

"Seek this one out."

"This movie serves as a bit of a twisted form of social commentary in a way, and is a bit of a coming of age tale. This one's about storytelling, mixed with good acting. It's hard to watch at times, violent and somewhat unexpected. I absolutely recommend it!"

JoBlo.com gives Deadgirl another great review today, and we especially appreciate the spoiler-free ending: "If you can dig a plot that is a little out there (and I'm dying to tell you about it, believe me), you should seek this one out."

Awesome. Also, here's JoBlo's first (and perhaps slightly less spoiler-free) review from July.

Synergy!

Make sure to check out Candice Accola's new show Vampire Diaries, debuting tonight on the CW. Here's a quick 411 interview about the show in which Deadgirl actually gets a mention. Thanks!

Back from Lisbon

Here we are with two living legends — Stuart Gordon and John Landis — after the screening of Deadgirl at MotelX (Lisbon's International Film Festival of Terror) this past weekend. On Friday, the four of us went to see Re-Animator on the big screen, and having them check out our flick the next night was even more of a ridiculous thrill.

As it happens, the screening was exactly one year to the day we premiered Deadgirl in Toronto, and – with the movie coming out on DVD on the 15th - also marked what will probably be our final screening with a festival audience. What an unbelievable experience it's been.. and ending in Lisbon with some of the coolest people around was the perfect way to go. Thanks to everyone who was there.

A Country Divided

Go figure...

The Republican defends Deadgirl and
The Liberal wants it destroyed.

[warning: spoilers at every link]

Dead & Loving It

Make sure to pick up the new issue of Scars or just go to the website and get one (order the issue or download it there). Some great coverage about Deadgirl including the standout piece, an insightful two page interview with the dead girl herself, Jenny Spain.

"Spain's role of the Dead Girl has risen above normal zombie cinema, and opened up the sort of debates horror movies were first meant to invoke." - Scars Magazine

To sleep with a dead girl

The price some people are willing to pay to spend eternity laying on top (somewhat suggestively) a pile of bones that were once called Marilyn... [LA Times]

And according to this Reuters article, the man currently buried there is positioned face-down. Nothing perverse about that!

"Spectacular"

That's what Buried.com calls the unrated DVD of Deadgirl, complete with "a raft of must-see extras." You can pre-order it now by clicking here.

"Bored teens looking for trouble, an abandoned building and a naked woman. These are the ingredients that combine to form one of the most terrifying and disturbing American movies in years." - Buried.com

Makes us want to believe in Heaven

While Wisconsin has only recently decided that rape laws should apply to the dead, we were surprised to learn that a few remaining states still haven't quite come to that conclusion.

Found these online, from a Moving Pictures magazine photoshoot right after our Toronto premiere. Left to right: Candice Accola, Noah Segan, and Shiloh Fernandez. [click pic to enlarge]

Just by their names alone, these all sound like people we're glad to have on our side:

Necrotic Cinema
Liar's Society
Exploitation Nation
Wildside Cinema
Horror Society

Plus-Sized Praise from the U.K.

FOUR STAR REVIEW / DVD OF THE MONTH!
Deadgirl is "a rare beast... an intriguing coming-of-age movie... so deliciously dark and unsettling, you may have trouble scrubbing it from your head."
(DVD on sale in the U.S. on 9/15)

Women vs. Women

As with every demographic or group, Deadgirl splits Feminists right down the middle (wow, didn't mean that to sound so gruesome). Over at Feministing.com, an interesting debate is taking place – but there are massive spoilers within, so be aware and read carefully.

Click to read "Deadgirl" (Or, The Most Feminist Horror Movie I've Seen This Side of 'Teeth')

"The best horror film of the year"

That's from the Seattle Post Globe.

It goes on to say that Deadgirl was "so despised and reviled at SIFF that few of the festival revelers dared speak its name lest they be shunned by the sophisticated elite. I won’t tell the plot of Deadgirl, because such things are not spoken of in polite company and I don’t want to put any bad pictures into anybody’s head, but I can say, without fear of reprisal, that the title is a half-truth. The picture is reminiscent of erotic horror films such as Jean Rollin’s 1982 La Morte Vivante. Entwining sexuality and mortality with the poetic revulsion of a vision from Edgar Allan Poe, directors Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel explore adolescent desire in a way that is almost unheard of in American movies. It is a truly frightening and disturbing movie that offers pictorial evidence of William Shakespeare’s weary desire that 'this too too solid flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew.'"

"Horror Of the Modern Male"

Dayle McClintock of Tor.com kicks off a review of Deadgirl with this doozy: "Horror, like pornography, often focuses on violations of the body."

Want more? Click to read.

"I truly had to mentally prepare myself because this kind of role can mess someone up." So says Jenny Spain in the new issue of Fangoria, which features a 4 page article about Deadgirl. On newsstands now...

This month's Nylon features Deadgirl-star Shiloh Fernandez – "From American Apparel model to one of Hollywood's most promising actors." Pick up a copy and learn how he was discovered, what he did to screw up his on-screen kiss with Brittany Snow, and why the role of Rickie in Deadgirl was not the kind he normally gets to play.

Our Green Screen

At a recent Q & A, we were asked about digital effects in the movie. There are probably three or four very minor moments, things that needed smoothing out but hopefully go unnoticed... but we did have one green screen shot, which sorta makes it Deadgirl's most complex digital effect.

Here's the hospital we needed to show the boys approaching.
But it was the last day of production, and we were out in the middle of nowhere. So we filmed Shiloh and Noah against a green screen.
A quick test showed us that this might actually work.
Then it just took some time to finesse, including making the building look even crappier. Voila, a much-needed establishing shot.

As seen in Chicago

Jenny Spain at the Music Box Theater screening.
The Horror Society caught the Chicago screening and reports about it here.

Also, a couple of other reviews from this weekend:
"If there weren't some poisonous kernel of truth in Deadgirl's grotesque, testosterone-poisoned 'what if?' premise, no-one would be squirming." - Miss Flick Chick
"Twisted and unpredictable." - We Are Movie Geeks
"Sickly fascinating." - Critic's Notebook

Thanks

We had an overwhelming turnout to our cross-country screenings this weekend, so to everyone who came out to see the movie -- THANK YOU.

As seen in LA

As seen in New York

As seen in Austin

This new Fangoria review has some nice things to say, though this paragraph is our standout:

"While providing a wealth of subtext to ponder, the movie also delivers a heaping helping of graphic gore and sexual material, though the former can’t be enjoyed on the level of traditional splatter and the latter is anything but arousing. DEADGIRL intends to crawl deep under your skin and stay there awhile, and its creators’ refusal to frame the violence in a manner where it can serve as vicarious entertainment may be part of the reason some genre fans have complained that it doesn’t go far enough—itself a comment on how certain people (expect to) view women."

"Read this review carefully..."

The Staten Island Advance begins its review with those words, and what follows is nothing short of brilliant: "It's entirely possible that this movie couldn't be for you, and should you wander into it by mistake it could leave you irreparably damaged, unable to have a healthy sexual relationship, to experience love, to make friends. And nobody wants their life ruined by a movie."

"Expect Deadgirl to Raise Hell"

The release of this movie has introduced us to some new (for us, but probably not for everyone else) blogs and websites and magazines. Buzzine is just the latest example of this. Here's their take on the movie.

Scared of the Truth

Every once in a while we get a review where it's pretty clear the writer actually loves the movie but is either unable to admit it to themselves or to others. This is such a review.

"Seriously F-ed Up"

- Paper Magazine

"Don't Frack with the Undead"

Dan Persons' Might Movie Podcast takes on Deadgirl in this week's edition: "Directors Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel suggest that this be looked at as a kind of twisted coming-of-age story. I suspect midnight audiences will be too busy having their buttons pushed to get too far down to the subtext. In any case, it's obvious that Sarmiento and Harel (working from a script by Trent Haaga) can mount a stylish, daring nightmare, whatever the theme. It's a helluva way to greet the new day."

Click here for the podcast interview with the directors – definitely worth the listen.

"Deadgirl reaps a sense of substantial, twisted alienation..."
- Metromix

National screenings begin tomorrow
in a city near you.
Click here for details.

More Salon

Salon's Andrew O'Hehir just filed a new piece that seems to be mostly about the aura of Deadgirl, but also manages to make a few nice observations about the movie, too. (Sorry, it's going to be a long excerpt, but it's worth it)

"Deadgirl is a much better-crafted and subtler film than it sounds like... Its horrifying ideas and images -- I should make clear that very little of the violence is actually shown on screen -- serve as a symbolic lure, meant to draw you into a dark, compelling tale of teenage male bonding and high-school class warfare. Its two protagonists, weak-willed pretty boy Rickie (Shiloh Fernandez) and dead-end greaseball JT (Noah Segan), are classic teen outsiders, tormented by the jocks and staring at a long future of low-paying service jobs, alcoholism and chronic disappointment. If you consider the story as psychoanalytic drama, the dead girl not only isn't human, she isn't real at all -- she's nothing more than the fantasy projection of their masturbatory and perhaps homoerotic desire.

The writing-directing team of Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel capture the sublimated violence of JT and Rickie's banter in unusually convincing detail; in fact, the movie's best scenes have nothing to do with the slowly decaying undead chick in the basement. (Although the violence quotient is relatively low, the squirm-inducing makeup effects are highly effective.) Try as you may to squeeze "Deadgirl" into some pseudo-feminist frame, it doesn't quite fit. This is a movie about youthful male alienation -- that venerable American-cinema topic -- and its tragicomic consequences."

"Don't Say I Didn't Warn You..."

So says Red Reed in his hilarious and loving review of Deadgirl, in which he describes the movie as "part S&M porno, part supernatural chiller, and worthy only if you’re interested in how far movies can go before the police arrive."

At a theater near you

Everything you need to know about our upcoming Midnight Roadshow can be found right here at the...

new Deadgirl website

Remember to check back for updates. We already know Denver and Tacoma are being adding in August.

All About Deadgirl

"Deadgirl ventures into the dark, terrifyingly real recesses of the human mind in a story that explores the social and sexual dynamics of adolescence... it's strikingly original for a genre in which originality hasn't been a strong suit of late. Despite the supernatural aspect, it's a stunningly real and insightful character study."

[Click here to read the entire About.com review]

"Unnerving and Surprisingly Poignant"

"Every now and then a low budget horror movie comes along that not only surprises you, but also turns out to be one of the strongest movies you’ve seen in a while. Don’t get me wrong, Deadgirl will offend as many viewers as it entices, if not a little more, but there’s something about this twisted little tale that will keep you hooked..."
– 24 Frames Per Second

And while we're at it:
[links embedded]

"A grim and scary story about coming of age in a messed up world. Original, daring and extremely haunting." - JoBlo.com

"A dark fairytale about necrophelia and taboo love as well... a rather unique yet definitely very unpleasant experience." – Lowdown Magazine (uk)

Also here's a beautifully written review from the blog Cereal Nocturnal, that includes thoughts like "Deadgirl does explore the unnerving progression from the dull normality of our everyday life to the excitement of human confrontation produced by total mayhem" and "Love is presented as an inevitable psychosis" and finishes with this: "Who wouldn’t fall in love with a dead girl when heaven is a dark damp basement with absolute sexual freedom, and hell is an open blue skied piece of shit lonely world, full of jocks and their pretty girlfriends?"

And also:
Slashing the Seats has some nice things to say.
Cinema Suicide reviews the flick, too.

"Crappy"

"Deadgirl is one of those films that I am afraid to tell you about..."
- Dr. Joy Browne

But keep in mind, her entire review for Eagle Eye reads: "This is one fascinating, fun movie! This is probably the best-edited movie you’ve ever seen. This has probably got the best car chase you have ever seen! It’s really fun.”

"As much as I'm inclined to rant about the sickness and depravity of this stuff, I'm not sure I can write off this film outright." - salon.com

Salon has jumped into the debate.

Theatrical Roadshow

Screen Daily ran a story today about our upcoming theatrical plan, "a simultaneous one-weekend, midnight-only, roadshow-style theatrical event in 9 major markets, starting July 24." Click here for the article. We'll be posting more details about all this pretty soon...

In the meantime, some advance domestic reviews as we get closer (click a quote to link to the whole thing).

"Kind of a nightmare version of 'The Last American Virgin'. One of the best horror movies of the year so far." -eSplatter

"Genre bending, weird, gruesome and one of the most interesting films I have seen in years." - Horror-Movies

"I urge you to seek out the closest theater near you that'll be showing it."- The Vault of Horror

"Disturbing, sadistic and over the top insane but also easily one of the most imaginative films I have seen in a very very long time." - ShootForTheHead

"Once in a while a film comes along that jars you out of your cinematic slumber. For die hard genre fans it’s tough to find that one gem that really cuts through the muck and raises the bar. This year Deadgirl has become that film." - BrutalAsHell

Where few have dared to go

"An indie winner. Goes places few horror movies have dared to go before in its frank and disturbing depiction of necrophilia (combined with a surprisingly effective coming-of-age story!") - Fangoria

The August issue features a page about Deadgirl-star Noah Segan, but there's a more comprehensive piece in the September issue which we're anxiously awaiting. Perfect for our 9/15 DVD release...

Some reactions from over there

Deadgirl (or as they're writing it, Dead Girl) was released in the UK this month and we've gathered some online reactions:

"A film that will no doubt stay with you for a long time to come." - World of Film

"Delightfully dark and thought provoking. Could not recommend this any higher." - Rough Cut Reviews

"It is a deeply troubling feature, but also, perhaps oddly for a film steeped in the supernatural, utterly honest and believable – and its capacity to haunt will never die." - Eye For Film

"A great change of pace, hitting on the horrific potential inside everyone. Deadgirl is really about how the freedom of being outside of society can make you power hungry, vicious, and obsessed with the alternate world where you have control." - Horror Yearbook

"A mini-masterpiece. And, in an age where audiences seem near impervious to trauma, it manages a rare feat: to genuinely shock." - Den of Geek

[click each quote for full review]

Official Poster

Deadgirl screenwriter Trent Haaga called to tell us to get back to this blog and start updating since there have been a lot of reviews and write-ups and new developments about our upcoming release. As always, he's right. So here's to a new beginning...



[click to enlarge]

"Fascinating and Vaguely DIstasteful"

Total Sci-Fi previews Deadgirl for the UK release next week. We'll save you a few minutes by giving you the highlights here:

"Fascinating and vaguely distasteful"'
"An interesting blend on coming of age and horror themes"
"Deadgirl is at least a film that provokes debate."
"An original, if vaguely sleazy, twist on the undead"

Free Deadgirl!

You have to be 18 and living in England... but otherwise, there's no catch. Deadgirl will be screening for free in five Vue Cinema theaters in and around London on June 5, and you can click here for more info (you'll have to sign in to get the exact screening times).

First and Foremost

"The thing you need to know first and foremost about Deadgirl is that it is a film about the limits of loyalty and the struggle to do right when you’re not even sure what that means. More importantly, though, Deadgirl is simply a very disturbing movie... definitely one of the more disturbing films I’ve ever seen." - Seattle Metblog

Seattlest just put Deadgirl on its list of SIFF movies to consider this week. Here's the link for tickets and information. We'll be there for the Thursday and Friday night screenings so come by if you can.

Seattle International Film Festival

The Seattle International Film Festival may very well turn out to be Deadgirl's last U.S. festival (we have our theatrical thing in July - more about that soon - and the DVD release in September). Ever since our Toronto premiere, the festival route has been amazing — every screening, audience, conversation, q&a, staff member and volunteer — so it's a weird knowing it will soon be over.

The only thing that makes it a little easier to accept is the fact that the end of the line is going to be such an awesome festival. Seattle is going to be great.

Thursday May 28, 9:30pm
Friday May 29, Midnight
Friday, June 5, 9:30pm

Tickets here.

With our three screenings at the Amsterdam International Fantastic Film Festival now over, we took a look over the blogs scene to see what the reactions were... and it looks like things went over pretty well.

Zone 5300, a hipster mag that's big in the Netherlands, had nice things to say. Here's the link to the whole review. It says, more or less (here, translated), "Deadgirl is an intelligent film... On genre-components as gore and special effects is not reduced, but the heart of the film is on a totally different place, and zombie clichés are largely to tread - no apocalyptic situation, but drama on the square meter. This zombie has a moral sense, and that makes her plight all the more painful." You can't argue with that.

Also, here's a blog which seems to be the festival's most comprehensive source for reviews, and they had three different people check out Deadgirl:

Reaction 1
Reaction 2
Reaction 3

UK Release

So we now have our official release date in the UK... June 8th. We'll have more news about that soon. But if you live there and want to see Deadgirl a month before the movie becomes available...

London’s Brunel University will once again be hosting its Cine-Excess Film Conference – a three-day annual event that brings together leading scholars and critics for talks, interviews, and special screenings. The conference examines cultural traditions surrounding zombies, vampires, mummies and other cult phenomena appearing in different forms of media (film, TV, games, internet, comics, etc.), and celebrates some of the biggest trends, icons, auteurs and periods of global cult film production.

On May 1, the conference will feature an exclusive UK pre-release screening of Deadgirl, courtesy of Metrodome Entertainment.

5/1, 2pm, Odeon Covent Garden, London