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.