User Reviews

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

Well written, paced and acted, this low budget film is incredibly creative and beautiful. Victoria Elizabeth has the face of a silent film star. This thing needs to be distributed worldwide on all platforms possible. Christopher Bickel is brilliant in his debut as a director. I hope to see more from him in the near future.

I'm astonished by this film—I went through my teens as a weird kid in the '80s, and throughout my viewing of "The Theta Girl," absolutely every moment felt convincingly like an '80s cult film, and it kept me utterly transfixed. Its premise, an existential drugs-as-doorways action/horror revenge-thriller exploitation trip, is much more intelligent and novel than I expected on the basis of the trailer, and it's vastly better- crafted and more well-acted (even the supporting cast shone) than anyone has any right to expect from a film that cost less than Cleveland real estate. Big props to all involved on a hell of an accomplishment.

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!

We were expecting this to be pretty good but were just blown away by the quality of this film, especially given that it was made for such a ridiculously small amount of money, under $15,000. The story was creative and original and fast-paced, the acting was great, the filming and editing was top notch, and the accompanying musical soundtrack was perfect.

If you get a chance to see The Theta Girl, go. You'll be glad you did.

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.

This incredible indie film from first-time director Christopher Bickel (and based on a script written by David Axe) literally defies classification. This movie is part horror story, part counterculture drug cautionary tale, and part treatise dealing with the existential nature of the human condition and how we, as humans, are forced to make decisions (many of them of an important moral nature) on a daily basis related to those never-ending existential questions.

The casting of the actors in this film is second-to-none, when you consider that these fine actors are, for the most part, complete unknowns. Of course, these performances stand as a testament to the incredible direction by first-time director Christopher Bickel, who managed to coax such amazing performances from this actors—every one of whom shines in their various roles. It also speaks volumes about the strength of the script penned by David Axe.

This film making event somehow rode a kind of a perfect storm of all of these factors resulting in a film that is even better of all of the sum of its parts. (And I haven't even mentioned the beautiful cinematography, amazing old-school make-up and low budget special effects (that, believe me, you won't NOTICE are low budget)and the absolutely astounding soundtrack—which is well worth the price admission, alone!)

This fantastic film was produced on a veritable shoestring, and NONE of that shows. You need to see this movie in order to believe it. As for me, I can't wait to see what Mr. Bickel has in store for his next big film project. I hope he has the big studio money he so richly deserves backing him then. But for NOW, please don't miss this one!!!

Made for a mere $14,000, The Theta Girl is a triumph for independent filmmaker Christopher Bickel who quite literally brought the incredible script written by David Axe to life. The opening scene featuring the tormented "Brother Marcus" (played brilliantly by actor Shane Silman), sets the dire tone for the film, and it never lets go. At times The Theta Girl feels much like a classic Grindhouse film--raw, unflinching and unapologetic as its wake of ultra-violent events and out-of-body experiences tweak your brain to the point of no return. The Theta Girl is a unique riff on the horror genre thanks to its incorporation of filming techniques that are reminiscent of the films of Alejandro Jodorowsky and director James M. Muro's exploitative masterpiece, 1987's Street Trash. The Theta Girl is one of the best action-packed horror flicks I've seen all year--highly recommend!

This film was made on a nothing budget, so I was concerned that corners would have to be cut, especially in editing and special effects, but Holy cow did it deliver. The story was original in its own right, but the amount of creativity and hard work that must have gone into this to pull together such a great product is mind blowing. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, there is gore in some parts.

From the start this cinematic gem grabs you and doesn't let go with it's intriguing plot and character development. The art direction is astonishingly beautiful with dreamy depictions of hallucinations that involve techniques I've never seen before. That is so refreshing, for me as an avid film fan. The performances are authentic and fresh. I felt myself going through a myriad of emotions; shock, joy, fear, disgust, wonder and ultimately satisfaction. While made on a budget, this indie pic achieves what I consider a real feat, being original and entertaining.

The Theta Girl was shot by a neophyte director with an amateur cast and a budget of $14,000. Normally, script aside, you'd expect this to translate to horrible audio and over-lit, harsh "soap opera" visuals with terrible shot composition.

This is absolutely not the case here. The Theta Girl ranges from gritty, dark streets to warm sunlit gardens, and the visuals never skip a beat. The overall visual motif is grindhouse and grainy - and it's achieved flawlessly. The shot composition is good, and the audio is frankly fantastic. Technically, this movie was a hell of an accomplishment regardless of budget - it feels more authentic than Tarantino's grindhouse, without feeling cheap. The soundtrack is also really excellent, and integrates well into the feel of the film as well as its story.

The story itself isn't perfect - in particular, some of the characters with the most screen time just aren't well developed - and the acting can be a little hit and miss. Both are far better than you'd expect from an indie shoestring horror flick though. The premise is genuinely interesting, and the cast clearly cares about what they're doing. Probably the biggest legitimate complaint would be the fight choreography, which is next to nonexistent - but the film is strong enough to stand without it.

If you get the chance, do yourself a favor and watch The Theta Girl. It's a wicked trip.

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.

I had been waiting impatiently for the "psychedelic existentialist gore thriller," The Theta Girl's release. While waiting, I watched every trailer and teaser that came out, and read every interview, story, and blog leading up to it. The Theta Girl was written by David Axe and directed and edited by Christopher Bickel in Columbia, South Carolina on, as they say, the budget of a used car. In creating the world (which seems like a mix between thirty years ago and thirty years from now) and story of Gayce, the Theta-dealing, mystery-solving heroine, Axe and Bickel jumped into TTG from the very beginning with their no-holds-barred, punk rock, can-do attitude combined with heavy doses of dedication, love and creative idealism.

So. I knew The Theta Girl was definitely going to be entertaining (it was). I knew it was going to be gory (yes, good Lord, yes). I knew that it was going to be wild and gross and fun (check, check, and check), and that it would be well-shot and hold nothing back (mission accomplished). The camera angles, lighting, acting, home-grown special effects, original music, and smart writing alone would have made this movie a rowdy success. But sitting in the dark theatre at the Columbia premier, there was a lot I wasn't prepared for and didn't know.

I didn't know that it was going to be beautiful. I didn't know that it was going to feel like a memory. I didn't know that it was going to lull me into feeling like I was there, along for the ride on curving back dirt roads. I didn't know that I would feel reverence for night-lit churches and sunny dreams that you just want to hold on to for a little longer. The Theta Girl is beautiful and gritty, it's sweet and it's gross, it's crass and it's thoughtful. It is an obvious work of love and dedication by the director, writer, actors, and everyone involved.

The night I watched it, the theatre was packed with all different kinds and ages of people also waiting to see it for the first time. The whole crowd was immediately drawn into The Theta Girl, with loads of clapping and cheering throughout the movie from the beginning credits to the end. Before it started, the guy next to me shared his Skittles and said it looked like this was a fun crowd that was ready to have a good time. And he was right. We were.

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.

I thought this was a wild, thought-provoking story with fascinating characters that I really enjoyed. The story follows Gaycee, as she deals drugs at her friends' concerts. As they begin turning up brutally murdered, Gaycee goes on a mission to discover the origins of the drug and the murderer behind the gruesome scenes. The actors really brought this story to life with excellent performances. The settings, soundtrack, and unique visual effects gave a very decadent and mesmerizing feel that kept me hooked.

I'm not a person that likes 'bad' movies. The 'bad' kind that hipsters enjoy ironically, or the bad kind shown by MST3K. I like fancy movies, with lots of effects and neato visuals that bend the limits of what's empirically conceivable. Knowing this, I wasn't expecting to be wowed. I was not prepared for the thoughts and feelings that The Theta Girl either intentionally, or accidentally, produced in me. There are things about the movie that bug me. There are parts that seem too long. Despite, or maybe because of this, it lulls you into a sense of unpreparedness, where the stinging, gory, philosophical, existential, poignant, and mystifying aspects of the film are working on you without your knowledge or approval.

The cinematography, coloring, camera angles, and sense of intentionality of the images are spectacular. It's like what you'd get if you gave Richard Kern a hatchet and a book on Impressionism and said 'Make a film!". The colors are intense, saturated and lush...There are so many artistic devices working against the 'lowness' of the budget that it effectively negates it. Surely, there are a lot of things that are wrong with the film, but they seem to enhance it, rather than detract from it. I've never seen a film with such 'amateur' quality footage that made it seem more authentic rather than less. It was as if I was watching something that could actually happen. There was no pastiche or facade between the creator and my believability. It's hard to describe this feeling, but it's one where I was elated because it seemed that this type of film was available to me to attempt. I couldn't wait to get home and work on things. The film is perfectly Southern with no stereotypes too speak of. The director has access to a talent pool that would rarely show up in film, not due to their lack of acting ability, but that they're authentically "underground" types of individuals that don't necessarily look the parts.

What Chris Bickel and David Axe have accomplished with this low- budget undertaking is nothing short of astonishing. It's a rare thing indeed when I experience a film that crosses, confuses, and expands different genres. If you're squeamish, conservative, douchey, or condescending, this film will not suit you well. But if you're willing to submit to the strangeness concocted by this first- time director and screenwriter, you will be rewarded.

I have been wanting to see The Theta Girl after first discovering the campaign on Indiegogo where I acquired my copy. I really enjoyed The Theta Girl from the opening sequence until the ending it did not disappoint. The cast was a great choice who all did well in there parts especially Victoria Elizabeth Donofrio. Victoria's character of Gayce kept me engaged throughout the film. I loved the amount of Easter eggs that there were for fans of 1980s horror films. The Theta Girl team did an exceptional job for the $10,000 budget they had to work with, I hope many future filmmakers take note in what was accomplished here with such a small amount of money in today's world. I look forward to seeing what this team of David Axe and Christopher Bickel come up with in the future. I recommend The Theta Girl to any 1980s Horror films or Grindhouse movies fan, you're sure to find it a real treat. For the rest of you you are in for something special, as their is enough splatter/ Body count and some interesting plot twists to keep you happy.

It's gritty, grungy, funny and sexy! They've accomplished everything they set out to do. And did it fantastically! The soundtrack is amazing!The special effects, especially the scenes with the Entity, made me feel like I'd dropped a hit of Theta myself! A must see for sure!

You might go into The Theta Girl expecting a low budget B-movie with over-the-top acting, gratuitous gore and nudity, and the so-bad-its-good delight that we all expect from Troma-esque films.

What you'll actually get is a well-acted, well-written love letter to the exploitation genre that perfectly balances its tone. It knows what type of movie it is, so it never comes off as pretentious. But it also never undercuts its merits, so nothing feels cheesy or silly. There are actually not many jokes or funny moments at all - but that doesn't take away from the psychedelic rock and roll fun.

The lead actress, Victoria Elizabeth Donofrio, gives an exceptional performance as the titular Theta Girl, Gayce - she's troubled and ragey, but may actually be good at heart. She's masterfully written and performed, so that the audience sympathizes with her as the hero, but never forgets where she comes from or what she's capable of. It all leads to an excellent, almost Western-style showdown between the hero and the villain in the end, but even that relationship is handled with nuance. I really enjoyed every shot where they're simply laying or standing next to each other - equals, in a way.

On a technical level, it is astounding that the filmmakers managed to make such a gorgeous, cinematic, film grainy experience on a Canon 80D. The soundtrack and lighting are both awesome, the sound is solid and clean, and the cinematography is almost always stable (which adds a lot more to the professionalism than "picture quality" does, I believe). Not a dime was put to waste on this film, and mad respect goes to the filmmakers for paying their cast and crew as well.

If you love music, indie spirit, or just want to see a fresh story well told, I highly recommend it.

First let me say, I DO NOT know any person affiliated with this film. Just finding out about it was by chance. So don't let my current South Carolina location fool you into thinking I'm supporting a buddy or buddies affiliated with this movie somehow. With that said...

This is quite a good movie if you like indie movies & exploitation films, especially one that at times seems like it could have been a lost gem from 30 or so years ago, though it's actually a new movie. The movie being one that was made in South Carolina, USA (Inman & Columbia) shocks the heck out of me after now having watched it twice. There is no CGI, at least not that I could see though if paused, there is one scene I noticed they erased digitally some small thing out of the picture. Good luck finding that though, it seems to be in one frame only in something that happened fast.

Here's a warning for some and for others, a heads up for more reason to give this watching. It has a good bit of nudity and it's full frontal at that at times (male & female too), there's a good bit of blood & also some gore scenes that are sick, some extreme deaths (I thought WOW on some), "drugs" and seeing young people not only doing "drugs" but doing what young people do when out having wild fun, some wacky religious freaks appear and become rather unpleasant to others and there is a strangeness at times in the sense like you get in the Japanese House movie but different (trippy, odd sort of thing at many times, hard to explain).

This had a small budget but one where they got creative with what they had and knew how to stretch a dollar but do keep in mind this is the director's first time trying to make a movie (a newbie at this though hard to tell when watching). Anyway, so this is not always perfect but most flaws are small things and/or fits with the look anyway (only 2 or 3 things really jumped out at me at first), so the small flaws that do exist usually work with it's style it went for and could even bed excused as purpose for most of them.

I've watched this twice in the last few days and I've had more fun with it than I have any big mainstream movie in quite some time. If nothing else, it's a great weekend fun flick.

You get some good extras though for me, the bloopers reel ruins a part in one of the deleted scenes I enjoyed a good bit though the blooper reel in of itself was enjoyable. You get that reel, 2 deleted scenes, the two songs played from the "live performances" see/heard in the movie but in full with watching them act it out as was in the movie though I don't quite get why the video footage for the one song was made to look so terrible (on purpose) and small. I guess to imitate a bootleg look. You the trailer for this and also for the Teenage Caligula trailer that was made just to get support for making Theta Girl and also you get commentary on how they made such a film like this with so little money & knowledge in a effort to help you do the same.

My least favorite part of the movie was what they used for the drug in the film and that's a small gripe to be the least favorite thing. Go to YouTube and see the uncensored trailer. It's just like that but more and the movie lives up to what you see in it and has the exact same look.

For indie of this type its nearly perfect quality, I mean all parts of film are in their places: acting, camera work, GREAT music, script and etc. I wish that this crew do more stuff like this, and then sooner then better. And I don't know about other reviews 10\10 here, but I really in grindhouse scene, seen many new films like that Mercedes from LA do, and what Troma usually support. When I say Theta Girl have is a quality I mean Astron-6 quality of early titles or second film of Jordan Downey, or Dustin Mills (but a good one, not his stuff shooting at the attic of his house) and like this.