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Reviews
Deadgirl (2008)
"We Could Keep Her."
While ditching school one day, outcasts Rickie (Shiloh Fernandez) and JT (Noah Segan) discover a young woman (Jenny Spain) tied up in the basement of an old abandoned mental institution. JT soon finds out she can't die and decides to "keep her" to fulfill his sexual desires. Rickie, on the other hand, wants no part in it but can't find the courage to "man up" to his best friend. JT quickly becomes obsessed with the dead girl and when other people are brought into it, things take a turn for the worse.
A uniquely twisted coming of age story that takes the concept of zombies and the taboo topic of necrophilia to whole new levels, while managing to touch upon numerous underlying topics. The dark atmosphere of the basement, where most of it takes place, sets the tone. The film doesn't rely on gore, but on the story itself, which I can best describe as "River's Edge" meets Jack Ketchum's "The Girl Next Door". There is no explanation of where the girl came from or how she ended up there and its not needed.
None of the characters are likable, apart from Rickie, but they're not suppose to be. The always terrific Noah Segan doesn't disappoint and Shiloh Fernandez, whom I'd previously only seen with a small role in "Red", held his own. I also have to give credit to Jenny Spain for taking on that role, it could not have been easy.
"Deadgirl" is a disturbing look into the human psyche, that stayed with me even after it was over. Sadly, I couldn't help but think that if you take out the part about the girl not being able to die, this could very well have been a true story.
That being said, this film won't appeal to everyone.
Dear Mr. Gacy (2010)
Outsmarted By an 18 Year Old
Based on the true story of 18 year old college student Jason Moss (Jesse Moss), who finds himself in way over his head when he begins a relationship with notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy (William Forsythe). As part of a term paper for his criminology class, Moss sends a letter to Gacy on death row, portraying himself as vulnerable with the hopes of eventually gaining his trust and getting inside the mind of this killer to possibly learn more about his crimes. A relationship between the two begins through letters and eventually phone calls, as Jason tries not to lose his own identity while being brought into Gacy's world.
Jesse Moss, whom I'd only seen previously in smaller roles, most notably "Ginger Snaps", shows he can hold his own as a lead. The real stand out, however, was William Forsythe. Remarkably intense and creepy, he seemed to embody John Wayne Gacy. It was one of the best portrayals I've seen of Gacy to date and rivaled that of Brian Dennehy's.
The Loved Ones (2009)
What Lola Wants, Lola Gets
To avoid hitting a young man covered in blood who runs out in the middle of the road, Brent (Xavier Samuel) swerves his car, resulting in a crash that kills his father. Flash forward six months: Racked with guilt and deeply depressed, Brent is just trying to make it through day to day. When he politely declines Lola Stone's (Robin McLeavy) invitation to prom, her daddy (John Brumpton) drugs and kidnaps him to ensure his "Princess" has the perfect night. Brent is forced to attend his own private "dance" held in Lola's kitchen, where knives, nails, forks and drills are all part of the fun. If that's not torture enough, the poor guy is also subjected to Lola's favorite song, "Am I Not Pretty Enough?".
While the plot isn't all that original, director Sean Byrne manages to blend a John Hughes feel (namely, "Pretty in Pink") into the dark, claustrophobic atmosphere of that like "Misery".
Xavier Samuel isn't able to speak through most of the film but still puts in a good performance. Not only did I want him to survive, but I wanted to see him exact sweet revenge for all he that he'd been through. The pairing of Robin McLeavy and John Brumton, as the creepiest father and daughter I've ever seen, is perfect. They really carry this movie.
Unfortunately, there's also a subplot of Brent's best friend Jamie and his date Mia at the prom. Although, there did end up being a small connection with the main storyline, it was mostly filler (read: boring) and wasn't necessary. There's also the ending, which was a little clichéd and left me feeling underwhelmed.
This had the potential to be great, but fell short.