Saturday, September 16, 2017

Day 320: Deadgirl

This is almost one of those you don't want to admit you've ever seen but it was a streaming movie somewhere.

Deadgirl is about two horny high school boys who discover a female zombie tied down to a table in the basement of an abandoned insane asylum. One of the boys is kind hearted and wants to set her free, the other just wants to rape her. There gets to be a power struggle between the two boys (the rapey one brings in another young punk) and other people are dragged into the conflict between decency and evil.

This is a pretty problematic movie with a none-to-subtle message about women as men's property. Unfortunately, the ending and other elements muddy the waters to the point where it is hard not to see the movie just as a kind of sick fantasy. The deadgirl is constantly fighting back and looking for openings where she can spread the zombie plague (which, she gets). Women as objects is an uncomfortable zone for any movie to dabble in but horror can be extra tricky since the genre can be so dehumanizing anyway. I know the movie is meant to be about female empowerment, but it just gets undercut by some narrative decisions.

I can't recommend this movie due to the icky politics of it. I can say it had some decent effects. There is at least one dangling plot thread I wondered about (whatever became of Johnny?) that maybe I am just forgetting. Your mileage may vary but it wasn't a homerun for me.


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