Deadgirl

Not to be confused with Karen Moncrieff's well-received 2006 drama Dead Girl, the 2008 horror film Deadgirl boasts a fresh premise that starts to rot as the movie progresses (much like the titular character). Despite my preppy wardrobe and nice-girl looks, I have a weakness for the cinematic undead (and I've got the T-shirt to prove it). The best of these films use zombies to comment on society, from George Romero's condemnation of consumerist impulses in Dawn of the Dead to the joking jabs at our own walking dead existence in Shaun of the Dead. Directors Gadi Harel and Marcel Sarmiento's movie tries to follow in the Sasquatch-sized footsteps of these giants with its take on teenage sexuality and class, but Deadgirl seems to celebrate as much as condemn the ills it addresses.

The film begins when high school loser JT (Noah Segan) convinces his best friend Rickie (Shiloh Fernandez) to skip class, chucking textbooks in a classroom in favor of a six pack at an abandoned mental hospital. Horror fans -- and perhaps even the brain dead -- recognize this as a typical trope in the genre, but Deadgirl goes somewhere unexpected. In addition to a snarling stray dog, the teens find a naked young woman strapped to a gurney behind a door that had rusted shut. Hormones take over for JT, and he turns the captive into his plaything, despite Rickie's half-hearted protests. Unsurprisingly, the grayish girl doesn't like being raped, and their encounter turns violent, allowing JT to discover that she can't be killed (he makes several unsuccessful attempts). Rickie bounces between drooling over pretty cheerleader Joann (Candice Accola) at school and making nightly trips to the sanitarium, where he shakes his head as his friend slips further into depravity as he finds new ways --and orifices -- to violate his snarling pet zombie.

With its commentary on high school politics and teenage hormones, Deadgirl plays like Mean Boys. But instead of a witty Tina Fey script, this film feels like a collaboration between James Wan, Tucker Max, and a talentless film student. I've giggled my way through Dead Alive and sat in awe of the strange beauty of Suspiria, but Deadgirl's combination of rape, wound sex, and eager violence left me feeling sick to my stomach at JT's easy cruelty.

The movie earns praise for being incredibly effective in its efforts to disturb the audience, but that doesn't mean that it's worth watching. What starts off as an intriguing idea and innovative approach to the zombie sub-genre is strapped down not only by its gleeful approach to rape and degradation, but also by its truly awful script. The dialogue would shame a Syfy original screenwriter, and scenes alternately appear out of nowhere and lead to nothing. For disturbing (but quality) fare, head for Audition or Old Boy. Meanwhile, I'm going to need a shot of The Big Lebowski's laughs to wash this taste out of my mouth.