Daringly original and genre-busting, Deadgirl is an odyssey into the soul of our alienated youth that takes the conventions of the horror and coming-of-age movies and turns them on their heads. When high school misfits Rickie and JT decide to ditch school and find themselves lost in the crumbling facility of a nearby abandoned hospital, they come face-to-face with a gruesome discovery: a body of a woman – stripped naked, chained to a table and covered in plastic – and soon realize she is anything but dead. Quickly the boys find themselves embarking on a twisted yet poignant journey testing the limits of their friendship, and forces both to decide just how far they’re willing to stretch their understanding of right and wrong. Deadgirl is a new genre classic and a no-holds-barred look at the horror of growing up. Starring Shiloh Fernandez (“Evil Dead”), Noah Segan (“Glass Onion”), Michael Bowen (“Breaking Bad”) and Candice Accola (“The Vampire Diaries”).

For thoughts on Deadgirl, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/LC32BEt1b-E?si=qcE0O0ihoXnX7AUs&t=2661]

Video Quality

Deadgirl arrives on Blu-Ray in a perfectly solid 1080p transfer that captures the grimy feeling of this feature very well. The film was previously released on Blu-Ray in 2011 by MPI Media Group, and while we don’t have that release to compare, this is more than likely struck from the same master utilized for that release with perhaps a stronger encode. This film was shot digitally and renders pretty well in high definition even with its prevalence of exploring dank locations. Black levels hold up well with only fleeting moments when you experience a bit of crush or lose detail in the murky elements. Compression artifacts are mostly avoided throughout, as well.

The color palette is somewhat muted as you only have very sporadic elements that notably saturate the screen. Every setting looks the best it can in high definition with subtle nuances in the background of the abandoned hospital. Distinct textures define the special effects makeup and articles of clothing for a very tactile experience. Skin tones look natural with facial details easily observed in close-ups, and there are no major digital anomalies to speak of from what we observed. Unearthed Films has treated this one well.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track track that handles the material without issue. Dialogue is the prominent aspect of this track and it stays anchored in the center channel as it is reproduced clearly. This is not the most action-packed story, but it has some texture during the more kinetic moments. There is some haunting ambient activity in the mix as the characters bunker down in this space. Whenever you have activity in the surround channels, sounds emanate from the appropriate directions. The soundtrack is a bright spot of the film, and every tune comes through with flawless fidelity as it permeates the room. The track does a good job of making sure neither sound effects nor the score ever overpowers dialogue. This is a fine track from Unearthed Films. There are optional English and English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary #1: A cast and crew commentary is provided with directors Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel, cinematographer Harris Charalambous, editor Phillip Blackford, composer Joseph Bauer, screenwriter Trent Haaga, and actors Noah Segan and Shiloh Fernandez. This track is raucous and nonstop as you get a lot of great background information about every scene.

Audio Commentary #2: Actor Jenny Spain provides a commentary track moderated by Sandy Martin in which she discusses her experiences with the film, the audition process, finding character through her movement, the criticisms against the movie, and much more that makes for an enlightening listen.

Interview with Co-Director Gadi Harel: A nearly 15-minute new conversation with the co-director who discusses his first reaction to the story pitch, the casting of Jenny Spain, working with the lead actors, the haze around the premiere of the film, the changes made from the script, and more.

Interview with Writer Trent Haaga: A 24-minute new conversation with the writer in which he discusses his time with Troma, developing the idea for Deadgirl, the idea that it was “unfilmable”, his involvement with the production process, the casting process, elements of the script tweaked for the film, the controversy around the film, and more.

Interview with Actor Noah Segan: An 18-minute new conversation with the actor who discusses his feelings after first reading the script, reactions to his characters, how he tried to play his character as a dumb guy, rough days on set, working with his co-stars, feelings about the movie, and more.

Interview with Actor Shiloh Fernandez: A nine-minute new conversation with the actor in which he discusses his reaction to the script, working with Jenny Spain, developing a friendship with Noah Segan, seeing the film for the first time with an audience, and more.

Interview with Special Makeup Effects Artist & Designer Jim Ojala: A 30-minute new conversation with the artist who discusses his background at Troma, getting involved with Deadgirl, investing the money in a few key moments, the most complicated shots, memories of the cast members, and much more.

Exquisite Corpse – The Making of Deadgirl: A seven-minute archival featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss the development of the project, the themes of the story, and more.

Jenny Spain’s Audition: A two-minute look at the audition tape that secured the role of Deadgirl.

Deleted Scenes: A seven-minute collection of unused footage is provided here in an unfinished form with brief text giving extra context and an explanation for why the footage was not used.

The Makeup Effects of Deadgirl with Jim Ojala: An 11-minute piece that shows some on-set photos of the makeup process.

Behind The Scenes of Deadgirl Gallery: A four-minute gallery of stills from the production of the film is provided.

Production Gallery: A three-minute gallery of storyboards, marketing material, and more from the film is provided.

Trailer: The two-and-a-half-minute trailer is provided here.

Deadgirl Shooting Script: An option to see the script is provided here.

Deadgirl 2 First Draft: An option to read a script for a potential sequel to the film is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Deadgirl is a very unpleasant film that shows the depravity that manifests when people feel powerless and alone. The film also explores society’s general contempt for women and how they are often treated like objects instead of human beings with feelings. There is a semblance of an interesting idea within this one, but the script does not showcase the nuance necessary to make it a fully successful idea. The film works when it comes to provoking discomfort within the audience, but it leaves you wanting more tact. Unearthed Films has released a Blu-Ray that offers a good A/V presentation and a substantial selection of new and archival special features. If you want to wrestle with thorny subject matter, this will put up quite a fight.

Deadgirl: 15th Anniversary Edition is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Unearthed Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.