The Movie: Girl on the Third Floor
The Director: Travis Stevens
The Cast: C.M. Punk, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Sarah Brooks,
The Story: Don Koch tries to renovate a rundown mansion with a sordid history for his growing family, only to learn that the house has other plans.
The Movie:
Travis Stevens' debut feature is not your average, run of the mill haunted house horror movie that's for sure. Yes, there are ghosts and creepy sounds and things that go bump in the night so you get all the classic stuff you are looking for just spun in an entirely different way. For one, the villain of the movie isn't necessarily a being as much as it is a way of being. Stevens takes a person's faults and evil intentions and turns those things against them as they fall deeper and deeper into the house's traps.
Most of the movie takes place inside of the house which helps to keep the story contained and focused on the primary characters, a married couple who have just bought the home, as they slowly discover the secrets hidden inside. The effects are all effective in providing the desired results without every looking cheesy or clumsy and most everything looked like practical effects work to me so if there were any scenes where extensive CGI work was utilized, it didn't show.
I really loved the creepiness of the house and all the little things that slowly build up to when the crazy stuff bursts onto the screen. In a weird way, the movie reminded me of Mother! in how it slowly draws you in with a lot of mystery and odd twists and turns and then, all of a sudden, you're like OMG WHAT IS HAPPENING REALLY RIGHT NOW!!! Things like physically invasive marbles and outlets that ooze disgusting liquids are just the tip of the iceberg for what you get to see in this film.
Lead actor Philip Brooks is probably most known for his turn in the WWE universe as the rebelliously iconic C.M. Punk and has only recently started to make the transition to acting in feature films including this one as well as Rabid, a remake by the infamous Soska sisters of the 1970's classic. If his work in this movie is any indication, his career path is definitely heading in the right direction as the larger than lifer personality he displayed inside the squared circle comes across just as well on the silver screen.
Girl on the Third Floor is exactly what I want a horror movie to be and it exceeded my expectations in just about every way. Travis Stevens has put together a fantastic first effort and Philip Brooks shows he is a budding superstar outside the wrestling world and this may be the first time ever that fans won't want to see C.M. Punk make someone Go To Sleep!
Girl on the Third Floor is an official selection of the 2019 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival.
To keep track of all my reviews, interviews and festival coverage please go to: TwoOhSix at BHFF 2019.
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