Girl House (2015)
Scott Hallam
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Starring Ali Cobrin, Adam DiMarco, Slaine, Alyson Bath, Elysia Rotaru, Alice Hunter, Chasty Ballesteros, Nicole Arianna Fox, Zuleyka Silver, Wesley MacInnes, Camren Bicondova
Directed by Trevor Matthews
When you first hear about a movie, you can’t help but have a prejudiced first opinion. Upon getting the review assignment for Girl House, I did some research and learned it’s a slasher film set in a house filled with sexy web cam girls directed by the guy who starred in Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer. And although I did thoroughly enjoy Jack Brooks and have an affinity for scantily clad ladies, this had cliché nonsense written all over it. How wrong I was.
That’s not to say that Girl House is a completely unique experience. It’s not. But it does bring enough fresh ideas to the table to grab the audience’s attention and make them take notice. Director Trevor Matthews, working from a script written by Nick Gordon, presents an up-to-date version of the slasher with a fabulous killer working amongst a houseful of insanely beautiful women. (Did we mention they’re scantily clad?) Sign us up! From the initial scene, which features the newest Catwoman in “Gotham,” Camren Bicondova, through the bloody finale, Girl House is a lot of fun.
We start with the lovely Kylie Atkins (played by Ali Cobrin). who finds herself in desperate need of money and, against her better judgment, taking up residence in Girl House. Girl House is the home of an X-rated website and Kylie is the latest performer. As one would expect, there’s plenty of drama in the Girl House. But things really heat up when one of the website’s regulars, a loner nicknamed Loverboy (played by Slaine), feels like the girls are making fun of him, which shatters his ultra-fragile psyche and sends him on a bloody killing spree.
One of the true strengths of the film is Slaine’s portrayal of the killer, Loverboy. In a role that offers very little spoken dialogue, Slaine manages to convey all the painful emotion bottled up within this character and even makes him sympathetic at times. When Loverboy decides to don a skin-tight rubber mask (complete with creepy hair) and invade the Girl House using all his high-tech knowledge and go on a murderous rampage, things really heat up. Loverboy is a fantastic slasher with intimidating size, a horrific mask, and violently aggressive attacks. There are some fantastic special effects in the kill scenes that really add flavor to the movie up through the exciting finale.
Loverboy’s main target is Kylie (although there is plenty of collateral damage along the way). Cobrin plays Kylie as a coy girl. She’s very sexy in a demure way. And, after a misunderstanding, she enrages Loverboy, making him very difficult to get along with. Seems some people just can’t take a joke. Skillfully using the webcams as a big part of the story, director Matthews brings us a colorful onslaught by Loverboy on the Girl House that will indeed thrill the viewing audience.
And, of course, we must mention some of the other girls populating Girl House. One is more beautiful than the next and each puts her own mark on the film. Alyson Bath is featured as Devon, and she’s the star of the most thrilling and horrific scene in the movie. Other occupants Heather (Elysia Rotaru), Kat (Alice Hunter), Janet (Casty Ballesteros), Mia (Nicole Arianna Fox), and Anna (Zuleyka Silver) all bring something different to add to the thrills of Girl House.
For a directorial debut, Trevor Matthews does a fantastic job. The movie is slick looking, nicely paced, and keeps the audience’s attention at all times. The inclusion of a house full of nearly naked woman and a horrific looking serial killer (believe it or not) are not guarantees to enthrall audiences (although the chances are good) but Matthews brings us enough characters that are interesting and the rest falls into place. The story is very basic, although it’s set with a digital twist to make it feel current. Slaine rocks as Loverboy, and the girls of Girl House keep the audience at attention at all times. Not perfect, but certainly worth a look.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
