3 Dead Girls
Review by Peter Syslo

What we have here is a refreshingly original collection of three short films, courtesy of Black Cab Productions ( www.blackcabproductions.com ). Now, I admit that I was a little thrown by the title; I was almost expecting AUGUST UNDERGROUND or SAW sort of stuff. However, these three films are not quite like that – well, the first one, SCREAM FOR ME, does have some of the “torture” element to it, but it transcends it and takes it to a new level. What I am trying to say is that this collection of three films (SCREAM FOR ME, MY SKIN!, and HUMAN NO MORE) is more of an artistic journey into horror, blending elements of all genres - from classic/romantic horror to modern day horror. 3 DEAD GIRLS! is more of a thinking man’s/intellectual horror and I could see why these shorts won so many a wards.

3 DEAD GIRLS! (2007) is the brainchild of writer/director Christopher Alan Broadstone. The three films star Tony Simmons (who is an amazing actor), Gabriel Sigal, Lora Cunningham, Lisa Montague, Rick Wildridge, Green Whittaker, Evan Susswood, and Cole Adam Buisson. Here is a brief run through of each film, to give everyone some background.

The first film is SCREAM FOR ME, which is a tale of a murderer who is victimized by a rival killer (Simmons). It turns out that the murderer torments and kills a girl who was already “chosen” by the rival killer. This film deals with that rival killer enacting his revenge upon the murderer, in a grisly fashion.

The second film is MY SKIN!, which is about Death (played like I haven’t seen before, by Simmons) updating his ledger of the deceased. Death is angered by a man who kills his wife in a crime of passion and Death turns the tables on him.

The third film is HUMAN NO MORE, which is the story of a detective (played again, by Simmons) whose family was murdered. This detective missed the chance to get to the bottom of the case, because the killer commits suicide. So, the detective renounces his human nature and allegiance to god, to pursue the killer in the afterlife.

I have to say that the short films in 3 DEAD GIRLS! were very different from what I have seen in the past few years. They played upon some common, classic themes, but presented the material in an innovative way. The films almost reminded me of “foreign horror” and I use the blanket term “foreign”, because I see various influences within them. There is that feel/atmosphere of British horror, in such things like CRADLE OF FEAR or the old DR. WHO television series – it is almost like you are watching a play. There is also that aspect of Asian horror, by the way that Asian films really stick with a single scene and extract everything that could be extracted from it. These three films are basically single scene films and it is refreshing to see someone take the time to fully develop a scene. Last but not least, there is a “literary” aspe ct to these 3 films – the stories seem to be in the vein of Poe or Lovecraft – again it is nice to see scenes and characters developed and that is often a direct result of solid/creative writing.

Regarding the overall production, the films look and sound great – the camera work is really fantastic and the different camera angles really enhanced the power of the stories (especially the overhead shots and “video camera” face-to-face in HUMAN NO MORE). All of the acting/voice work was really great, with Simmons being the definite high point. In fact, I thought that Simmons’ acting really brought these films together and he was flat out incredible. I want to see this guy act in more films – he is actually one of the best actors that I have seen in a long time. He played a different character in each film and at first, I didn’t realize that it was him in these three different roles – that is how good he is. Simmons made each character an individual and he even brought a physical component to his roles; in the role of Death, he ac tually contorted his face in order to look menacing and that is something you don’t really see anymore (except for Jennifer Carpenter in THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE). Simmons is just a great actor – please put him in more films, keep this guy working!

Cutting to the chase: I was pleasantly surprised by 3 DEAD GIRLS! – yes I think that the title and DVD cover are slightly confusing, but a true film lover will appreciate the value of this collection. I definitely want to see more of what Christopher Alan Broadstone could do, especially with a feature-length film. Like I said before, this is intellectual, character/atmosphere-driven horror that is a breath of fresh air – it does have some bloody scenes but they are part of the larger story, not the other way around (the films aren’t built around the gore novelty). They are finely tuned films, right down to the music (some atmospheric mixed with unconventional, modern music) and I feel that they should be viewed by anyone who is looking for a different direction in horror. If you are looking for straightforward gore or popcorn thrill s, these may not be the films for you, but if you are looking to sink your teeth into something with some substance, then check out 3 DEAD GIRLS!.