“The house sits across the street from a church. The house had previously been a brothel. These two facts were unique to this particular house and, to me, hinted at an intriguing starting point.” This is how director Travis Stevens describes the genesis of Girl On The Third Floor in a recent issue of Fangoria (Vol. 2, Issue 3), a haunted house movie whose origins are an actual haunted house. Stevens, a long-time producer of horror films (Cheap Thrills, Starry Eyes, We Are Still Here) got a chance at his directorial debut with this film, starting with the location.
Girl On The Third Floor primarily follows Don (Phil Brooks, AKA wrestling legend C.M. Punk), a man with a sketchy past who is looking to make amends to his pregnant wife (Trieste Kelly Dunn) by fixing up an old house for them to raise their family in. As he struggles through the renovations in the moldy old house–walls have mysterious stains, and a disgusting clear slime oozes out of the outlets–he begins to fall into old vices, especially when young, seductive girl Sarah (Sarah Yates) starts showing up.
Perhaps the most notable thing about the film is its heavy use of practical effects and visually striking images. Mirrors often frame characters in tricky shots that help convey the geography of the house while giving a weird, voyeuristic feel. Although it takes a while to get there, by the time the film reaches its climax it becomes a full on, gorey horror film, and the effects are both fun and revolting. The creature design of the titular Girl is particularly gross and unique, an image that might be difficult to forget.
Brooks is the center of most of the film, and his performance works well. He looks and feels strikingly like an Evil Dead–era Bruce Campbell here, and it’s easy to be charmed by his blue collar sensibility for a while. As the film progresses, it becomes clear that he’s not exactly the nice guy we’ve been led to believe; we learn more about his past screw ups just as it becomes clear he’s about to screw up again. I was turned off by the sexist, even misogynistic actions by Don until it becomes clear that that’s the point. This house (and the church across the street) provide Don with a choice, and he chooses very unwisely, sealing his fate.
While the pacing is a bit of an issue as the film makes a bold turn in its third act, I can appreciate what it’s trying to do. By shifting who we are following, we see that the house on its own isn’t inherently evil, it just tempts those who already aren’t the most ethical people. The fact that it has a difficult character in Brooks’ Don invites us to question ourselves: exactly when do we turn against someone who can’t make the right choice? The pastor from the church across the street (Karen Woditsch) repeats the line, “Life is a series of choices” throughout the film, perhaps making it a bit on the nose, but the thematic idea is an interesting one.
In the end it felt like the film sort of puttered out and lost its way a bit, but Girl On The Third Floor is a solid debut effort from Stevens and his cast and crew, and I’ll be interested to see what they do next.
Girl On The Third Floor is directed by Travis Stevens and stars Phil Brooks, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Sarah Brooks, and Elissa Dowling. It is available to watch now on Blu-Ray and all major VOD services.