Produced and directed by Travis Stevens in his directorial debut, and written by the trio of Stevens, Paul Johnstone and Ben Parker, Girl on the Third Floor is a 2019 supernatural horror film starring wrestler-turned-actor, Phil “CM Punk” Brooks. Don Koch (Brooks) and his dog Cooper move to a suburban Chicago house to renovate it for he and his heavily pregnant wife, Liz (Trieste Kelly Dunn, Banshee). When he soon discovers reoccurring holes in the walls, and strange fluids leaking from inside, Don must deal with neighbours Sarah (Sarah Brooks) and Ellie (Karen Woditsch) and friend Milo (Travis Delgado), as well as his own past.
+ Phil Brooks as Don, the forever screw-up fixing up the house, is equal parts pathetic and horrid. He’s hardly a nice guy, but it is still difficult not to feel like even he doesn’t deserve some of the hauntings the house has in store for him
+ I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Sarah Yates before, but something about her was very enthralling here. She is gorgeous, obviously, but she had a certain look about her that I really enjoyed, especially with her shades-of-grey characterisations
+ a few particularly gory moments are genuinely unsettling, and when paired with a few particularly gruesome and/or disgusting practical effects, thing get uncomfortable quickly. One scene in particular was very visually unappealing… in the best way, as that was the goal
+ this was a relatively simple supernatural horror movie (whatever that may mean to you, personally) but there are enough little twists and turns, and a few reveals that you may or may not see coming, that it never feels too by the numbers
– I was a very big fan of Trieste Kelly Dunn in Banshee (I will advocate for Banshee until the day I die – go and watch it right now!) so I was disappointed she had such a minor role for the most of this movie. That did mean I enjoyed her more when she was given screen time, but still, she is so good I Just want more
Should you see this film: Truthfully, my expectations were pretty low for this (independent + wrestler as main actor + supernatural horror film is usually a recipe for disaster) but I was entertained (via being scared, disgusted and intrigued) throughout. In an equal homage to Amityville Horror and Hellraiser, this was well worth a watch for fans of the horror genre.
MoshFish Reviews 