Are you looking for the strangest hybrid possible of the DIY Network and a Silent Hill game? Well, director and writer Travis Stevens has answered your request with his feature debut Girl On The Third Floor, a haunted house tale distributed to Netflix. Though there’s a ton of ominous, often disgusting and unsettling imagery and scares, it also partially feels like a story about karma and poor decisions- on the part of the characters of course, not the creative team.
The ghosts of this house seem to know the hidden secrets of its inhabitants, and also aspects about them they might not even be aware of. A local pastor named Ellie (Karen Woditsch, in a low-key but wryly entertaining supporting role) warns potential tenants of the evil nature of the mansion, but she also allows them to make their own choices. And when a husband/future father named Don (CM Punk) buys the place, you’ll hope for him to heed her advice.
Aiming to rebuild his relationship with his wife Liz (Trieste Kelly Dunn) after a series of personal mistakes, Don plays fixer-upper alongside his dog Cooper and partner Milo (Travis Delgado) before Liz and the new baby settle in. But the house doesn’t seem to be keen on Don’s rebuilding ideas, and it responds in an unkind fashion. At first it starts small with the odd marble rolling down the hallway. No big deal, right?
Then it escalates into white slime oozing out of the electrical sockets, goop spraying from faucets, and a mysterious girl named Sarah (Sarah Yates) who seemingly comes out of thin air to woo Don during a critical period in his marriage. When the tattooed worker turns her down, things get gory and more stressful in a hurry. Yates’ performance is extremely unnerving, a mix of confidence, charm and hidden malice.
Even though he’s not playing the most morally upright character in the world (as we gradually learn more about him), Punk provides a notably snarky everyman charisma to his role as Don which makes him interesting to watch. It was obvious during his wrestling days he was great at facial expressions, and he shows some solid acting chops as he reacts appropriately to the bizarreness ensuing around him.
Once his character takes a grimmer detour, he goes from drolly humorous to disturbing pretty seamlessly. It makes me curious as to how Punk would do as a full-fledged antagonist in a film. But given how good he was equally playing heel or face, I probably shouldn’t be surprised by his level of range.
When it’s Liz’s turn to check out the house, Dunn is very relatable and entertaining herself dealing with a myriad of ghostly figures (including a strange man in a bird mask, which really gave me heavy Silent Hill-vibes) connected to the manor’s past as a brothel.
Stevens directs the film with a hybrid of very pitch-dark comedy and atmospheric terror. The house’s transformations are over the top and grotesque, thanks to some awesome production work on the part of Hilary and Courtney Andujar. There’s an element of artfulness to the sequences, such as the strange brain-like fixtures that spout the deadly marbles, and layers of bloody human-like tissue embedded inside the walls.
One scene where Don hammers at a wall in a search for answers eventually becomes the scariest game of whack-a-mole one could ever play. The vile images he discovers are well connected to the lore that Stevens has established.
I think Girl On The Third Floor is a strong start to Travis Stevens’ directing prospects. He’s made a solidly enjoyable low-budget horror film revolving around the theme of one’s past coming back to haunt them. I would have liked a bit more screen time into Don’s background (this is the kind of story that could use some full sequence flashbacks) and a deeper buildup towards the climax as it comes almost too soon.
But overall, this movie has a good balance of aspects that can both make you chuckle and have your skin crawl. And if you’re a wrestling fan looking to see an icon of the sport branch out into something new, it’s a must-look for anyone in the Cult Of Personality. If you’d seen it, stop by @official_FAN on Twitter and let us know your opinion!