What if The Evil Dead was really about something? That could be the elevator pitch for Travis Stevens' gruesome, gooey, and brainy new horror film, Girl on the Third Floor. As Don (Phil Brooks) begins renovating an old house before mother-to-be Liz (Trieste Kelly Dunn) moves in, he hears strange noises on different floors, sees viscous ooze pouring out of wall sockets, and catches the eye of a comely neighbor (Sarah Brooks) who offers to help with his (ahem) tools. The house is haunted, of course, and Don finds himself increasingly doused in gore and running from phantoms. Brooks (aka WWE champion CM Punk) may resemble Bruce Campbell in all his bug-eyed, incredulous glory, but Don, like his new home and the film, has secrets that make him uniquely unqualified to take on the forces of evil. In a stunning third-act flip, Girl on the Third Floor transforms from a low-budget fixer-upper of genre staples into a multi-level manse of social commentary and heartfelt horror.
Listen to Ian's interview with the cast of Girl on the Third Floor on Episode 461 of the Kicking the Seat Podcast!