Written and Directed by Richard Bates Jr.
Starring: Annalynne McCord, Roger Bart, Ariel Winter, Traci Lords
Well…This one was kinda awkward to watch but I do this for you guys!
This film was shown at Sundance in 2012 and was also based off of a short film of the same title from 2008. The film focuses around Pauline(Annalynne McCord) a disturbed teenager trying to deal with her overly controlling mother(Traci Lords). Her disturbed nature comes out in her erotic dreams which feature necrophilia and some blood-play. She is awkward but really couldn’t give a flying fuck about what others say about her. It’s this behavior that makes makes her mother see her as some kind of social outcast to the point where she forces Pauline to seek psychological help from their church’s minister and take cotillion classes to become a “proper lady”. Well, there’s only so much a disturbed teenager can take.
One of the things that I liked about this movie was McCord’s portrayal of Pauline as an awkward teenager. She had pimples and small scabs on her face as well as stringy oily hair. Not exactly prom queen material, right? It’s almost relatable for those of us who were ugly ducklings in high school. I say almost because I’d like to think that our erotic dreams didn’t consist of dead people or chopping people up. McCord’s portrayal also made her a sympathetic character because her mother’s constant neglect and disapproval fueled Pauline’s rapid descent into madness.
It was amusing how Pauline actually prays throughout the movie. I like how she openly admits in her prayer that she doesn’t believe in God but she really has no one else to talk to. Her conversations with God are funny because she’s all “Well, it’s not my fault you gave me a bitch mom” or “Yeah…I’m gonna have premarital sex and I regret nothing”.
Now let’s talk about the gore. Oh…My…God….there was soooo much blood! Though most of the gore could be scene in Pauline’s wet dreams. Like I said there was some necrophilia, blood play, and some people being harvested for their organs. Even her erotic day dreams were filled with buckets of blood and asphyxiation. Think about the movie “Hostel” being a turn on for this bitch. I’m not going to lie, I wanted to throw up when I saw these scenes. I’ve only had this kind of reaction with one other film.
So all in all. This wasn’t a bad movie. If anything this adds to my case that kids are scarier than dolls. If you’re looking for gore, psychotic teens, with a pinch of dark humor, then by all mean check this movie out.
My Grade: A-
Short Film
Trailer
Damsels With Chainsaws 