This year’s Midnight Madness features its perennial lineup of unpredictable edgy screenings, and Deadgirl is no exception. Already earmarked as a critics’ must-see, TheCulturepin.com had an opportunity to pry into the mind of the screenwriter whence this sordid tale was birthed.
The Culturepin: So…one bright Sunday morning you woke up and thought “I should write a film about using a dead girl from an abandoned mental hospital as a sex toy!”
Trent Hagaa: I actually wrote the script right after finishing up production on THE TOXIC AVENGER PART 4 (which I wrote and Produced). We had shot in both a high school and an abandoned mental health facility … I was tired of working on an over-the-top gore comedy and thought I could write something that we could shoot in the same locations for very little money. I also wanted to write something different, something that spoke more to me personally … DEADGIRL was the result!
TH: The movie turned out as great as I imagined it would be, if not better. In lesser hands, it could have tread dangerously close to something that was TOO grotesque and disturbing. I had always envisioned it as a “coming-of-age” movie or a teen juvenile delinquent film with a slight horror edge to it. And that’s exactly what we ended up with.
TH: Absolutely not. I’m surprised that the film got made at all, much less got its world premiere at a venue as important as the TIFF. When I first showed the script to people, almost ten years ago, everyone thought that I was insane … that I had written something that NO ONE would dare to touch. I was trying to write something that might get attention, certainly, but could never had predicted the positive reaction its gotten … especially considering everyone’s initial reaction to the script. It’s a testament to the directors – Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel – that they not only took the risk, but were able to see something promising in the script.
TCP: How do you think Deadgirl will fit into the marketplace after it has done the festival circuit?
TH: I’d love to see it become a kind of classic. of course. In the current marketplace, I’d just be happy to see it get bought and released, period. But a movie is a massive undertaking and this one was a labor of true love, so I’d really be excited for a limited theatrical push and subsequent successful DVD release. Like I said, I’m a bit surprised by the public’s reaction to the film so far, so I’d love to keep up that momentum and see the film succeed far beyond my wildest expectations … Only time will tell, I suppose. No matter what happens, though, I’m really happy with the final result and wouldn’t change a thing about the movie itself.
Deadgirl screening times:
Saturday September 06 | 11:59PM | RYERSON
Monday September 08 | 05:00PM | AMC 2
Friday September 12 | 09:00PM | AMC 6
Tags: 2008, Deadgirl, horror, Midnight Madness, TIFF 08, Toronto International Film Festival, Trent Hagaa
