callanvass Review of The Living Dead Girl

The Living Dead Girl (1982)

One of Jean Rollin's best efforts

[7/10 · 22 February 2014]

Two childhood friends Catherine & Helene make a pact to always be together. Catherine dies and they forced to split. A toxic spill manages to bring Catherine back from the dead, turning her into a monster. Catherine reunites with her to help Catherine with her insatiable need for blood. Leave it to Jean Rollin to turn a subject like zombies into something erotic and artsy. I liked this one. It's leisurely paced like most Rollin films, but it's very interesting. The bond between Catherine and Helene is very strong and you are able to feel like they truly love one another. There are dull moments. We get many shots of Catherine wandering the halls that may get tiresome for people, but they have meaning in this one. Watching Catherine reminisce over childhood photos of her and Helene was saddening and riveting with the way it was done. Also, the slow build of Catherine's insatiable hunger for blood was well done, giving Catherine a bit of a human side to her. There is great photography as well. This movie is pretty gory. We get extremely gory puncture throats that gush blood all over the place. A woman is burned alive, somebody gets a foreign object in their head, eyes are gouged out, and more. The best part is the ending. It's a tragic gore fest. I won't spoil it, but it is both saddening and enjoyable. The acting is pretty good for this sort of thing. Marina Pierro is great as the supporter of Catherine. The show belongs to the lovely Francoise Blanchard. She gave a memorable performance with her beauty. My only real complaint is the version I watched alternated between subtitles and English dubbing

Final Thoughts: You probably won't find many better films of Rollins than this, if any. For a guy that is known for his boring eroticism, he made a gem with this one. It's tragic, interesting, and beautiful. I recommend it. This one actually has a decent story

7.2/10