"Dead Girls" focuses on a predominately female death metal/glam band in Los Angeles, whose obscene stage acts and graphic lyrics have led to teenage fans engaging in mass suicide pacts, among them one of the members' impressionable younger sister. The group take a vacation into the mountains with the young sister in tow. Of course, bodies pile up.
This 1990 effort from Dennis Devine is a cheapjack shot-on-video production that, at times, rises above its working parts. The concept is straightforward slasher material, but what sets it apart is the death rock girl band (there is actually one male member) being at the center of the story (think Hole in an alternate late '80s death rock universe--or, perhaps, the Go-Go's as goths). We get the impression that the group are in fact more performance artists than they are musicians, drawing attention for their gruesome on-stage stunts more than for their actual music, which allows for a playful element of "is it or isn't it real?" when the slashing starts.
There are many clunky elements here, such as a subplot involving one of the girls' conservative family background, and the dialogue is at times quite silly. However, once the characters settle into their mountain vacation, the film takes a "Friday the 13th" sequel-esqje turn; and when you think it can't turn, it turns again. And again. The shifty plot twists here are actually at times surprising, and, despite the film having an overall playful tone, it comes crashing down at the end with a mean-spirited conclusion that caught me by surprise. Underpinning it all is the notable theme of the girls' art being used against them as a form of punishment, which, while not necessarily profound, is unique in a genre like this.
While "Dead Girls" is a technically lackluster effort, it never ceases to entertain. Despite some tepid performances, hokey special effects, and the fact that it runs a bit long in the tooth, it is no less a twisty and relentlessly amusing viewing experience. Worth a watch for late '80s slasher fans. 7/10.
