Sick Girl

The Masters of Horror Series has a tendency to over-emphasize the "Master" part. While Lucky McKee may be well on his way to entering that hall, he is by no means a master. But at the very least, he does direct horror movies. (When did half these guys become "Masters of Horror"? Was I Sleeping?)
Anyway I loved his first movie "May" but never saw his second one "The Woods" So I went into this flick with almost no expectations what-so-ever. And what I got was a lesbian love story with a 6-legged twist. The best way I can descibe it is if "David Cronenberg" directed an episode of "Tales from the Crypt".
There's relatively no blood in this film. (Something I generally need in a horror movie) And yet suprisingly I wasn't disappointed. The acting was pretty convincing. (Which I think was a good distraction from the lack of gore.) Misty Mundae played the childish, fast-talking, artist Misty, and Angela Bettis seemed at home as the "stiff as a stiff" entimologist Ida Teeter. They did such a good job with their roles, they actually forced me to like the characters. Even the supporting cast was enjoyable.
The plot was straight foward. Lesbian gets a bug in the mail; Lesbian falls in love; Bug bites Lesbians Lover; Lover becomes impregnated with bugs love children and as a result completely flips out of her brain cell.
All in all, it was a quick story, with good pacing, a few gross out scenes to drive it along, believable acting, hokey yet enjoyable special effects, (I don't know if I mentioned naked lesbians, or not), a hilarious scene in a chinese restaurant, all ultimately leading to its metamorphic ending, which will disappoint some but please most.
1 Star for the pace
1 for the characters (What can I say? I Love Lesbians)
1 for the gross-out factor,
(Her ear, the pillow, and finally the metamophisis) and
1 Star for the twists & turns
(o.k. so there's only 1 or 2 minor twists;
but this flick deserves a 4th star because its definitly
better than average)
MORAL OF THE STORY: Safe Sex means Checking your Pillows
for Man-Eating Bugs

This movie is just great, I saw it for the first time on Showtime In Australia and cannot wait to see it again. Its got a great plot and some very interesting characters. There are also some very sensual girl on girl scenes, although not very graphic (sorry guys). Its got a wonderful director and the fans of the movie May will not be disappointed. Angela Bettis plays a more gown up role in this movie and also sports a deeper voice (probably added for effect). This movie is well paced and kept me interested all the way though, don't miss this gem!

It's a common flaw for the MOH series: you're tossed an idea that wouldn't make for a bad little horror story, but the execution is ruinous and the tension is deflated by a running time that's forty minutes too long. Take "Sick Girl," for example.

An entomologist who has a bad habit of taking her work home with her loses in her apartment a bizarre Brazilian bug. This happens at about the same time that she finds an equally bizarre girlfriend. The two sexy ladies frolick and cavort, but one of them has an encounter with the AWOL insect, an encounter that leaves her ... altered. What fate lies in store for the lovers? What will become of the strictly conservative granny-ish landlady? The lovably sexist coworker? The adorable little girl in the ladybug costume?

This horror-less gem takes an hour to answer these questions, and by the time they're resolved, it's hard to remember why you were ever supposed to care. Adding to the mix of Reasons Why This Thing Bites is the incompetent acting of our two lesbian leads. I'll admit I know little about horror veteran Erin Brown, but if her performance here as Misty Falls is any indication, she's very good at moaning, screaming, and looking through her bangs in a sultry, come-hither kind of way. And that's all she's good at. Angela Bettis was great in "May," but she performs every scene here with the studied grace of a telephone pole, and she delivers every line as if she just underwent orthodontic surgery. If those idiosyncracies are meant to be intentional, then I guess at least they're employed with some consistency, but I found them grating. They are to acting what constipation is to reticence.

Worst of all, however, is the tongue-in-cheek attempt of the movie to make a sly little statement about true love, about infidelity and dedication, and about the supernaturally wholesome power of childbirth and rearing. I'm known for reading too much into things, and I (really really really) don't want to give the MOH overlords any more credit than they're due, but there was so much empty space in the script that they had to fill it with something. Instead of tension, spookiness, or dread -- y'know, stuff you'd expect in a horror -- there's a lot of pablum about relationships and dating. It doesn't take much of a leap to see there's a theme at play, and it's as flat and uninspired as every other part of the product. I'm not saying I disagree with the message (such as it is), but the delivery needs some serious work. Or maybe just an econo-sized can of industrial-strength Raid.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 24 reviews  3.8 out of 5 stars