GOTH

Produced by David Sterling Written and Directed by Brad Sykes Edited by Julie Lucas Director of Photography - Jay Truesdale Goth - Phoebe Dollar Chrissy - Laura Reilly Boone - Dave Stann Dina - Zenova Braeden

Brad Sykes' DEATH FACTORY was a bit of a disappointment. Of the few movies of Brad's that I've seen, DEATH FACTORY was his most polished work, on a technical level. Emotionally, it felt very Full Moon-ish, very empty and hollow. I haven't seen Brad's CAMP BLOOD movies, but from what I've been told DF was a step up in terms of execution.

Brad's newest movie, GOTH, has everything DF lacked including a deep, dark emotional core. On the whole, GOTH is a smaller movie than DF and feels rushed, but that moviemaking on-the-fly feeling really adds to the chaotic night-in-the-life story. Even the talk-heavy scenes have a feeling of urgency and just fly by. The closest thing I can relate GOTH to is a horror version of Wan Kar-Wai's FALLEN ANGELS.

The title, GOTH, has two meanings. On the surface it reflects the main "villain" played by Phoebe Dollar, who is the Brain Damage equivalent of Debbie Rochon. Her main focus it to educate the world on what it means to be goth, the title's second meaning. The term "goth" means a lot of different things to a lot of different people and much of the world only knows the stereotypes: a closet full of black clothing, an obsession with death and suicide, and an endless supply of The Cure on CD.

There's a point in the movie where Boone, the male lead, contradicts the stereotypes and describes "goth" as a world of acceptance and love where the participants find kinship in life's darker elements. Goth sees things a little differently, to her, "goth" is those darker elements. To be truly gothic, one must fully embrace the world of death and love every aspect of it. Goth lives in a fearless nightmare world of kill or be killed and she's going to make sure that posers like Boone and his girlfriend Chrissy see things through her eyes.

The real find here is Laura Reilly as Chrissy. Perfectly cast, she has that gorgeous out-of-place look of suburban wholesomeness. Through flashbacks we get to see what Laura looks like without the face paint and jet-black hair, and she's the girl we all wish lived next door. Chances are, before being cast in GOTH, Laura didn't know what "goth" was, and that's why she's so able to sell the part. I disliked the recent VAMPIRE CLAN for that very reason, too many good-looking kids from the Hollywood Hills who obviously possessed no prior knowledge of their gothic environment and couldn't sell the material.

It's Chrissy's journey into darkness that's the central story. Her character arc is what was missing from Sykes' DEATH FACTORY. Chrissy has deeper motivations for going along with the ride. With DF, the characters were present only for weed, sex, and the standard horror formula. All cardboard cutouts, the audience never got a sense for who the characters really were. As I say time and time again, without an emotional connection, a horror movie will ultimately fail. With GOTH, Chrissy possesses an arc of self-discovery while trying to expunge demons from her past. She's as three-dimensional as the story allows.

While not available on the screener disc, the DVD version of GOTH is supposed to include trailers, bloopers, stills, bios, and cast interviews. The VHS will include bloopers and interviews.

I'm not sure how much farther Brad Sykes can go in the world of no-budget cinema, but GOTH is a step in the right direction. The movie feels more personal and ventures down darker recesses. It's as if he were trying to shed some of his own demons. I truly hope he keeps exploring.

Brain Damage Films
Dave Sterling

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