‘The Next Girl’ DVD Review

Stars: Lacey Cofran, Marcus Jean Pirae, Paula Marcenaro Solinger, Rachel Alig, Larry Wade Carrell, Melissa Arras, Sarah Lingle, Steve Joseph | Written by Zeph E. Daniel, Michael Muscal | Directed by Larry Wade Carrell

Opening with a scene featuring a young woman strapped to a chair, legs in stirrups and screaming for her life as a man places what can only be described as a rather brutal looking corkscrew between her legs, The Next Girl sets its stall out very early.

Kidnap, torture and trauma are seemingly the name of the day in director Larry Wade Carrell’s latest feature, which sees a young woman, Lorien (Lacey Cofran), abducted by a strange group of human traffickers who use drug and trauma-based mind control to turn women into “Sofia” dolls. Trapped in a waking nightmare she fights for a way to escape, to avoid becoming the titular next girl…

OK, so given how the film opens you’d be forgiven for thinking that we’re headed into very familiar, cliched horror territory with The Next Girl (aka Girl Next), however screenwriters Zeph E. Daniel and Michael Muscal aren’t just interested in brutalising women, oh no. For The Next Girl has far more up its sleeve than retreading the likes of Hostel and other “torture porn” flicks FAR more. But then subverting expectations should be expected (pun intended) from the guy behind the script for 1989’s shunting classic Society.

It doesn’t take long for The Next Girl to descend into a trippy, surrealistic nightmare as our kidnappers, the mad scientist Heinrich (Marcus Jean Pirae) and his creepy masochistic wife Misha (Paula Marcenaro Solinger), huff strange blue liquid and see a giant floating head that has no qualms also recognising the audience watching the film at home! There’s also talk of spiritual dimensions, the idea of “them” and being Legion – a classically biblical name for demons and monsters. Are Heinrich and Misha “legion”? Are they working for them? Is the giant floating head “legion”? Questions, questions.

Yet still underlying all the weirdness are the tropes and cliches of torture porn with girls whipped, tortured and beaten by the sadistic Misha before being subjected to bizarre experiments at the hands of Heinrich. It’s an odd combination that works to at least elevate this film above others of its ilk. What also works is the fact that, especially given that those involved with the film have gone on to make a film called The Quantum Devil, The Next Girl actually explores quantum theory. Yes, really. Apparently the blue liquid our mad scientist and his wife partake in opens a doorway into the quantum realm and gives access to the aforementioned giant clown-face head!

Hey, at least it’s original.

Outside of all THAT, poor Lorien suffers through an odd programming ritual in front of white-masked druid-like people, she has strange visions and suffers from strange dreams… Most of which are brought on by the hallucinogens Heinrich feeds her. Bizarre is not the word. In fact, so odd is the film, so multi-layered, so packed with wild ideas and concepts, that it’s safe to say The Next Girl brilliantly walks a fine line between horror film and arthouse movie.

If you like your horror with a HUGE dollop of weirdness then The Next Girl is definitely one for you. And probably the Twin Peaks crowd too.

***½  3.5/5

The Next Girl is out now on DVD and digital from High Fliers.