THE THETA GIRL, a new independent micro-budget gore thriller, ravages festival circuit this Winter
The Theta Girl, a feature film produced by first-time filmmakers David Axe and Christopher Bickel, is coming to film circuits this Winter.
The film had its world-premiere in Atlanta on Friday the 13th of October at midnight -- a fitting time slot for opening what director Christopher Bickel calls "a brutally violent existential horror film." At the Atlanta screening, several audience members walked out of the film following one shocking scene depicting a violent home invasion. The audience members who remained were very vocal and enthusiastic about their enjoyment and appreciation of the film, one audience member writing in a comment online: "Holy sh*t! Talk about a low-budget MASTERPIECE. A gory drug-induced mystery! A psychedelic B Movie thriller! Roger Corman-esque Punk cinema that's WAY better and smarter than it should be! A++++++"
The Theta Girl was produced on a shoestring budget of $14,000. To put that budget into perspective, the film could have been made 3,571 times over for what it cost Hollywood to make one Emoji Movie. It is the first film for Axe and Bickel, and indeed it was the first film for the majority of cast and crew. Though the film exhibits some rough edges as a result of its extremely low budget and the experience level of the creators, it has been enthusiastically praised for its high entertainment value, thoughtful existential themes, and shocking content.
The film has already received accolades from critics. One critic gushing "not only is it possibly the best independent film of 2017 but possibly one of the best examples of low budget filmmaking EVER!" (full review HERE)
Venerated Indie Film magazine Film Threat gave The Theta Girl high marks calling it "edgy, thoughtful, quality entertainment." (full review HERE)
Billed as an "existenploitation film," The Theta Girl follows the trials and tribulations of young drug-dealer, Gayce Delko, and the hallucinogen she peddles. "Theta" was a "fun drug" -- a drug that blew people's minds. Theta was supposed to be a door to Heaven, but when her best friends get methodically and brutally murdered, Gayce realizes theta might also be a door to Hell -- and it's up to her to shut it. The film's tagline is "She brought the pills. He brought the kills."
Bickel describes The Theta Girl as "an exercise in sex, drugs, punk rock, brutality, gore, revenge, and self-actualization... but really it's an art film."
The Theta Girl was written by David Axe and directed by Christopher Bickel, who also shot, edited, and provided sound-design for the film. Axe and Bickel also served as the film's producers under the "Barron Perter Productions" moniker. The film stars Victoria Elizabeth as "Gayce," Shane Silman as "Brother Marcus," and Darrelle D. Dove as "Derek."
The film has not been rated by the MPAA, but it contains nudity, drug use, adult themes, and extremely graphic violence.
PRESS QUOTES
"You'll be exhausted or exhilarated, turned off or turned on, but you won't be bored. If your assaulted senses recover by the time the final credits roll, you may even swell with admiration"
-- Rodney Welch, Free Times
"The Theta Girl raises the bar on the modern indie film"
-- Dave Koenig, Fiendish Magazine
"Raw, unflinching and unapologetic"
-- Cherry Bombed, Dangerous Minds
"Possibly the best independent film of 2017 but possible one of the best examples of low budget filmmaking EVER!"
-- Zeda Muller, Medallion Films
"This film explodes onto the screen like the lovechild of Ted V. Mikels and Jodorowsky, skull-fucks you like a tag team of Blue Sunshine and Blood Feast, and when it's done you will say, "Thank you, may I have another.""
- Psycho Drive-In
"Far, far better than it has any right to be... This is the kind of movie that microbudget indie producers should be studying to up their filmmaking game."
-- The Slaughtered Bird
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS:
The film is written by David Axe, journalist and editor of the website War Is Boring. The film is directed by Christopher Bickel, former Maximum RocknRoll writer, current staff writer at Dangerous Minds, and curator of the "First Friday Lowbrow Cinema Explosion" series at The Nickelodeon. The two produced the film with their own money and money raised via a successful crowd-funding campaign.
