''Girlfriend From Hell'' is a 1989

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

comedy horror Comedy horror (also called horror comedy) is a literary, television and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as having three types: "black comedy, parody and spoof." Comedy horror can a ...

film that was written and directed by Daniel M. Peterson. The film had its world premiere on April 24, 1989 at the Houston Film Festival and was released to video in August of the following year. It starred

Dana Ashbrook Dana Vernon Ashbrook (born May 24, 1967) is an American actor, best known for playing Bobby Briggs on the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017) and its 1992 prequel film '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me''. Early life Ashbrook was ...

and Liane Curtis, and follows a young high school girl who is possessed by the Devil in order to steal souls.

Plot

Maggie ( Liane Curtis) is a shy woman that isn't very good with men. This changes after she is

possessed Possessed may refer to: Possession * Possession (disambiguation), having some degree of control over something else ** Spirit possession, whereby gods, demons, animas, or other disincarnate entities may temporarily take control of a human body *** ...

Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...

, who uses Maggie's body to seduce the souls out of men. Enter Chaser (

) a bounty hunter seeking redemption by pursuing Satan and working off his sins for a shot at escaping purgatory.

Cast and characters

as Chaser *

Liane Alexandra Curtis Liane Alexandra Curtis is an Cinema of the United States, American film and television actress and musician, known for her appearances in B movies, such as ''Critters 2: The Main Course'' and ''Girlfriend from Hell'', as well as smaller roles in ...

as Maggie *

Lezlie Deane Lezlie Deane is an American singer, musician, roller derby athlete and actress who has starred in film and television. She was once best known for her roles in horror films, including ''976-EVIL'' (1988), '' Girlfriend from Hell'' (1989) and '' ...

as Diane *

Anthony Barrile Anthony Barrile is an actor, musician, writer, and director. He is a native New Yorker of Italian descent who has starred in many film and stage productions. He is well known to New York City audiences for his memorable performance as Cousin Kevi ...

as Carl *

James Daughton James Daughton (born June 27, 1950) is an American film and television actor who is best known for his role as Greg Marmalard in '' National Lampoon's Animal House'' (1978). Daughton's portrayal of Marmalard has become iconic in American popular ...

as Thomas J. Harper * Sarah Kaite Coughlan as Freda *

Gerry Lively Gerry Lively is a cinematographer and film director, known for directing '' Darkness Falls'' (1999), '' Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God'' (2005), and ''Body Armour'' (2007). He also served as the director of photography for several ho ...

as God *

Daphna Kastner Daphna Kastner (born April 17, 1961) is a Canadian film and television actress, screenwriter, and film director. She is married to American actor Harvey Keitel. Personal life She and Harvey Keitel secretly married in Jerusalem, while attending ...

as Nun With Gun * Ken Abraham as Rocco * Hilary Morse as Alice * Brad Zutaut as Teddy * Jack West as Hershel * Renee Wayne Golden as Mother Superior * Laura Bruneau as Sister Franks * Kim North as Sister Beans * Susan Rome as Nun With Gun * Jaqueline Robinson as Nun With Gun *

James Karen James Karen (born Jacob Karnofsky; November 28, 1923 – October 23, 2018) was an American character actor of Broadway, film and television. Karen is known for his roles in ''Poltergeist'', '' The China Syndrome'', ''Wall Street'', ''The Retur ...

as Carl's Dad * Alba Francesca as Carl's Mom

Reception

Initial critical reception was poor and ''

Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was ...

'' rated it at two stars. Screened as part of their 25th Anniversary Project, Paul Freitag-Fey of ''Daily Grindhouse'' wrote it was "the type of film that sets up a mythology for the sake of a few jokes and then doesn't give a shit about it". IE: "The gun-toting nuns have nothing to do with the plot, mind you, and they have no idea they’re shooting at Satan – the filmmakers just wanted to make a joke about gun-toting nuns." They felt the viewer would do well to not concentrate on the plot, as the film was intended to be gag-based "goofy, light-hearted exploitation comedy" that did not take itself seriously. In ''Creature Features: The Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Movie Guide'', author John Stanley praised the film, writing that it was "a supernatural/sci-fi spoof so dumb that it's fun to watch thanks to good performances by an appealing cast."

Stage musical

In 2011 playwright/composer Sean Matthew Whiteford adapted ''Girlfriend from Hell'' into a stage

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

. The transformative musical features 20 songs and a much revamped storyline. It premiered at the Gene Frankel Theatre in the East Village in 2011. In April 2015, a concert version of the musical was presented at 54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club in NYC, following an evening of Patti LuPone. On August 1, 2015, another concert version was presented at The Cutting Room in NYC. A studio cast recording was made in Winter 2016 featuring Justin Matthew Sargent, Josephine Rose Roberts & Neka Zang. In 2019, Deb Miller of DC Metro Theatre Arts raved that “Whiteford’s hilarious high school horror show has the makings of a rock musical cult classic.” A website for the musical, girlfriendfromhellmusical.com was launched in 2020.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Girlfriend From Hell 1989 films 1989 comedy horror films 1980s high school films American comedy horror films American independent films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films Films about spirit possession The Devil in film English-language comedy horror films