Like many people I was quick to dismiss this movie as tasteless trash and a blight on society. Yet against rational judgment I was compelled to watch it play out to its horrific conclusion instead of wiping my hands of it in disgust. As unsavory as I found it, the film stuck in my head for days. I knew I had to come to terms with it and its affect on me. It wasn’t until hearing the Cadaver Lab guys discuss it on their podcast that I realized what mental walls I have up against it. I believe it gets a knee-jerk negative reaction because people are unwilling to imagine themselves confronted with the decisions that the characters face, and worse, the temptations they give in to.

Deadgirl’s taboos aren’t new to film, but it’s the first time I’ve seen them explored for any realistic repercussions. The zom-com movie Fido teases with the premise of a guy keeping a zombie sex slave, but only to provide an icky wink and nudge. Even the disturbing themes of David Cronenberg’s Crash are limited to inanimate objects and living people. Sexual arousal and aggression towards a car or wounded people is one thing, especially when the characters are so detached, but teenage boys considering necrophilia as a bright point in their dead-end lives is something I bet few people with any morals want to think about.

A story as shocking as Deadgirl could probably only be released as horror, but that will also likely prevent it from receiving the kind of serious analysis that Crash gets. And while the film is burdened by the baggage of that genre, I wish it stuck closer to it. The weakest points are awkward attempts at comic relief that will even further brand the film as juvenile schlock.

I imagine the filmmakers knew exactly what they were doing. It’s being talked about obsessively for the very things that repel audiences. Even before seeing a wide release its mystique is growing, and no amount of hype will diminish the affront to conscience it delivers. While something even more sick and twisted is bound to come along to make Deadgirl seem tame, the repeated cycle suggested by the film’s ending should remind us that “kids today” are no more depraved than previous generations try to forget they were themselves.