Year: 1990
Runtime: 105 mins
Language: English
Director: Dennis Devine
When a rock‑and‑roll fantasy turns into a nightmare, a female death‑rock band retreats to a remote cabin for a weekend rehearsal. Their music’s violent imagery becomes deadly reality as a masked murderer begins killing them, wielding the very weapons described in their songs.
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The Dead Girls are a death metal group consisting of Gina, Dana, Amy, Susie, and their male drummer Mark. Their manager, Arty, is determined to push the band toward a mainstream direction, but the group resists, knowing that their appeal lies in on-stage shock value, violent spectacles, and morbid lyrics; only Mark, the Juilliard-trained member, provides real musical backbone.
Gina’s teenage sister Brooke, along with other devoted fans, acts out a mass-suicide bid that Brooke survives. Gina returns to her hometown amid the funerals and reconnects with her childhood friend, Mike. The family’s conservative aunt Aunt Annie and uncle Uncle Jim blame the band for inspiring Brooke’s distress. In response, the band agrees to a two-week retreat at a remote cabin so Gina can recover, bringing Brooke along despite the aunt and uncle’s reluctance, along with their assistant Jeff and a nurse who oversees Brooke’s recovery. Just before they depart, the manager is murdered in his office by a skull-masked killer.
Upon arrival at the cabin, the group is greeted by Elmo, a developmentally-disabled handyman who maintains the property. Mark covertly brings a female groupie to the cabin, but the others force her to leave after finding him with her. While wandering in the woods, the groupie is murdered by the masked killer. The next day, Susie is attacked and drowned in the lake, and Gina discovers her body. She phones the police, but Susie’s body disappears and the sheriff, Sheriff, suspects the band is pulling a stunt. Amy suspects that Susie is pulling a prank, as she has regularly performed fake deaths during the band’s live concerts.
In the morning, Jeff goes missing, and Gina and Amy discover Susie and Jeff’s corpses in a barn on the property. Gina flees, trying to stop the nurse from departing in the group’s van to take Brooke to the hospital; however, the nurse leaves with Brooke, stranding the group. The phone lines have been cut, and the group starts turning on each other, with Dana accusing Gina and Amy of being responsible for the killings.
Amy, a military combat enthusiast, sets traps in the barn, hoping to catch the killer. Meanwhile, Dana reconciles with Gina and presents evidence suggesting that Mark is the killer. Amy is attacked in the woods by the killer and dismembered with an axe. When Mark returns to the cabin with firewood, Gina tries to leave, only to stumble upon Amy’s corpse. Back at the cabin, Gina finds Dana bound and gagged, and is confronted by Mark, who wields a pistol. Gina shoots Mark, ending his threat, and Dana reveals that she and Mark had plotted to murder Gina and Amy, fearing they were complicit in the killings. Before Dana can retaliate, the masked killer appears and slashes her throat.
Gina flees into the woods as the killer closes in. Elmo appears, and Gina thinks he is the killer. Moments later, Mike arrives and bludgeons Elmo to death. Mike reveals that he is the true murderer, driven by extreme religious beliefs and the conviction that the band promotes evil. He binds and gaggs Gina in the barn, which is now filled with all his victims’ corpses, but a misstep trips the potassium nitrate bomb that kills him.
The nurse returns with Brooke, suspecting the band has left without warning. While Brooke waits in the van, the nurse discovers Gina bound and gagged in the barn. Disgusted by what has happened and believing the group has indulged in a sadistic game that led to the killings, the nurse chooses to depart with Brooke, leaving Gina to die in the barn.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 15:03
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A group trapped in a remote location is methodically hunted by a masked killer.If you enjoyed the relentless terror of Dead Girls, explore more movies where a group is hunted in an isolated location. These films feature a steady pace, high tension, and the claustrophobic dread of being trapped with a killer, perfect for fans of classic and brutal slasher horror.
The narrative typically follows a linear structure: the group's arrival at an isolated setting, the establishment of rising unease, the initial kill that breaks the peace, and the subsequent cat-and-mouse game where characters are eliminated one by one. The focus is on survival against an overwhelming and often mysterious force, with character dynamics fraying under extreme pressure.
These films are grouped by their shared core premise and mood. They deliver a specific kind of horror experience defined by geographical isolation, a group dynamic under siege, a methodical killer, and a consistent build-up of oppressive tension and visceral fear.
When dark artistic creations terrifyingly manifest into real-world violence and trauma.For viewers who liked the theme of artistic influence in Dead Girls, this list curates horror films where dark art—music, writing, painting—becomes a catalyst for real terror. These movies often have a bleak tone and explore the heavy price of obsession and shock value, similar to Dead Girls.
The narrative often revolves around artists or enthusiasts whose work delves into the grotesque. Their creations, whether intentional or not, begin to correlate with or directly cause murders and chaos. This leads to a journey of psychological unraveling, guilt, and confrontation with the monstrous power of their own imagination, frequently culminating in a tragic or bleak resolution.
This thread groups movies based on a unique thematic core: the concept of art as a destructive force. They share a dark, intellectual horror angle focused on cause and effect, the burden of creation, and the unsettling idea that exploring darkness through art can invite real darkness in.
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Track the full timeline of Dead Girls with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Dead Girls. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
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