Woman-written/directed/lead horror movie MARLA gets North American release this November

Marla is a certified female project — written, directed, and starring Lisa van Dam-Bates, a horror special effects professional turned filmmaker who will either have you saying ‘Yas!’ or ‘Yuck!’ to this female roar of a horror movie. Nominated for Best Feature Film at the 2018 Portland Underground Film Fest, Marla also stars relative newcomer Travis Johnny Ware and Katie Hemming (Frag Out!) who aid Marla throughout this medical/murder/mystery thriller.

Synopsis: When Marla’s (Lisa van Dam-Bates) family friend turned doctor shows up and offers her a free appointment at the women’s clinic, Marla jumps at the chance to get a free IUD. At first, Marla’s boyfriend is the only one with mixed feelings about the procedure, but after his sudden and gruesome death, she is convinced something is wrong. Now, Marla must answer to a federal agent as she solves the mystery behind her deadly IUD.

Marla - Trailer

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From the tagline “Your first time with her will be your last”, it seems like the premise might go a bit down the Teeth (2007) route, but Marla does not appear to be a horror-comedy — at all — but rather a serious mystery thriller. Though the film quality of this independent film looks questionable from its trailer, it sure looks as though Marla will be competing for the bloodiest film on record. I can’t recall a film being about the blood of the female nether-regions, but it makes sense to turn this human experience into a horror film, and Marla looks to boldly go where no feature film (presumably) has gone before. All at once hitting upon issues such as the high cost of medical care and the struggle in caring for the female body while being structured as a horror thriller, Marla is sure to have both shock-value and social relevancy as is seeps through its bloody premise.

The pools of clotted blood, the shower imagery that reminds me of a cross between Psycho and The Shining‘s famous bathroom scenes, the intense and foreboding original soundtrack by Spaghetti Fire Productions, and the premise of medical malpractice all have me prepped to dive into this bloody film. A seemingly fresh and unique film for all you gore lovers, Marla will be released November 5th, 2019 by High Octane Pictures (Fighting The Sky, Winterskin) on VOD and DVD. For more information, follow Marla on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Marla Mae Movie