Girl on the Third Floor

During SXSW 2019, Stevens revealed during the post-screening Q&A that much of the story he wrote was not entirely fictional: the house was real and its backstory was "only slightly embellished for the film".[1]

Girl on the Third Floor was filmed entirely in Frankfort, Illinois, at a house newly acquired to accommodate the headquarters of Stevens' production company. The house was actually in the process of being renovated at the time, and Stevens paused the renovations in order to use their incomplete state as part of the movie.[1]

The film review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 81% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 6.67/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Girl on the Third Floor proves a good old-fashioned haunted house story can still be entertaining – and put a fresh spin on established genre formula."[13] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100 based on 6 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14]

Oscar Goff of Boston Hassle notes that director Travis Stevens "throws a lot of ideas at the wall, and while not all of them stick, the cumulative effect is dizzying and effective." [1]

In his review of Girl on the Third Floor, Anton Bitel of SciFiNow designates the film a "highly accomplished" haunted house story for the #MeToo generation: "the undoing of ‘King Don’ is a belated revenge of the female repressed, as well as a long history of perverted patriarchy replaying itself ad nauseam and deconstructing...the uneasy, even exploitative and violent relations between men and women".[15]

Deidre Crimmins, from RueMorge also notes that while "nearly equal screen time is given to lingering on both male and female bodies...the film itself never quite gets away from feeling a little unkind to women". She points out that the female characters are presented as "not much more than archetypes...the men don’t get portrayed very well either, but at least they are given a little more to do." Crimmins does extol the practical effects, calling them equally "amazing" and "gross."[16]

Dennis Harvey of Variety considers Stevens' directorial skills to be well above average for the genre, but offers a mixed review of the film, noting how the film draws from films like The Amityville Horror, The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut, and considers Sarah Brooks' lack of convincing "inner malevolence" to be terrifying.[17]

In trying to define the film for her readers, Daily Dead's Heather Wixson notes that Steven's memorable directorial debut feels like what one would get "if Clive Barker and H.P. Lovecraft had teamed up to make The Money Pit, and singles out Phil Brooks' acting as "compelling".[18] Bobby Lepire, reviewer for FilmThreat also compliments Brooks' portrayal of Don Koch, further noting that writer/director Travis Stevens not only has an "innate understanding" of the lessons that horror films teach, in this case a horror story as morality play. As well, Lepire feels that the director effectively sustained the atmosphere of dread throughout the film, but "runs out of steam before the conclusion, making for a not quite, but almost, great film."[19]

Film School Rejects writer Rob Hunter points out that while all haunted house movies involve misdeeds of the past affecting the present, Girl on the Third Floor instead has present-day bad behaviors "unintentionally reaching out to past transgressions". While opining that Punk resembles "nothing less than the angry love child of Jon Hamm and Ted Raimi with his expressive antics here — walking a fine line with a character who earns our sympathy before threatening to lose it." Hunter sees the main character as needing to find redemption for his past misdeeds and expresses his hope that "this guy, finally, will understand and acknowledge his actions before it’s too late."[20]

Vanyaland's Nick Johnston also noted the connection between the main character's behavior and the house's reaction: "Stevens’ thematic goals here are interesting and compelling. It's all about a bad man paying for his behavior and, thusly, the actions that his misogynistic forbearers [sic] committed decades ago, and when that bad man is played by Phil Brooks, it becomes infinitely more interesting."[21]

Adi Robertson, reviewer for The Verge.com, notes that, instead of trying to push the narrative limits of the haunted house trope, Girl on the Third Floor generates suspense through the predictable and inevitable fall of the Brooks' main character using foreshadowing and jump scares. Robertson, commenting on the effectiveness of the practical effects, opines, "marbles, mucus, and doorbells have never been so ominous".[22]

Film Inquiry's Kevin Lee states that, despite "clunky writing", the film's efficiency lies in two areas; the house - with its creepy noises and gross leakages - is more than just old and in need of renovation. It is also clear that Stevens is exploring the fallout of toxic masculinity through the Don's disreputable past and his refusal to accept help with the extensive renovations. Lee notes that it is this behavior and shady past that makes Don "a vulnerable victim to the house’s psychological effect. Whether or not the film works for you depends on your opinion of Don".[23] Lee goes on to point out that the film's final act clearly demonstrates Stevens' knowledge of surrealism and his fondness for the 2017 Darren Aronofsky psychological horror film, mother!.[23]

Brian Tallerico from RogerEbert.com notes that Stevens' previous experience as a producer of respected indie horror films is evident in his confidence behind the camera in his directorial debut.[24] Tallerico points out the metaphor of the main character's devotion to the physical task of fixing something physical because he is unwilling to perform the real repair on his deeply-flawed character, and that is the source of the problem.[24]

"There have been smoother and more leveled 'tortured past inhabitants won’t leave' realty nightmares than Girl On The Third Floor, but this one ain’t too shabby," says Slashfilm reviewer, Matt Donato decides. Donato notes how director Stevens "breaks a man down, tears a house apart, and leaves us with the ultimate conclusion that forgiveness can only be granted so many times."[25]