Rare Canadian thriller about a murderous teenage girl in love with her father. There’s an incest fantasy scene where she hears her dad and step-mom making love and sneaks down the hallway to watch them. Then she starts to imagine herself being fucked by her dad. (Look at the pictures below.)
The movie is similar to “Wicked”, with Julia Stiles as the daughter, and also to “Destroying Angel” which I have posted before.
Some reviews:
* Low on gore but heavy on shocking sleaze (i.e. a fantasy sequence where Tony Franciosa is fondling his young daughter’s naked body) that may be too much for even slightly moralistic horror fans. If you ever peeked at your little sister while she was getting dressed or taking a shower, Julie may lay too much of a guilt trip on you.
** This obscure thriller is unpleasant and highly unsettling, but at the same time undeniably effective. The premise of an evil child is taken to extremes: teenager Julie lies, blackmails, arranges for people to be killed and kills herself with cold, calm ease. The film also has some perverse scenes (let’s just say it goes beyond merely suggesting incest) that will turn most people off, but you have to admit that what it does, it does well (and that includes a shock ending that, for once, DOES come as a shock.
*** Isabelle Mejias performs strongly as Julie, a socially disunited young lady with a ravenous Electra complex who harbors malicious and dangerous resentment for anyone who threatens to compete for her father’s affections in her delusional fantasy world. Hapless victims-to-be are her new step-brother and step-mom (played by Sybil Danning, who shows her boobs…of course, that’s become about as uncommon a sight as the North Star). A minor gem, this underrated horror/thriller deserves reinvestigation…briskly paced with better acting than you’ll usually find in B pictures of this type, JULIE DARLING is one you want to keep your eyes peeled for.
**** This German-Canadian co-production has been a rare film to find, but I suggest tracking this film down if you enjoy a good game of chess or just like seeing Sybil Danning’s ample bosom heaving. It may start a bit slow, but as soon as Julie’s mom gets fucked, the film slides into exploitation mode and becomes a clever mix of cat-and-mouse suspense, serial killer drama, and incest sleaze. It also helps that everyone is so believable in their roles, making the thrilling third act not only bloody but very realistic. This isn’t your
typical horror film, but the honesty that Mejias brings to Julie and the plot, work together to create a truly frightening experience. If Lex Luthor or Jeffery Dahmer were a teenage girl, they would’ve been Julie.
