I remember hearing a lot of rumblings about Daddy’s Little Girl upon its original release, years back. At the time, I was extremely interested in seeing the film, but for whatever reason, never got around to actually acquiring a copy. After my recent viewing of Charlie’s Farm and learning that both films shared the same producer, writer, and director, Chris Sun, I knew now was the right time to finally get my hands on the 2014 release.
Daddy’s Little Girl tells the story of Derek (Michael Thomson) and his lovely daughter Georgia, played by the adorable Billi Baker. After Georgia is abducted and found brutally murdered, Derek’s life comes to a screeching halt. As months pass and no leads are uncovered, hope that justice will ever be served begins to diminish. Until Derek finds his little brother Tommy’s diary, that is. Not only do Tommy’s memoirs go into explicit detail about Georgia’s slaying, but also those of various other children. Derek decides to take matters into his own hands and bring more pain and suffering to Tommy than he could have ever inflicted on those poor innocent children.
Let me start off by simply saying, ‘wow.’ Daddy’s Little Girl is a brilliant film that really hits home for a lot of reasons. Every revenge film I watch always has a profound effect on me, as I’m sure it does on most viewers. Someone, more often than not a good person, is put through some sort of traumatic experience and in turn, seeks revenge when the justice system just doesn’t seem to be doing the job properly. In this case, Derek’s little girl is taken from him and if that wasn’t bad enough, it was done by his own flesh and blood. To hear Derek read off Tommy’s journal entries in explicit detail is one of the hardest scenes to sit through, as I can feel every ounce of pain Derek is experiencing at that moment. But oh, let me tell you, Tommy definitely gets what he deserves; Derek makes sure of that.
As most revenge flicks go these days, Daddy’s Little Girl is extremely graphic. If you’ve seen some of the more recent ones like the 2010 remake of I Spit on Your Grave or even its recent [second] sequel, I Spit on Your Grave 3: Vengeance is Mine, you may know what to expect. Even with that said, however, there are some scenes here that will put even those films to shame. Derek is heavily prepared for his torture sessions with his once beloved brother, as he has done his research and has learned of some of the most effective methods of inflicting pain known to man. Everything is calculated just right, so Tommy is put through hell, but doesn’t actually die from his wounds. There are plenty of wounds to worry about, too.
Just like in Charlie’s Farm, all of the practical effects make-up is created and executed by Australia based effects company, Slaughter FX. As soon as I saw their name flash across my television screen, I knew I was in for some of the most brutal gore I have ever seen. These guys are no joke and everything from severed fingers to mangled up knee caps looked stunningly realistic. If you’re a fan of practical effects, which I know you are, you will love every agonizing second of this flick.
Daddy’s Little Girl features a touching story, great acting on all parts, an effective script, and amazing effects work. If you’re looking for a revenge film to top them all, look no further than this entry by a true jack-of-all-trades, Chris Sun. The man is a genius and clearly has a mind for the macabre, and I look forward to anything else he looks to bring to the horror genre in the coming years, including his upcoming film, Boar.
I give this film an official Repulsive Rating of 4.5 home-made knee-splitters out of 5.