WWE and Gore Fans, We've Got a Horror Movie Just For You

Professional wrestling is hotter than ever right now, and a lot of that comes from CM Punk's return to WWE. Punk (real name Phil Brooks) famously walked out of the company in 2014 and was out of wrestling completely until he made his shocking return to AEW in 2021. After two years there, he shocked the world again by going back to WWE, where he is now a fan favorite. What fans love most about CM Punk are his promo skills. He is a master on the mic like no other, so it should come as no surprise that in 2019, while he was taking a break from wrestling, he decided to use his acting skills in the ring and try his hand at movies. Girl on the Third Floor, directed and co-written by Travis Stevens in his feature debut, is Punk's feature film debut as well. The end result is a haunted house horror film that doesn't always hit but is still worth a watch, whether you love wrestling, scary movies, or gross practical effects. It's the themes though that will haunt you long after the credits end.

Girl on the Third Floor

Don Koch, a man with a troubled past, attempts to renovate an old house in the suburbs, hoping to start fresh with his pregnant wife. However, the house has a sinister history, and as Don uncovers its secrets, he becomes entangled in a haunting battle against the building's malevolent forces.

Director Travis Stevens

Cast Phil Brooks , Trieste Kelly Dunn , Elissa Dowling , Sarah Brooks , Karen Woditsch , Travis Delgado

Runtime 93 Minutes

Writers Travis Stevens

Many Professional Wrestlers Have Transitioned To Acting

Wrestling and movies aren't all that different. Wrestling is often described as being fake, but it's pre-determined. Those moves really hurt, but the competitors in the ring are following a script, putting on a show in front of an audience and cameras, where lines have to be memorized and marks have to be hit. We used to treat it like an oddity when it happened, but why wouldn't wrestlers become actors? Hulk Hogan and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper were the first to succeed in the '80s, and while Hogan's films were pretty bad, Piper starred in John Carpenter's They Live. Wrestlers becoming actors became so normalized that WWE even started their own film division. Some of today's biggest stars, like Dwayne Johnson, John Cena, and Dave Bautista, first made their names as wrestling superstars. Look for Roman Reigns to be the next to dominate Hollywood once he retires. CM Punk is one of the best all-time storytellers in wrestling history, but with his smaller stature, leaving the squared circle for action movies didn't seem likely. Instead, when Punk finally decided to try acting, he did so with a horror movie, which was a perfect choice, as there has always been an easy crossover between wrestling and horror fans.

'Girl on the Third Floor' Was Filmed Inside a Real Murder House

Many of those aforementioned wrestlers have starred in big-budget action films centered around shootouts, explosions, and lots of supporting characters, but just like Punk's character in wrestling, Girl on the Third Floor is very different. Punk plays an ex-con named Don Koch who buys a dilapidated house with the idea of fixing it up for his pregnant wife. Most of the movie is Don alone in the house, with many quiet moments, and no dastardly bad guys and their henchmen anywhere in sight. Don, instead, has to face something much, much worse. Girl on the Third Floor is a haunted house movie, as is evident by the black goo that starts leaking from the walls. Then there's the strange woman, Sarah (Sarah Brooks), who appears and seduces Don, leading to him taking drastic measures to cover up his mistakes. Without giving it all away, this house has a very dark past, with some disturbing things hiding inside the walls just waiting to come out. Someone has died here, and disturbingly, the film was actually filmed inside of a real house where someone was murdered.

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In an interview with the Nightmare on Film Street podcast, writer and director Travis Stevens spoke about buying the abandoned home seen in the movie as a real estate investment, but then he began to hear local tales about what had once happened inside, so he decided, "Before we do what we’re going to do with it, [we] might as well shoot a movie here." When none of his other script pitches were working, Stephens decided to write one that incorporated those local tales about his new home. He said, "If we’re shooting a haunted house movie in an actual haunted house, we have to do our best to at least honor the history of the trauma that took place there. Otherwise, definitely it’s exploitive." Steven's home had once been a bordello several decades earlier, and the story goes that a man once killed a young woman who worked there. While absolutely tragic, the story allowed Girl on the Third Floor to explore some important themes.

'Girl on the Third Floor' Falters by Being Too Similar To Other Movies

Image Via Dark Sky Films

There is more going on than meets the eye with Sarah, the woman who seduces Don, creating a flawed hero who we root for even though he's now cheating on his pregnant wife. It is only what waits inside the walls — shown with some phenomenal practical effects that represent the transformation of the themes — that can explain the secrets Sarah carries. Throughout the movie, there are some important messages at play about sexual assault, trauma, and the sins of men against women that are way more scary than any gore scene. Girl on the Third Floor is at its best when it focuses on this, but its biggest flaw is how often it copies from other haunted house and gory horror films. There are many scenes, for example, that are reminiscent of The Shining, with sightings of ghosts around every corner and a man being driven mad.

Travis Stevens admitted to Nightmare on Film Street that "it was easier having the framework of something so well defined like a haunted house movie, because then it was almost like having training wheels." He confessed that the expectations of a tried and true formula allowed him to practice his creativity and that he realized he was doing a riff. Stevens even went so far as to say, "Maybe two movies from now we’ll be doing something really original."

It's refreshing to hear a new artist say they know they're a beginner who isn't setting the world on fire with a new story, but that doesn't mean that Girl on the Third Floor still isn't captivating. The practical effects are top-notch, the scares are earned, and CM Punk comes across as a seasoned veteran. Whenever he hangs up his wrestling boots, look for him to join the ranks of sports entertainers who went on to become Hollywood leading men.

Girl on the Third Floor is available to watch in the U.S. on Tubi.

WATCH ON TUBI