I hate to say it, but this movie has been sitting on my desk for about a month. James L. Edwards, the writer and director, personally delivered it to me, and honestly, I think that was part of the reason why it got thrown to the bottom of the stack. You see, I get shit sent to me all the time, and when a director reaches out the way that James did, it isn’t always a good sign.
Thankfully James was the exception, there was something special about him. He was kind enough to touch base, and would say things that would make me want to eventually get to his project. I never felt pressured, and he never seemed pushy, and I appreciated that. I knew this guy believed in his film, and because of his attitude, I did too.
My bio states that I collect VHS tapes, and while a lot of what my bio says is false, that is one of the few things that is correct. Lately, I’ve been hunting down tapes that I can recall haunting me as a kid. You know the movies, the ones with boxes that kept us all up at night. Well, among the many was a film called The Dead Next Door.
In the weeks leading up to me sitting down and watching Her Name Was Christa, I saw that damn tape everywhere. It was on Instagram, Facebook, you name it, it was there. And I had to know more. I logged onto IMDB, search the title, and BOOM, my mind was blown! James L. Edwards was listed among the actors! But this couldn’t be the same sweet guy that has been checking in on me, is it really him?
Well, it was, and I couldn’t have been happier to discover that I had somewhat of a horror icon on my hands. Edwards has written or starred in quite a few movies over the last thirty-plus years, best known for his roles in Bloodletting, Polymorph, Robot Ninja, and Killer Campout. With his resume taunting me, I was able to finally get motivated enough to jump into his 2-hour “genre” film.
Stephen is a socially awkward, middle aged telemarketer and is desperately alone. At the suggestion of a co-worker, he goes out into the night to find a prostitute for “The Girlfriend Experience”. With this, he meets Christa, a streetwise call girl who’s happy to fulfill his needs. Yet something unexpected happens. What starts as a business agreement blossoms into true love. But what happens when death enters the picture? How far would you go to keep the one person you’ve always wanted?
First off, I love this movie! The music sets the tone quite well. It was uneasy, and by backing this unsettling film with a less cheery version of the Stranger Things theme, it only added to the overall weirdness.
Edwards took a lot of chances and, for the most part, they paid off. The callbacks to Stephen in the hospital kept me interested and curious. While in a lot of cases this wouldn’t work, Edwards took extreme care, and because of which, what would fail for most films, worked well here.
Don’t get me wrong though, Christa had her ups and downs, but at the end of the day, I was buying what she was selling. And so was Stephen. There’s a particular conversation about movies that really sold the relationship between the two, and while it was a pop culture discussion that anyone can relate to, it was grounded and ultimately felt very human.
Speaking of actors, I was a big fan of Drew Fortier as Nick. His delivery was insane! I was googling him and his other projects before the movie was even over, I wanted more Nick. He had a special way of sounding like anyone you’d encounter throughout your day, think Kevin Smith, but without all of the annoying over-the-top references.
While most of the film is extremely polished there were a few issues. Some of the cuts from one actor to another felt very jarring. There were times where I’d get exhausted after a few minutes of communication. Also, there were a few very obvious mic issues, I could tell they did their best to correct this, but it was a little distracting. Luckily though, that scene came and went pretty quick, and thank God, the exchange was engaging enough that I was able to focus on the conversation rather than the problems.
I honestly can’t really say anything else bad about the movie. It was long, but I was entertained from start to finish. This is one of those rare instances when each time I would pause to grab a drink, I’d be thankful for how much runtime was left. There are some weird moments where you think that the film could be ending, but then you catch yourself wondering where could it possibly go next.
In the end, Her Name Was Christa checks ALL of the boxes. It is weird, wacky, and a ton of fun. The effects were gross and realistic, almost too good. I loved every second of it. It’s pretty crazy to think that Edwards has been in the industry for so long, and THIS is his directorial debut! He has a future in directing, and I’m down to watch anything he’s associated with. But for now, people need to see this movie!
Team Edwards decided to move forward with the self-distribution of Her Name Was Christa, DVDs and Blu-ray combo packs are now available for purchase. Anyone interested can order them by contacting James L. Edwards through Facebook or alternatively, you can e-mail him at captspaulding224@yahoo.com to claim your physical copies today.
Jessie Hobson