Bad Girl

Like many low-budget Australian thrillers, Bad Girl feels both convoluted and undercooked, as if twists had to be manufactured to expand the script to feature length.

The film is very well made, with Gavin John Head's wide-screen photography a model of its kind and a nicely creepy music score by Warren Ellis.

Like Amy's gleaming new home, which is transformed from a sanctuary into a trap, the film twists perceptions of adolescent camaraderie, attraction, and family's grip, with just enough shocks to allay the familiar conclusion.

Bad Girl is a decent genre film unfortunately limited by a script that borrows so heavily from '90s thrillers that it detracts from the overall enjoyment of the picture.