Professional wrestling is more popular than ever, and CM Punk’s return to WWE is a big reason for that. Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks, left WWE in 2014 and stayed out of wrestling until his surprising return to AEW in 2021.
After two years with AEW, he stunned fans again by returning to WWE, where he quickly became a favorite. Fans appreciate CM Punk’s talent on the microphone. He has a unique way of speaking that makes him stand out, so it’s no surprise that in 2019, while he was taking a break from wrestling, he decided to use those skills in movies.
“Girl on the Third Floor,” directed and co-written by Travis Stevens, marks Punk’s debut in feature films. The movie is a haunted house horror that, while not perfect, is still worth watching, especially for those who enjoy wrestling, horror, or practical effects. The film’s themes linger long after the credits roll.
Professional Wrestlers Becoming Actors
Wrestling and movies share many similarities. Wrestling is often called fake, but it’s really a planned performance. The moves can be painful, but the wrestlers are following a script, performing for an audience and cameras, with lines to memorize and marks to hit.
It used to seem strange when wrestlers became actors, but why wouldn’t they? Hulk Hogan and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper were the first to find success in the 1980s. Although Hogan’s films weren’t great, Piper starred in John Carpenter’s “They Live.”
Over time, wrestlers transitioning to acting became normal, leading WWE to start its own film division. Some of today’s biggest stars, like Dwayne Johnson, John Cena, and Dave Bautista, first became famous as wrestlers. Roman Reigns is expected to become the next big Hollywood star once he retires.
CM Punk is one of wrestling’s best storytellers, but because of his smaller size, it didn’t seem likely he’d move to action movies. Instead, Punk chose to debut in a horror movie, which was a smart choice, given the strong connection between wrestling and horror fans.
A Real Haunted House Setting for ‘Girl on the Third Floor’
Many wrestlers have appeared in big-budget action films with shootouts, explosions, and lots of supporting characters. But like Punk’s character in wrestling, “Girl on the Third Floor” is different. Punk plays an ex-con named Don Koch, who buys a rundown house to fix up for his pregnant wife.
Most of the movie features Don alone in the house, with many quiet moments and no villains or henchmen. Instead, Don faces something much worse. “Girl on the Third Floor” is a haunted house movie, which becomes clear when black goo starts leaking from the walls.
Then, a strange woman named Sarah (played by Sarah Brooks) appears and seduces Don, leading him to make bad decisions he tries to hide. Without giving away too much, the house has a dark history, with disturbing secrets hidden in the walls. Someone has died in the house, and the movie was actually filmed in a real house where a murder occurred.
In an interview with the Nightmare on Film Street podcast, writer and director Travis Stevens talked about buying the abandoned home seen in the movie as a real estate investment.
After hearing local stories about what had happened inside, he decided, “Before we do what we’re going to do with it, [we] might as well shoot a movie here.” When his other script ideas weren’t working, Stevens wrote one that included these local tales.
He explained, “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.” The house had been a bordello decades earlier, and the story goes that a man killed a young woman who worked there. While tragic, this story allowed “Girl on the Third Floor” to touch on important themes.
Similarities with Other Horror Films
The woman who seduces Don, Sarah, adds complexity to his character, making him a flawed hero we still root for, despite his cheating on his pregnant wife. The secrets Sarah carries, revealed through impressive practical effects, show the darker themes of the story.
The movie touches on serious issues like sexual assault, trauma, and the wrongs men commit against women, which are more frightening than any gore scene. “Girl on the Third Floor” excels when it focuses on these themes, but it sometimes falters by resembling other haunted house and horror films too closely. For example, some scenes are reminiscent of “The Shining,” with ghostly sightings and a man losing his sanity.
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 acknowledged that following a familiar formula gave him room to be creative, and he realized he was doing a variation on a theme. Stevens even mentioned, “Maybe two movies from now we’ll be doing something really original.”
It’s refreshing to hear a new filmmaker admit they’re still learning and not trying to revolutionize the genre, but that doesn’t mean “Girl on the Third Floor” isn’t still impressive.
The practical effects are excellent, the scares are genuine, and CM Punk delivers a strong performance. When he eventually retires from wrestling, expect him to join the ranks of sports entertainers who transitioned to successful Hollywood careers.
“Girl on the Third Floor” is available to stream in the U.S. on Tubi.
