Don’t misconstrue that as a complaint, as it is more about managing expectations. Those familiar with the works of Dustin Wayde Mills, such as The Puppet Monster Massacre, may expect Head to follow suit in its broad, juvenile humor. While that works for that film, and the characters here cuss, maybe a bit too much to be entirely realistic, it’s rarely super broad. The humor stems from good-natured ribbing amidst friends and the sheer absurdity that no one tries leaving despite everything these characters have seen. It playfully pokes fun at the cliches of the horror titles that influenced it while still being a loving homage as well.
The voice acting is pretty good for the most part. Arlette-Garcia, as Nelly, sometimes does not sell the role’s valley girl tendencies in the right way, but everyone else does a good job. Nick Foreman imbues Tom with an instantly recognizable sweetness, helping to sell his and Vicki’s relationship. As Vicki, Manda Vasas nails the part. She’s believably scared, angry, happy, and flirty, sometimes all within a brief timespan. The rest of the cast is just as good, especially the person(s) who voice(s) the murderer(s), as he (she/they) really does an excellent job of making their role(s) creepy with just a few short scenes.
“…proves how dedicated everyone was to making this the best feature possible.”
But the best element of Head is its production design. While limited resources mean the puppets are always situated quite close to the camera (they’re only ever seen from the waist up, more or less directly in front of the lens), they are well made. The puppets aren’t radically colored so that everyone can be bought as a human with relative ease. They move pretty well, though a fistfight looks a bit ridiculous. Most notably is the centerpiece of the motion production: the head tree. See, whoever’s decapitating everyone is mounting the severed heads onto a specific tree. The crew intertwined the puppet guts and heads onto a real tree, and the results are spectacular and eerie. This showstopper, sadly, is only featured a tiny handful of times, but it proves how dedicated everyone was to making this the best feature possible.
Head knows precisely what kind of movie it is and excises any fat that would detract from that. The cast and crew deliver an excellent homage to the horror films of yesteryear while still crafting an engaging, amusing, and creepy story of its own. It is a fun 63-minute ride whose final few moments are absolutely fantastic. What more can one ask of any film?
"…playfully pokes fun at the cliches of the horror titles that influenced it while still being a loving homage..."
[…] Head, Elmwood’s cult horror hit, is only six or seven years old. But, the difference in production value and quality between that (their last full-length production) and this is staggering. The cinematography is more defined and crisp, adding a greater depth of field. The puppets are no longer directly in the foreground, allowing for more interesting shot compositions and a wider range of movement from the felt stars. The editing is more precise, allowing the filmmakers to play around, making for several experimental arthouse-esque shots. The standout involves a rocket and the fan-favorite character The Jungle Man. But again, let’s not spoil all the fun. […]