Baghead is a very safe horror film in that it follows a tried and tested formula and doesn't take too many risks. As a result, it feels quite bland and uninspiring, and will be unlikely to give you more than a jump scare or two.
This is a shame as I think the premise certainly has legs. It revolves around Iris, who inherits a pub from her estranged father only to discover a strange entity who lives in the basement and has the ability to contact the dead.
It's definitely not a bad set up but it just isn't really pushed enough. There's a halfhearted attempt to explain the backstory to this entity but it isn't really followed through with and becomes nonsensical with certain elements. There's an issue with pacing as it gets bogged down in certain parts. Perhaps the most annoying part of this film is how ridiculously stupid all of the characters are. I appreciate that some character stupidity is necessary in order to lubricate the plot, but this one just takes the biscuit and it makes for a tiresome and frustrating film.
On top of all this it just doesn't really deliver any horror. I do think the atmosphere and the setting is good, but horror and suspense just isn't in the bones of this film. It was all very superficially created through jump scares. I also don't think it helped that visually this film was very dark, with atrocious lighting throughout that became a real distraction.
So if you fancy a pretty generic, unoffensive horror that will give you a jump or two then Baghead will deliver on that. If you're after something more then look elsewhere.
This is a shame as I think the premise certainly has legs. It revolves around Iris, who inherits a pub from her estranged father only to discover a strange entity who lives in the basement and has the ability to contact the dead.
It's definitely not a bad set up but it just isn't really pushed enough. There's a halfhearted attempt to explain the backstory to this entity but it isn't really followed through with and becomes nonsensical with certain elements. There's an issue with pacing as it gets bogged down in certain parts. Perhaps the most annoying part of this film is how ridiculously stupid all of the characters are. I appreciate that some character stupidity is necessary in order to lubricate the plot, but this one just takes the biscuit and it makes for a tiresome and frustrating film.
On top of all this it just doesn't really deliver any horror. I do think the atmosphere and the setting is good, but horror and suspense just isn't in the bones of this film. It was all very superficially created through jump scares. I also don't think it helped that visually this film was very dark, with atrocious lighting throughout that became a real distraction.
So if you fancy a pretty generic, unoffensive horror that will give you a jump or two then Baghead will deliver on that. If you're after something more then look elsewhere.