Director: Benjamin Barfoot
Cast: Rupert Turnbill, Julia Brown, Charles Aitken, Nathaniel Martello-White
Screenplay: Benjamin Barfoot
92 mins. Rated TV-MA.

I knew next-to-nothing of the film we’re talking today until the title and poster art became available, as well as a minor description. Upon that, I knew I had to see it. A movie called Daddy’s Head with that poster? Pure nightmare fuel, but is the movie as intriguing as the poster? Almost!

Laura (Julia Brown, Anthony), a grieving widow, and her stepson Isaac (Rupert Turnbill, Nativity Rocks!) are in grave danger when a creature shows up at their home somewhat resembling the boy’s dead father.

I’ll be honest: I’m a little over the “my-trauma-manifested-as-horror” subgenre. It seems like every single horror film is using something supernatural to represent trauma nowadays, and I’m tired of it. Horror can be so much, but the current landscape is prioritizing this limiting approach. Still, I go to each film with an open mind, and I’m happy to report that Daddy’s Head makes good use of its traumatic bones. Director Benjamin Barfoot (Double Date) has covered his film in a creepy aesthetic from top to bottom. There’s a lot to love and appreciate about the general look of this quiet, cold, and isolated world that Barfoot is working with.

I liked Rupert Turnbill and Julia Brown in their roles as stepson and stepmother, navigating a confusing future where they both feel abandoned and yet neither can find that connection they need to continue on. Turnbill has a few major scenes that solidified his onscreen presence; as a child actor, he has a nice showcase here. Brown carries a lot of pain in her performance, someone who’s never wanted kids now thrust into a position where she has a responsibility to care for another.

The biggest problem with Daddy’s Head is that it doesn’t have a lot of bite. Outside of the subject matter, it didn’t feel like a movie intended to create horror and shock. It feels more like a drama with supernatural elements, and most of its attempts at scares come from loud dog noises. There’s a lack of horror tension in the finished product. It isn’t a make-or-break, but the concept of the film lends itself to some creepy scenes, and I didn’t ever feel the tension of that.

Daddy’s Head is a rare treat: a trauma-horror film that succeeds at elevating its traumatic themes into a successfully moody little tale of monsters and grief. It has some nice performances carrying the film, and Benjamin Barfoot is able to juggle his crew’s best skills to make a movie that looks fantastic. While it’s missing some scares and intensity, it’s still worth checking out as a nice little horror film that comfortably takes on some pretty heavy material without weighing itself down in the process.

3/5
-Kyle A. Goethe