Baghead (2023) User Reviews

Decent enough

[martinrobertson300482 · 6/10 · 30 January 2024]

Ok maybe i'm way off on this one. But i went into this movie blind and knowing absolutely nothing about it, and came out liking it more than the people who took me to see it and were looking forward to it.

I mean its not a perfect movie, and it did have a couple of lame familiar moments. But overall it tried it hardest to be different and avoid the same old thing we've seen time and again. It had a decent plot with a couple of twists, and good acting. But is a mild horror really. So won't keep all fans of the genre happy.

Its a strange one as there's nothing terribly old but nothing amazingly new in the movie. But i'd say its worth a one of watch. Even if my friends would say it isn't.

The only thing I'll remember is the silly title!

[hqbxgmxbp · 5/10 · 27 January 2024]

Shame. I really wanted to enjoy it more.

Intriguing premise. A creature that can bring the dead for 2 minutes! And only 2 or it will take control (But doesn't that sound familiar? Talk to Me, anyone?)

Freya Allan (The Witcher) did her best as did the supporting cast, featuring the likes of Peter Mullan (Tyrannosaur) and Saffron Burrows (Deep Blue Sea).

Unfortunately the film lacked any real tension or suspense and despite its surprisingly short length, it felt like a real slog. Relieved by a few jump scares.

I just wish more time was spent on the origin of the creature and character depth to actually feel anything.

It just seemed to go through the motions with the same ol' predictable hokum and some bizarre 2000s visual effects from The Mummy films.

A shame. It killed the time but it won't be haunting my memories for long.

Loud does not equal scary

[skyemaidstone-13120 · 4/10 · 3 February 2024]

Ok first some praise: Freya Allan is a talented young actress. Unfortunately she's the only good thing in the movie.

I love a good horror film in fact I love plenty of horror films that many people consider bad but sadly this won was below the level of quality to even be entertaining.

It's a shame because the concept itself could have been interesting. Having the ability to bring someone back from the dead but only for a brief time is a good idea and could have been used to great effect Especially if the downside of this lead to being haunted by a Grudge style entity etc.

The plot just wastes its own concept with one boring character and very few different people are even brought back from the dead at all. What we get are endless repetitive scenes of the shapeshifter jumping out with a loud noise.

The best friend is a pointless tedious character that serves no purpose at all.

I guess the first 20 minutes were reasonable but after that it runs out of steam and never provides even one genuinely scary moment.

Starts well, fizzles out badly.

[sgildea-78306 · 4/10 · 6 April 2024]

Well this film certainly starts out strongly (despite some cheapish special effects).

It has a brilliant novel idea but that soon gives way to some really awful story decisions and ventures then into attempts at jump scares (not that I'm usually against those) and gross out scenes that have been done so so many times and better before.

The acting is pretty lacklustre.

It's confusing to me why these characters aren't in absolute terror from the first time they see what emerges from the wall in the basement.

The middle of the movie sags badly with poor pacing.

Which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so poorly executed.

Terrible script and unconvincing acting.

The ending is so obvious as well. I don't like being that person who says they saw it coming, but this time it was pretty easy to work out.

There's a high class film in here somewhere but unfortunately it seems they missed the chance by going for silly scares instead of taking a more subtle and creepy route.

A basement full of parental trauma

[Howling_at_the_Moon_Reviews · 7/10 · 5 April 2024]

To get this out of the way... there are obvious parallels between this film and Talk to Me that are going to be drawn, but to be fair I think we have to keep in mind that they came out less than nine months apart from each other on opposite sides of the world... so the likelihood of one being influenced by the other is slim to none.

I seem to be far more impressed and entertained by this movie than the majority of the reviews thus far. I am also quite biased to a sub genre of Gothic horror and anything magic. I thought the concept here was really intriguing, entertaining and exciting. They also melded said concept into a storyline that made sense and was cohesive.

While the movie as a whole wasn't particularly scary, there was definitely something to be said for the consistent feeling of dread it cultivated. I also thought this was quite successful aesthetically. Again, while not particularly scary it was most definitely creepy and I think the main players in that were the way the sets were, its general atmospheric nature, and while simple, I also quite liked the look of the witch. The acting was also quite solid from the whole cast. Nothing extraordinary but no one stuck out negatively to me.

I did start to get somewhat of a silly/hokey vibe around what felt like the beginning of the third act, but that seemed to fade away towards the end. I found the ending, if not semi predictable, still clever and satisfying. If anything, I would've just loved a little bit more to the lore. There were definitely some loose ends that I would have loved a little more elaboration on.

I have been anticipating this release for quite a few months and was personally not disappointed. For most, this may land closer to a 6... however due to my prior proclivities I am going with a 6.5 rounding up to a 7. Would recommend.

Talk to me too?.....

[FlashCallahan · 4/10 · 5 February 2024]

After the sudden death of her estranged father, unemployed Iris discovers she's inherited his old pub: a dusty and dilapidated property that just so happens to come with a permanent basement-dwelling tenant.

As her dad's pre-death VHS tape informs her, Iris will now be bound to this subterranean creature forever and must follow a set of rules in order to stop it escaping. The bad news is the rules are not as cool as the Gremlin rules.

The good news is that It has the abilities to connect the living to the dead for two minutes. That's a whole thirty seconds more than the hand from Talk To Me, and she may be able to profit from the titular character.....

Horror is my favourite genre, and to get to the golden nuggets of horror, you have to trawl through some trash more often than you would think, and here is another one out of the way, getting me closer to that beautiful golden horror film.

If you've seen Talk To Me, you've already seen this film, as it's nothing more than a pound shop version of that superior film. And that was less convoluted than this.

So once Iris has signed the contract, Baghead is hers, and. It's do what she says. But only if the two minute rule isn't breached, or you paint a sign on a step, because that also works.

The film goes for the cheap shot of jump scares, and if you're used to films like this, you know when the jump scares are coming every single time.

The titular character has a good design, and it's not terrible. It's just boring in parts.

Original and pleasantly creepy

[johannes2000-1 · 7/10 · 22 March 2024]

Well, the premise certainly is original, there's a seriously creepy atmosphere, the colossal ancient building and the cellar give an almost gothic feel, and Freya Allan and Jeremy Irvine both do a fine job. And the CGI of the bag-person (witch or demon or whatever) in her various horrifying appearances is very well done. But I had also some reservations. The sound-bursts to accompany the intended jump scares were almost deafening, I left the cinema with my ears popping. And at times the logic behind the use of the bag-headed lady eluded me, like the two-minute rule that constantly got violated without immediate consequences, or the strict rule never to enter the hole in the brick wall, but Iris did so unharmed. Or why couldn't she simply sell the house so that the curse would fall on a new owner, surely real estate investors would have jumped on the occasion!

Resuming: not bad at all, but with some flaws.

Bag of s**te.

[BA_Harrison · 3/10 · 28 January 2024]

Those who reckon that Night Swim is the worst horror film to come out this January, think again: Baghead is much worse, feeling like a bad mash-up of Barbarian and Talk To Me (but far less accomplished than either), the story revolving around a mysterious woman with a bag on her head, who lurks behind the wall in the basement of a pub and who has the ability to allow people to talk to the dead for two minutes. Freya Allan plays Iris, who inherits the pub and discovers its dark secret.

Directed by Alberto Corredor, based on his short film of the same name, Baghead is bland, forgettable tosh that makes very little sense if thought about for more than a few seconds. A pub with a witch that allows the living to communicate with the dead, and somehow this hasn't made international headlines - utter nonsense! Perhaps if there was a sense of fun to the whole thing, or Freya Allen's character was likeable, or - God forbid - they made this an 18 certificate with bags of gore instead of a tame movie aimed at teens that relies on (mostly ineffective) jump scares, I might have had something good to say about it. But I don't.

2.5/10, rounded up to 3 for IMDb.

Good enough film, title is silly though.

[donmurray29 · 7/10 · 29 January 2024]

Giving this an 7/10 rating

Clever and grim, horror film is set in just one location, a very slim cast and this means getting to the point with no messing about. A college drop out has to take over a ancient pub from her father who has died, but the pub has a secret with it, and evil with it.

Like 'Night Swim', this is based on a short movie. Guess this a real trend now, which is fine, so long as they are good. It's very fast and simply done, with good production design that you have to pay close attention too.

The cast of Freya Allan, Ruby Barker, Jeremy Irvine and the great Peter Mullan and Saffron Burrows are tormented good, Anne Muller is excellent as the 'Baghead' in question. Humans are shown as real scumbags as they all are in this, and this is important for the narrative.

Never thought Peter Mulanwould do a horror film, but he is very good in this, plays with his role with the authority he needs, look forward to more from Freya Allan, she displays proper emotion, given the role she must work in, A simple enough horror film, it's fine film fun, but really scary all out.

Don't expect better.

[sherken-97640 · 5/10 · 1 March 2024]

This film left me feeling incredibly disappointed. While the first and last parts managed to capture my attention, the middle section was a tedious experience that left me reaching for my phone to alleviate my boredom. One of the main issues with the film is its lack of creativity and a compelling plot. While it attempts to tell a unique story, it ultimately falls flat, feeling simplistic and uninteresting. One aspect that the film did manage to get right was its visual effects and jumpscares. There were moments that genuinely frightened me, and the visual elements were well-executed. However, these scares alone couldn't compensate for the film's weak storyline. It felt as though the filmmakers relied too heavily on these elements without giving enough attention to crafting a solid and engaging narrative. On a positive note, the cast delivered commendable performances. Despite the film's shortcomings, the actors managed to bring their characters to life with fabulous acting. Their dedication and talent were evident throughout, and they did the best they could with the material they were given. It's unfortunate that their efforts weren't supported by a stronger script and a more captivating storyline. If you're looking for a movie to watch purely for entertainment purposes, I would suggest giving this film a chance and forming your own opinion. It's possible that others may find aspects of it more enjoyable than I did. However, if you're seeking a horror film that offers a worthwhile investment of your time and money, I would recommend looking elsewhere.

Pretty decent

[barbzb · 8/10 · 16 April 2024]

Sometimes the bad reviews can be misleading. I really enjoyed watching this one and ill definitely watch it again. The plot was something new i've never seen before which is rare for a horror movie these days. The plot was good, the script was good, the acting was good, the cast was good. 7/10 for the cgi, it was better than i expected. The ending was pretty good and unexpected too and the ending set up a potential sequel. Which i would love to see. Even tho the movie didn't recieve good enough score for a second one i really hope we have it. It's not the scariest but it does have you on the edge of your seat in some bits.

An above average indie horror that surprises...!!!

[PANDIAN120621 · 6/10 · 6 April 2024]

Alberto Corredor's Baghead (adapted from his 2017 short film of the same name) explores the feeling of grief,greedy and desperation, showing us the extent people will take just to get closure from their past relationships. It gives us a plot that has been told countless times in the horror genre...wherein communicating with the dead has its consequences when certain rules are not observed. We follow Iris Lark (Freya Allan) who inherits an old pub from her late father, only to discover a shapeshifting woman capable of summoning the dead in the basement...

Baghead isn't the most original of horror films. It's certainly derivative of any number of horrors involving some sort of boogeyman or entity that the lead character has to confront and face her fear before it scares her to death...

Corredor is more into tightening the screws on his characters until they're ready to pop. He builds an atmos of fear from early on and holds it to the end, when supernatural events really go off the rails - but in a good way that is agreeable with the general tone of the film... It's just not a very good one. It's a decent, mindless date movie though and people who rarely enjoy horror movies might like this one. Die hard horror fans may want to hold out for Baghead...

Unique Concept Spoiled By Lazy Writing

[Enix4 · 5/10 · 5 April 2024]

This is the sort of film you watch when there's nothing else, which is sad because the idea behind it is actually pretty decent.

Pros: Concept. The creature design proved fairly unsettling, though I would've probably made that single eye staring out of the bag a tad less human. The pub made for a suitably oppressive setting. Solid enough performances from the cast.

Cons: I was more or less in it until Katie returned from Otto's place so desperate to find Iris.... but couldn't be bothered to check the bathroom where she's lying. Lazy writing. Otto's rushed, cliche little explanation of the creature's history lacked enough detail to have any impact after the build up. The walls of the witch's "tomb" resembled something made out of plastic; a state of affairs unhelped by bad lighting. And what the hell was with the flashbacks before Iris/Baghead crushed Neil's head? The witch has been in control all along? What does Iris's drawing have to do with anything?

Cap it off with a disappointing ending, and you're left with the feeling of having just woken from a dream: nothing but half-remembered images and a vague sense of confusion.

Toothless and bland horror

[ethanbresnett · 4/10 · 28 January 2024]

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.

Baghead (based on a short film in 2017 of the same name), this was good and definitely underrated horror films for sure.

[kmkevinn-64733 · 7/10 · 5 April 2024]

Baghead was not the scariest film of this year, but it is very underrated horror film, this film was made last year and decided to release this film one year later, what took them so long, it's like OUT OF DARKNESS that was released in film festivals of 2022 and did not get a theatrical release date till two years later, is like why can't they release both of these films in 2023 at the same time. Stupid and Revoking. Anyway, Baghead did impress me with good amount of scares, the main lead (Iris) was the owner after her father died from burning him alive by her wife/mother of Iris. Katie was probably annoyed way too much and wanted her to die, thankfully she did. Neil and the Witcher did not go as planned so Iris is still the owner and Neil wasn't. But in conclusion; Baghead was good and did have a significant impact on Iris herself on how she is still the owner after the ending conclusion. You get approximately two minutes, after two minutes then hell breaks loss.

Too little, too late.

[zandertshcs · 2/10 · 6 April 2024]

Watch Talk To Me instead. You won't find anything particularly novel or well-written here. Each time it looks like the film may go in an interesting direction, it quickly takes you down the least creative path. Like many modern horror movies it relies on a cheap scares and lazy exposition instead of a compelling story. The most important elements of a horror film like suspense and tension are rushed, making them almost completely absent. This plot has so much unrealized potential which could have been resolved by simply extending the runtime to delve deeper into character origins and motivations. As one would expect, the film relies heavily on it's 'monster' but reveals its origin so late into the film that you wouldn't be mistaken for thinking that they hid that reveal until the second half of the plot because it would be unattractive to most audiences.

It could have been better

[wladahouse · 7/10 · 14 April 2024]

It's a shame that a film of this quality has such a bad ending. They could have tried a little harder to make it better than this. This rating of mine is only due to the good acting, production and the mask effect of the monster that really scared me in some scenes of the film. Judging by the end of the film, there could be a second part, which I sincerely hope. Imagine, Baghead 2: Monster Hunt. The title is not important, I would like it to be a sequel and that they put a little more effort into the story, and especially the end of the film to make it memorable. As a big horror fan I would like it to be a surprise if there is a sequel, and I believe they can do it without a problem...

Bland Baghead

[jordanbrad · 3/10 · 31 January 2024]

Well we chose to watch this with the original rating of 7.5 and by the time we exited the cinema it had dropped to 5.5. Rightly so as it's An ok delivered somewhat simple plotline.

Mainstream Horror is really running dry on fatigue. A 'ghost' witch sealed in a tomb not exactly unique... i mean sometimes less is more but it was a tick-list of horror tropes. The friend a victim, the untrustworthy stranger, the timed 'jumpscares'... I'll give them credit for the 'twist' of killing unexpectedly but it does little to boost it.

This build up of whats beyond the wall ... its nothing but dirt. I was expecting some freaky things but no just our baghead chilling and killing. Fell flat considering thats her domain over her guardian... and the 'zombie' lass crawling on the cieling actually made me chuckle,

Every jumpscare falls flat as it's queued in with predictable silence. It sets it up for a good cliffhanger but the second plotline may be better than this slow build up to unsatisfactory ending. Suppose its better than the white girl saving the day yet again but yeh its bland at best.

Gets better and better as it goes along

[jtindahouse · 7/10 · 25 February 2024]

Generally the pattern I've found for horror movies is that they start off strong and get worse and worse as they go along. 'Baghead' was the opposite. After a weak opening scene and some clunky set up, I was gearing myself for a long 90 minutes. Then somewhere along the line the film found its groove and by the end it had actually turned into an above average horror movie.

When the concept was first explained I thought it was a terrible idea. But the filmmakers did a good job of getting everything out of the concept they could. I was surprised at how effective it actually was by the end of the film. Also there are actually some decent scares in the movie. The visual effects were done to a good standard and helped ensure there was some creepy imagery to go along with it.

Pretty much all the violence is off-screen. The film isn't interested in gore, more so in creating an atmosphere. If that sounds like your kind of thing this one might just surprise you. 7/10.

Potential was there.

[iamtherobotman · 2/10 · 1 May 2024]

This film frustrates. It reminds me in many ways of the awful film 'The Door'.

There's a set of rules to be followed and ofcourse those rules are broken flagrantly. The worst thing being, the rules are very simple.

In 'The Door', the Security Guard was told not to open the door. When a 'delivery' was made by two other security guards, and they had to go beyond the door, he was told that if they hadn't returned within a certain time ( i think it was 2 minutes), then he shouldn't open the door under any circumstances. Ofcourse the rule is broken and he opens the door after the 2 minutes is up.

In this, she's told that people can speak to the dead via 'Baghead' for only 2 minutes. No more. The number of times the timer goes off, signifying the 2 minutes is up, yet they keep on talking is incredible. She's also told not to go beyond the hole in the wall. Ofcourse, that rule also has to be broken.

There was potential for this to be a somewhat groundbreaking Horror, something which leaves the audience stunned. Unfortunately we ended up with this film which stumbles along breaking simple rule after rule and seems to enjoy doing it.

A Tied House

[Pairic · 8/10 · 2 February 2024]

Baghead: Iris (Freya Allan) is on her uppers, evicted from her flat in London, dependent on her ever helpful friend Katie (Rubie Baker) so when her estranged father (Peter Mullan) dies and leaves her a pub in Berlin it seems her problems are solved. An over-helpful creepy lawyer (Ned Dennehy) offers to sell the pub for her but she insists on putting her name on the deeds. This is a different kind of tied house as we see her father confronting a strange tenant in the basement, a woman with a bag over her head and battling with her. Iris has already met Neil (Jeremy Irvine) who lets her know that the entity in the basement, Baghead (Anne Müller), can contact the dead. Now Iris is a bit of a hustler and cannot resist Neil's offer of £4,000 to get to speak to his dead wife. Baghead though has rules, while she must obey Iris now, she gains extra power if the conversation with the dead goes on for more than two minutes. She also adopts the countenance of the dead person when allowing them to speak, But like all demons Baghead is tricky and is often an unreliable narrator. Some good jump scares and a suitably crumbly dank basement. What's really important here are the rituals involved, make a mistake and your life may be forfeit. Indeed aspects of the story suggest a meta-ritual may have been at play for much of the narrative. The number of Baghead's victims increase and gore flows as we learn more about her back history and that of the pub. Good acting by Allan and Mullan (much of his performance in flashbacks and on a video recording)., with a rather frenzied performance by Irvine. Directed by Alberto Corredo, written by Lorcan Reilly. And it's not a ripoff of Talk To Me; Baghead is based on Reilly and Corredor's original 2017 short film of the same name. 7.5/10,

Good storyline

[hayleyyc · 7/10 · 9 March 2024]

Baghead was such a decent horror movie for rodays standards. The storyline had me was good from start to finish. Horrors can be so fake and predictable and some storylines are so played out, but this storyline had a different spin. It was unique and the acting was surprisingly good, not too cringey or overacted. The ending did feel a bit rushed, but it could have been worse. It actually left me wanting more and hoping for a sequel, and there ia definitely potential with the way it ended. Overall I had a blast watching Baghead and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a good suspenseful horror flick.

Potential Not Reached

[nickybk-98095 · 5/10 · 17 February 2024]

This had bags of potential (no pun intended) but it just wasn't used. The script and idea is good but there is just not enough scare points scored with this. It is eerie in parts and the heartful backnotes of seeing your loved ones again after death makes this movie watchable but it is just not enough to rate over a 5 out of 10 score. Howecer I don't think you can blame this entirely on the director or the writers, this needed a bigger budget and really with that cash injection this would have been a great watch on par with the conjurning movies. Just fell short unfortunatley, which is a shame.

Watch Talk to Me instead

[TheWillo13 · 2/10 · 14 April 2024]

10, maybe 15 years ago this movie would have been a good horror for the time. Today's horror scene needs smarter protagonists that won't walk into a dark corner because they here something unusual, and yet this film had no characters worth engaging with. The villian could have been interesting if we had a more Frankenstein-esque monster to fear but also sympathise, something teased early on but never came back we the movie dragged.

The writing didn't do anything to make it more engaging, either. Horror shorts tend to provide really powerful premises for a film to expand, yet this felt like another failed adaptation where they cut corners and took a lazy approach because they outsourced the premise.

This movie needed better characters to be good, and better writing to be great.

The script had potential and was not used, "Baghead" is a pretty weak film.

[jp_91 · 6/10 · 9 February 2024]

"Baghead" is a film whose trailer looks promising, however the film is quite simple and barely saves itself from being bad. The cast gives decent performances, the cinematography is well done without being outstanding, the digital special effects, which are few, are poorly done and the director's work manages to have merit by bringing to the screen a couple of effective suspense scenes, but then everything falls apart. It becomes boring, it loses suspense and the horror has no effect. For its part, the soundtrack, editing work and sound design go completely unnoticed. The script had potential and was not used, "Baghead" is a pretty weak film.