Head Count

 


Name: Head Count

Directed By: Elle Callahan

Subgenre: Psychological, Creature Feature

Series: Spooktober 2019 entry #1; review #32

Review: Headcount follows the our protagonist, on his weekend getaway with a group of friends as they do what apparently every other group of college kids but me did on vacations: getting blitzed out of their mind in an isolated cabin in the desert. Despite the fairly trite hook, the characters were written with just enough personality to keep them unique enough, but not enough for you to bother remembering their names. That's intentional, I believe, as the plot begins to unfold giving way to the movie's namesake. The writing manages to pull you in in spite of the ancillary characters, and the mid-section has some pretty fantastic scenes of raw paranoia that give off faint "The Thing (80's)" vibes, though the monster is considerably lamer. Thankfully, the big Monster Reveal is kept minimal and toward the end as its design is probably the weakest element of the film. Well, save for the fairly rushed and annoyingly (to some) ambiguous ending. All in all, Headcount puts an interesting spin on the shapeshifting monster trope and manages to portray that growing paranoia fairly well, but trips over its climax into "just good" territory rather than great. Still, if the sound of psychological horror creature feature sounds appealing, then check it out!




Overall Score: 3 out of 5 Chads counted. Did Head Count scare you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

IMDB: Here

How to Watch: Head Count is available on these platforms.


Official Trailer



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