Head Case (2007)

Wayne Montgomery (A nicely underplayed and not bad performance from Paul McCloskey) is a suburbanite, in insurance and married to his domineering older wife Andrea. (Barbara Lessin) They have two kids, Todd (Bruce De Santis) and Monica (Emily Spiegel). Wayne however, sometimes gets stressed with life. Some of us listen to Bach, drink a beer or smoke a joint to unwind, when life gets on top of us. Wayne on the other hand likes to kill people. He's also an avid fan of home movies and recording in general, and is more than happy to document his acts for posterity. Andrea has no problem with this and in fact helps him dispose of the evidence, all the while hen pecking him. And it's all captured on camera...Head Case, despite its rather lurid title, is actually a not bad fly-on-the-wall look at murderous psychopathy as a way of life. Wayne and Andrea bicker regularly in a banal, ordinary manner, and chit chat when they're not disposing of their victims, and the whole thing comes across as intentionally boring, yet absorbing at the same time.In terms of content, it's pretty restrained, probably due to budgetary constraints, and owing more to the likes of Shane Ryan's Amateur Porn Star Killer series than to Fred Vogel's August Underground films. (although it's shot better) However in tone, although purposely banal, it's extremely mean spirited in parts, with director Anthony Spadaccini getting under your skin with some wince-inducing concepts, and disturbing sound effects, even if it isn't full on in-yer-face grue.Overall, I rather liked it and it held my attention for its entirety. Worth checking out for horror fans, but gore hounds will feel shortchanged. 6/10, but a not bad film and worth a watch.

Apart from The Exorcist, Requiem For a Dream, and Marmaduke, there are very few films that genuinely disturb us. We first saw Head Case back in February of last year. We revisited it the other day and it still messes with our heads.For one thing, as we said in our original review, this does not feel like a proper film. It feels like a home movie. From the dialogue to the acting to the camera-work, everything about Head Case feels about a million times more real than The Hills.And while the gore can be plentiful and icky, the most horrific scene shows absolutely nothing but if you are "enjoying" the film up to this point, the sequence will absolutely chill you. Make no mistake, though. You will either love this film or hate it. There is no middle ground, and that is a good thing.We've become big fans of Mr. Spadaccini, and not just because he put a quote from our original review on the DVD cover. Every film of his that we have seen is unique, beautiful in it's own twisted way, and even if you don't like them, you will never forget them.And that is a good thing.

So here we are watching home movies? No. No one makes movies like these. But here they are...and...its tough to turn away, isn't it? Thats the key behind 2007's Head Case from Anthony Spadaccini and team. And i say team because his use of ad-libbed dialog is phenomenal in this story of two mad parents bent on setting the record for homicides in the family tub. What ramps the creepiness up to 10 is their behaviour; neither over the top or demented, or mad-man speech is present. Its the very subtle interest and action these two psychos keep wrapped under their suburban-home cover. Their more interested in bickering over how to slice a stomach akin to a typical married couple deciding on where to order out for dinner. Another great use of the "home movie" type of filming, Anthony has shown that this is very familiar and comfortable territory, and eagerly exploits the cast and their pleasure at living out these characters.

Okay, first off, this film is not everybody's cup of tea. But if it is yours, and you can handle the graphic violence and frightening look at the human psyche at its most damaged, then you'll be amazed.It was disturbing as hell. It made me sick to my stomach (and I wasn't going into this blind--I'd been warned it was graphic). These people act so normal about what they're doing and that just threw me. This film has a very unique and little-before-seen take on serial killers and this fresh new approach is what makes it so frighteningly powerful.The lady wants to put pictures up in the basement where they torture people. Wow, she's a regular freak, though, isn't she? Little details like that throughout the film remind the audience that something is so very wrong in these two character's heads. (And actually, I nearly typed 'people' instead of 'characters' because they are way too real. The documentary style gives it that extra-real feel as well.) I was grimacing through the whole thing.The husband and wife bicker, like a real couple. He throws out ideas on how to approach their murders and she's eager to see and learn. Between their murdering sprees they have "loving" moments with their two children. "You need to clean up that mess"... These characters probably seem normal outside the house but they're so subtly "off." They're the type of people who would, if you were to pass them in the grocery store or on the street without knowing who they are, give a gut feeling that says "STAY AWAY--don't know why just STAY AWAY." And the grotesque sound effects and the wife's Christmas present.... You'll need to see it to believe. Normal words fail me here.Now--on to the aesthetic parts of the film (and yes, believe it or not, there ARE some): The lighting and color is gorgeous (is that the right word for a film like this?). The entire film has a desaturated, slightly off-color look which helps bring you into this off-kilter world of the home-video-making serial killer. It's easy on the eyes but it's the only thing that is.The entire movie was shot home-video style, which lends for a slight camera shake throughout. It works well, making everything feel much more real, but also causes the film at times to move a bit slowly.The music in the background at the beginning is reminiscent of...really old cartoons. Like the kind where one of the characters is mischievous by nature. It evokes a really interesting feeling from the get-go, sort of like everything is off-kilter. And it's very subtle. The music never proclaims the characters are doing something dramatic or evil.The actors are phenomenal. They totally made me believe it. And the way the film opens--over black, with narration...it sets the mood for the dark that will follow.In closing, this film felt way too real and that made it very uncomfortable (well...that word's too tame in this case...). But wow. Just wow. Disturbing on a level I can't even contemplate because these characters were just. so. WRONG. And this is an amazingly scary movie, not because of the blood and gore, but because of the way this film captured the darkest and frankly most disgusting parts of humanity. It's sickening because it's real--because there are people like that. Heck, I'm pretty sure I've passed one or two in the supermarket--we probably all have.So, this film is AMAZING in its own right--again, if it's your cup of tea. If not, avoid it like the plague; but if you're ready for a dip into the dark and everything we fear but never talk about, then watch this film. You won't be disappointed.