Review by Chris Rennirt
Acting on a tip from a friend about a movie called Head Count, I do a quick check on VUDU . What luck! It’s in the selection of films currently “Free with Ads.” The featured poster, showing two teenagers in a hot tub, and the title make me think stereotypic slasher, like a million others I’ve seen. But, what the hell, I think; I’ve nothing better to do…I guess. So, begins an off-the-cuff viewing of something, for a change, not in the night’s queue to review. Ninety minutes later…
What’s it all about? Evan (Isaac Jay), a teenager visiting his brother in Joshua Tree, Arizona meets a group of strangers (also teenagers), while sightseeing with his brother in the dessert. Having a strained relationship with his brother, Evan ditches him for the teenage strangers, after quickly hooking up with a beautiful, single girl in the group, Zoe (Ashleigh Morghan). So begins a movie that, without my knowledge of it being horror in advance, I would not have known…for at least 45 minutes into it.
Zoe (Ashleigh Morghan) and Camille (Bevin Bru) share a photo in Head Count
Adding to the done-to-death theme in horror is a curse about an evil spirit that is invoked for revenge, after a phrase or word is said X number of times. Yes, I’m thinking of Candyman (1992) and all of its lesser-known sequels, Bloody Mary (2006 and 2011), as well as Dead Mary (2007), also recently reviewed on Space Jockey Reviews. And the list goes on. No. For the sake of saving one of the movie’s cliched elements from being totally devoid of originality, I will not reveal the repeated words, invoked evil presence, or otherwise. As another most effective, yet oft-used horror source is fear of the people around us–our friends, loved ones, and those we trust; the fear that those we love and trust may not be who they seem. This makes me recall John Carpenter’s The Thing, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and again, Dead Mary (2007), just to name a few. No, I’m not saying that a movie that borrows from other, well-used themes can’t be good. I’m just saying that Head Count is another one of them.
Yes! There are many reasons to drive fast in a horror film!
Events in Head Count meander, without direction, throughout the movie. At first this annoyed me, but even as it continued, I still felt compelled to watch it, finish it, and see the plot play out. I not only felt compelled for closure, but because the mystery of it all was pulling me along, despite it all. At over 45 minutes in, nothing even creepy has happened–save for a detached reading of a curse at a fireside drinking party. At 46 minutes in, the greatest concern is a character’s sprained ankle and the mysterious circumstances under which it occurred. Yes! About right now, I’m looking at my watch (yes, I’m doing the dreaded time check); I’m beginning to wonder if I should ask, in vain, for my time spent to be somehow returned, as so many do. It’s beginning to look like characters doing not much of anything, aside from drinking, doing drugs, having quick sex, and the other dumb things that teenagers do…in horror films as much as life. Serendipitous might be the better adjective for the movie’s plot flow, minus the part about things being discovered in a “beneficial” way.
Evan (Isaac Jay) faces the forces of evil, as the odd man out, in Head Count
Overall, I ultimately liked the movie’s mysteries, even though they are left open-ended. We never learn much (or anything) about what is really happening. No explanations of folklore are added; some seemingly important events go nowhere, never becoming anything. About that, I’m thinking of some gun shots. (Yes! What the hell was that?) But again, I liked it. Some movies make the mistake of telling us too much, but Head Count certainly doesn’t.
How is the acting? Aside from some awkward moments in building a too-fast relationship between Evan and Zoe (when first meeting, and later in a hot tub), and a few overly-exaggerated mannerisms of another female character, the performances were good. Pretentiousness is the word I use to describe what makes most performances fall short; being too forced, unnatural, and self-aware is the fatal flaw with most….as it is here, in those moments. But, much of this, I think is due to the flaws in the script, creating such hokey moments for Ashleigh Morghan and Isaac Jay to act out. Yes, I know that teenagers can hook up very quickly, but when they do it in life, there’s something more natural about it.
Yes! It’s a slashed, bloody arm in a movie that isn’t a slasher!
Head Count has some truly scary moments, despite its familiarity. People fear one another and curses are harbingers of horror as clichés, while the jump scares and gratuitous gore we expect are kept to a minimum. The result is a mixed bag of unpredictable events, delivered in understated, yet powerful, truly frightening ways. Mere glimpses of what happened are given in key moments, like morsels and treats, leading us on, more effective than showing us all. With this, Head Count uses the production values of imagination to full advantage also, no doubt, saving money as a movie with a lower budget.
Speaking of the movie’s lower budget, it never feels or looks like it. Head Count, from beginning to end, puts a well-polished veneer over its indie-film underpinnings. It’s one that uses its lesser resources to elevate it rather than diminish it, making it all intentional rather than consequential. Director and cowriter Elle Callahan makes what could have been an Indie misfire, one that makes us look for more of her work. What’s better, and a noticeable asset, comes from Callahan’s other area of professionalism–sound design. In Head Count, she utilizes her skills, adding audible scares that are rich, reverberating and genuinely creepy.
Horror Movie Rule #1: Never open the door for what knocks late at night!
The less you know about Head Count, the more effective it is. And the questions that remain are many. Will this of teenagers have the usual fate? Is the title really as literal as it seems? Or, is the overt but a clever trick? Will Head Count take you, meandering as it does, down another less-traveled road? Will the movie’s slow pace, happenstance plot, and overused elements give you the pay off needed, before the credits role? Depending on your patience, results may vary. One good thing this one doesn’t do is give us the word we shouldn’t say–three times, four times, fives times or more–as its title. Otherwise, I’d be in trouble already!
Rocket Rating – 7
Chris Rennirt (the author of this review) is a movie critic and writer in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as editor in chief at Space Jockey Reviews. He has been a judge at many film festivals, including Macabre Faire Film Festival and Crimson Screen Film Fest, and he attends horror and sci-fi conventions often. Chris’ movie reviews, articles, and interviews are published regularly on Space Jockey Reviews and in Effective Magazine. His mission statement (describing his goals as a movie critic and philosophy for review writing) can be found on the “Mission” page, here at SJR. For more information about Chris Rennirt (including contact details, publicity photos, and more), click here.
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