In Daddy’s Head, Laura and her stepson Isaac are dealing with a tragedy. Laura’s husband, James has passed away in a car accident and she is now navigating what comes next including how best to handle Isaac’s care.
As Isaac has no immediate family, it is up to Laura to decide who will look after him. After some thought, she agrees to continue as his guardian, although she is struggling with the loss of James and the emptiness she now feels.
Laura and Isaac are not particularly close, so their relationship is somewhat strained. This only becomes more apparent when Isaac becomes convinced James has returned from beyond the grave.
Written and directed by Benjamin Barfoot, Daddy’s Head is a British supernatural folk horror starring Julia Brown and Rupert Turnbull. The film is currently streaming on Shudder, and is a sombre and thought-provoking picture about the horror of grief.
Beautiful to look at, with some superb cinematography, Daddy’s Head has the ability to draw in its audience through its atmosphere and its setting. It then uses the interactions between the central characters to help convey the mood, as well as set out an intriguing story.
From here, the film aims to unnerve and unsettle with a slow burning tale interspersed with occasional creepy moments. These moments add a real sinister edge to proceedings and in some cases are deliciously dark.
For the most part, what Daddy’s Head offers is a.) fairly appealing and b.) fairly effective, and if slower-paced supernatural horror is your thing then you may click with this picture. It’s not an amazing horror, and I’m not sure everyone will be entranced by its story, but it is decent, the cast are all on fine form, and it certainly feels suitably atmospheric.
Things do taper off towards the end, and I’m not entirely convinced the payoff is as appealing as the set-up, but there is something here. Should you wish to give it a try, it may prove chilling enough for the spooky season.
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