THE HEAD HUNTER (2019) Sometimes less is more, full review

A movie with a budget this small should not look THIS good!

Sometime less is more, and in the case of Head Hunter, truer words could never be uttered. A lone medieval bounty hunter kills creatures and collects their heads in a search for the beast that slayed his daughter. A very simple premise but one that tantalizes as any revenge tale would. Director Jordan Downey (Thankskilling, Thankskilling 3) pretty much made pure magic with this film considering his shoestring budget. He co-wrote the script also with Kevin Stewart.

The makeup in this film is astoundingly good!

Starting out I was simply in awe of the crisp, polished camera work and well produced cinematography. Some of the shots are like a Frank Frazetta painting come to life. While the tale gets a tad long in the tooth in the first half, the intense almost evil dead-like finale makes up for it. The whole time I am watching I'm thinking, how the hell did this guy make such a good looking movie on a 30k budget?!!! Here is how: Christopher Rygh (the Hunter) is pretty much the sole character in the film and he does a damn believable job. Also Downey doesn't show any creatures or battles during most of the film, just the aftermath of Hunter's injuries and the strange salve he puts on to heal them. This is genius and for the most part, works.

Artistic shots like this are the norm!

The film is not perfect but considering the budget, it is a damn gem. The pace of the first three quarters is plodding in a sense but director Jordan Downey realizes the set up that builds to the final moments thus filling each scene with intricate detail and very unique camera angles and shots. You have to hold on, people because when the finale kicks in, it kicks you in the gut! The final battle and conclusion are well played and some of the creature attack scenes reminded me of the Evil Dead in it's smartly edited bursts of horror glee. I should also point out, the makeup effects are very good as well.

Final word: I rate movies against type. I can't think of another film with this type of budget that looks this good, watch the trailer to see what I mean. I believe that if this film had been shorter by about 25 minutes it would have been an excellent anthology short and yet as it stands it is a magical fantasy/horror hybrid with a cool twist to boot. Downey has also proven that low budget cinema can be inventive, story driven and look great and lovers of indie horror and inventive film should watch straight away.

3.75/5 (7.5/10)