Head Game (2018)

Directed by: Steven Judd | 92 minutes | horror | Actors: Sidney Allison, Semi Anthony, Cameron Bowen, Marion Brooks, Courtney Claghorn, Edward Gelhaus, Chris Hayes, Manny M. Hernandez, Jamie Hill Fuller, Hannah Marie Hines, Jacob Hobbs, Gary Kasper, Abby Mairama, Owen Meyer, Liv von Oelreich, Marina Orlova

Now that the ‘Saw’ franchise has been revived – thanks for that ‘Jigsaw’ – the familiar copy cats are making an appearance again. Director Steven Judd decided to take a piece of the torture porn renaissance and make a really gross movie. Enter ‘Headgame’.

In ‘Headgame’, a group of drugged twenty-somethings end up in a musty warehouse. The people don’t know each other, but met in a nightclub where they had gone through their dates. Disoriented, this cabal hears that they must kill to survive. Ultimately, only one participant will regain his or her freedom. As the victims fight for their lives, their kidnappers bet against each other. Which date is left?

The fact that you’ve probably never heard of this movie is a sign that this is a B-movie. If not, the special effects will make that clear. Not that the effects look bad: on the contrary, you can even see that this is old-fashioned manual work. Especially the scene in which a face melts away looks pretty gross. ‘Headgame’ looks raw and rancid. In more expensive productions the wounds look just a bit more realistic and cleaner.

Blood lovers will certainly get their money’s worth in this production, because a liter of vital fluid more or less is not considered. In addition to the very solid special effects and the cool location, the acting is also striking in a positive sense. This film will never win an Oscar, but for a no-budget production it is acted very nicely. The film also has some cool plot twists in store for you. Unfortunately, the finale is unnecessarily long and the film has a number of continuity errors.

‘Headgame’ doesn’t do anything new, but is excellent viewing food for the diehard horror fan who is dry for a while. The brutal outbursts of violence are well portrayed and the decor and cast are also good.