Reel Review: Baghead (2024)

“Baghead” is full of potential and does plenty right, but a disappointing final act keeps it from being another horror homerun for Shudder.

Baghead is a reminder that being able to talk to the dead is not all it is cracked up to be, especially when you try to profit from it.

After her estranged father (Peter Mullan, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) suddenly dies, Iris (Ciri in Netflix’s The Witcher) inherits a run-down pub. After signing the deed, she learns of the entity that resides in the basement. It grants people the chance to talk to the loved ones they have lost, but it comes with rules. And a heavy price.

The premise is a strong one that, when done correctly, allows for an exploration of how people handle grief while also providing some good scares along the way.

The subgenre of speaking with lost loved ones has long been popular in horror. Most recently, 2022’s Talk to Me was met with critical acclaim.

Whether between Iris and her friend Katie (Ruby Barker, Bridgerton) or Iris and her dad, Baghead constantly looks at the nature of relationships. The film does a fine job with the family. Though she has not seen her father in years, Iris is jolted when she hears about his death. Over the course of the movie, she wrestles with her pain.

Baghead falters when it comes to Iris and Katie, however.

The problem is not that it is a secondary plot; it actually adds some depth to Iris.

However, since the script pays only sporadic attention to the friends, their moments lack impact. (That being said, it is clear that Katie cares for her friend.)

Making matters worse, there is a definite arc that is made moot by the third act.

Everything comes off the rails in the last twenty minutes. Up until then, Baghead is a fun little horror movie filled with some good scares and a decent main character. Some nice twists along the way prevent things from getting too stale.

Baghead keeps an air of mystery as it moves forward at a nice clip.

Yet, the film suddenly comes to a screeching halt with a series of exposition dumps during the climax. The biggest offender essentially hits the pause button as it shows a series of still pictures as someone narrates.

All intrigue is removed, and nothing explained during the long segment is particularly interesting.

The film rushes towards what is doomed to be an anticlimactic ending.

There are no questions surrounding the creature, and all character work has been thrown aside. (Iris’s father literally tells her they will not talk anymore.) Aside from one admittedly shocking death, Baghead is a film that feels like it is just running out the clock.

It may be going too far to say the weak finale ruins the entire movie.

There is some good storytelling for the majority of Baghead, but the last moments greatly harm what is an otherwise enjoyable watch.