Daddy’s Head (2024) review – Creepy and Atmospheric British Creature Feature

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are checking out a brand-new Shudder Original in the form of British horror Daddy’s Head.

The story is pretty simple. A child and his stepmother are haunted by a strange creature that appears to wear the face of the child’s recently deceased father. The creature appears in the shadows, beckoning the child to the woods. But will anyone actually believe the child when he tells them? Of course not, why would they?

Slow-moving psychological horror

I am sure you know what to expect when you see the words above. Slow-moving psychological horror movies have been all the rage for at least the past ten years, following a simple formula of glacial pacing, a dark brooding atmosphere, sinister, potentially metaphorical monsters, and characters questioning their own sanity. They all seem to trace a similar pattern, which makes sense as they all want to cash in on just what it is that fans of this genre love so much.

To be perfectly honest, I find myself sighing at the thought of another near two hours spent keeping track of creatures that may, or may not, exist purely inside of a person’s damaged mind. When you have watched thousands of horror movies, it all starts to get a bit old and worn out. Still, occasionally, a really good example of the format comes along and you are reminded that it can be quite an enjoyable way to partake in horror.

“Benjamin Barfoot succeeds where others fail purely by keeping things simple. The metaphors are left to one side and the psychological aspect never gets in the way of the horror.”

Daddy’s Head isn’t exactly one of those movies but it certainly isn’t bad. It’s actually quite enjoyable, in fact. Following the same tried and tested formula as many of the other movies it shares a heritage with, director Benjamin Barfoot succeeds where others fail purely by keeping things simple. There is a disturbed child, an alcoholic woman ill-fitting to play mother, and a creature with nefarious intentions. The metaphors are left to one side and the psychological aspect never gets in the way of the horror.

It works quite well

It all comes together quite nicely and Daddy’s Head never feels like it trips up on its own overly convoluted story, something so many other psychological horror movies are far too guilty of. The simplicity of the setup allows the story to get the hell out of the way and let the horror themes do the talking.

Barfoot’s tale of grief and supernatural beings never leaves the viewer in any doubt as to what is going on. Sure, the events can be construed in any which way the viewer wishes. The reality is, however, that this is simply a good old-fashioned creature horror.

“It helps that the movie is supported by excellent performances from Rupert Turnbull and Julia Brown, both of whom do a fantastic job in some emotionally powerful scenes.”

For the most part, the horror works pretty well. There are, likely, enough creepy moments here for casual horror fans to enjoy. The creature design is very interesting. There’s a little bit of interpersonal drama and conflict to keep the downtime somewhat busy, and a decent level of suspense and tension just when the movie calls for it.

Naturally, at its heart, this is a story about grief and the refusal to accept the loss of a loved one. But there is enough balance, with regards to scares, to keep the movie entertaining on multiple levels. Indeed, this feels as much like a horror as it does an exploration of the human condition. It helps that the movie is supported by excellent performances from Rupert Turnbull, as child Isaac, and Julia Brown, as stepmother Laura, both of whom do a fantastic job in some really trying and emotionally powerful scenes.

But there are issues

The story here is rather thin on the ground. The entire movie encapsulates only a short amount of time and there is limited attempts to delve into any one subject all that deeply. This is a very self-contained tale and it feels like it rushes along at a pretty fast clip.

There isn’t much time to deeply explore the subject of grief or, even, the advent of the creature itself. You are going to have to fill in the gaps yourself as the story here is but a framework for the horror elements.

“The creature design is fascinating and rather unique but it is very stingy with its appearances. In fact, we never actually see it in full view.”

Speaking of the creature, we really don’t see a whole lot of it. The design is fascinating and rather unique but it is very stingy with its appearances. In fact, it is fair to say that we never actually see it in full view. Instead, it passes by the camera in a blur and spends most of the film shrouded in shadow. Some deeper exposition regarding the nature of the creature would have been welcome. I can only imagine how much this will drive some viewers up the wall. You want to know more about it but the film leaves you with the meagre knowledge that it existed and little else.

I can’t help but feel as though some viewers will expect a payoff that simply doesn’t come. There is a lot left unexposed and a lot that is left to the imagination. It is something of a shame because the creature is unnerving and the execution can be fantastic at times. There just isn’t enough of it and there isn’t enough to flesh out the events surrounding its appearance.

Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight

Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.

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