Welcome to Knockout Horror. It is day 12 of our 2024 31 Days of Halloween feature and we are keeping up our trend of watching recent releases. 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 step mother 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.

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. And while there are plenty of reasons to question what the characters are experiencing. 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. But the reality is that this is simply a good old fashioned creature horror.

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 down time somewhat busy. And a decent level of suspense and tension just when the movie calls for it.

A screenshot from Shudder Origina psychological horror Daddy's Head (2024)

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 Issac, 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.

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 fully 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 pay off 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.

Should You Watch Daddy’s Head?

Fans of psychological horror should definitely watch Daddy’s Head. It’s a fascinating concept with some seriously creepy moments, fantastic acting, an interesting creature design and some decent ideas. There just isn’t enough of the good stuff to thoroughly recommend it. Some are going to feel short changed and that is understandable. The story needed more fleshing out and we need to see way more of the creature. Still worth checking out, despite these issues.