Headspace (2005)

25-year-old Alex Borden is handsome, charming, and intelligent. In fact, he may be too smart for his own good as his life is swiftly becoming a living hell. Alex's nightmare begins when he ... See full summary »

Director:

Andrew van den Houten

Writers:

Steve Klausner, Troy McCombs (story),

Stars:

Olivia Hussey, William Atherton, Sean Young

Cast

Credited cast:
Olivia Hussey	...	Dr. Karen Murphy
William Atherton	...	Dr. Ira Gold
Sean Young	...	Mother
Mark Margolis	...	Boris Pavlovsky
Larry Fessenden	...	Father
Erick Kastel	...	Harry Jellenik
Dee Wallace	...	Dr. Denise Bell (as Dee Wallace-Stone)
Udo Kier	...	Rev. Karl Hartman
Christopher Denham	...	Alex Borden
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Karen Anderson	...	Desk Nurse
Jeanette Arnone	...	Mother (KGB Lab)
David Austin	...	Female Creature
Elwaldo Baptiste	...	Highwater, Guard #1
Teodorina Bello	...	Hospital Cleaning Lady
Stephen Benson	...	Social Worker

Storyline

25-year-old Alex Borden is handsome, charming, and intelligent. In fact, he may be too smart for his own good as his life is swiftly becoming a living hell. Alex's nightmare begins when he meets Harry, a mysterious artist and chess-master. Alex becomes alarmed when his intellect mysteriously begins to grow, and so do the horrors that invade his nightmares, and soon his waking hours. Long-suppressed memories surface and Alex must face the terrors of his violent past, a vanished older brother, a father who abandoned both his sons, and a mother who was viciously murdered. The visions intensify and he begins to experience intense headaches that ultimately cause him to blackout. But it is only the beginning of Alex's calamity. Friends and neighbors are disappearing, and people are whispering rumors of a serial killer. Menaced from all sides by the forces of evil, Alex must overcome his past and contain his own deadly urges so he can hopefully discover what demons, both real and imagined, ...

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Plot Keywords:

chess | male nudity | homosexual | bare breasts | church | 

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Taglines:

Fear. It's All In Your Head.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong horror violence/gore, sexuality and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official Soundtrack site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 September 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Headspace: El rostro del mal

Filming Locations:

Katonah, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Modernciné, Modern Headspace Productions LLC

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min 84 min (Director's Cut) 95 min (International)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Alex visits the artist's apartment the first time for the chess rematch, the timer's button is in a different position when they sit down than when they actually start the game.

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Connections

Followed by Fractured Skulls: The Making of Headspace (2006)

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Soundtracks

"WHAT IS IT"
Performed by Phonodrive
Under License From Sonic Boom Records
Written by Peter Oertl and Niclas Ulitzka
Published by Tunefish / Universal Music Publishing

User Reviews

Somewhat lacking, but still an excellent exercise in suspense and storytelling!

Headspace isn't a completely successful film, but if there was an award for 'most ambitious screenplay', this flick would certainly win it. Andrew van den Houten's debut feature demands respect from the audience for its charming originality, and for the way that it manages to pull many different story elements together. The film is definitely hard to categorise, and works from a psychological base, which is backed up nicely by some good old fashioned scenes of gore. I'm guessing the director was hampered by budget or pressures from elsewhere, as several elements of the film don't feel properly fleshed out, and given how much thought has gone into the film; I find it hard to believe that the writers would just neglect some areas. The film focuses on Alex Borden; a young man who meets a chess player one day and suddenly finds his intellect expanding. This, however, leads to nightmares, and Alex soon finds his world crumbling around him when past traumas meet with real threats from 'demons', which Alex has began to see; and which are killing off people he knows.

The great thing about watching this film is that it's never clear where it's going, and director Andrew van den Houten does a good job of building up the mystery without ever giving too much away at once. I'm deliberately focusing more on the good elements of this film simply because the majority of horror movies coming out recently are tired and derivative, so it's nice to see one that tries its best to do something original. I guess the main negative element of the film is that, while the story plays out well, there's no real resolution to the film, and while messages such as 'ignorance is bliss' stand out from the story, no actual messages are played with much. The director has assembled a strong cast of lesser known stars, which help to provide the film with a lot of cult value. Unknown actor Christopher Denham does well in the lead role, and he's backed up by such cult stars of the past as Sean Young, Olivia Hussey, William Atherton, Dee Wallace and, best of all, Udo Kier; who lights up the screen with a cameo performance mid-way through. Overall, Headspace might not be completely successful; but it's a great attempt, and I'll be keeping my eye on what van den Houten's does next.