The Head Hunter (2018)

A medieval warrior's gruesome collection of heads is missing only one - the monster that killed his daughter years ago.

Director:

Jordan Downey

Writers:

Kevin Stewart, Jordan Downey

Stars:

Christopher Rygh, Cora Kaufman, Aisha Ricketts

7 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Christopher Rygh	...	Father
Cora Kaufman	...	Daughter
Aisha Ricketts	...	The Head (voice)

Storyline

A warrior travels wild expanses on horseback, pursuing the monster that murdered his daughter. His thirst for revenge is the driving force of a film constructed with very few elements, minimalistic and epic at the same time, where fantasy and horror find their more physical and gory incarnations (synopsis in the 2018 Sitges Filmfestival programme catalogue).

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Plot Keywords:

dark fantasy | revenge | warrior | exploitation | demon | 

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Taglines:

Grief. Anger. Vengeance.

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Composer Nick Soole approached the film's score as if it took place on a medieval planet. He wanted there to be a sense of something otherworldly and unsettling about the music in the film.

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Goofs

At about 29:35, when the father places the poster on his daughter's grave, it doubles over on itself before he places a rock on top. In a subsequent shot, the poster is open and flat on the ground.

User Reviews

Exquisite Minimalist Storytelling

The amazing beauty of The Head Hunter is the minimalist storytelling that creates a high impact effect with virtually no extraneous dialogue or superfluous characters. The Father and his role are clearly defined as a singular, over-riding purpose; yet the Land and the Time in which he lives in is kept vague, building the larger-than-life mythology of the film. This story reminds me of the first, simple stories I read in grade school (Beowolf, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow) that set my imagination on fire and created a lifelong yearning for reading.

That being said, the action fans, gore aficionados, and special effects/CGI devotees are going to be disappointed. This is a low budget film, and from the outset, it's evident the producers were more focused on the quality of the storytelling than shiny bells and whistles. If you watch the film with this managed expectation, you are going to be more apt to enjoy it. After all, at one hour eleven minutes, it's a tale that moves along nicely.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 April 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Head Hunter

Filming Locations:

Bragança, Portugal

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$44,652

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brayne Studios, Detention Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1