Head Hunter

I got this with a group of cheap DVDs, each less than $4, at a local grocery market in a bin where they dump used DVDs that their rental dept. no longer wants. The A grade and Hollywood used stuff goes for $8, and the lesser stuff for $4, but in that lesser group of B to Z movies, Dean Caine flicks, and old made for TV stuff is a gem every once in a while, and this was one. Having seen nearly every type of, if not every, horror film made, I am giving this a 9 because it is almost a "Citizen Kane" of low-budget, non-Hollywood, shot-on-video, with friends doing the work and not getting paid, films. In fact, it's a lot like a student film in that regard, but way less pretentious and stuffy. Definitely better and more interesting than The Wicker Man, often called the Citizen Kane of horror films (sidenote: I'd give that title to THEATRE OF BLOOD). It's spooky, its got good production values, it's humorous without being silly or dopey (unlike Troma's stuff). It has a small share of gore effects, just what the production could do well, and that's good because it makes up for that in some nice suspense and thrills. It's not really predictable, and keeps one completely interested in the goings on, and even leads us down one path to a solution but then takes a twist away suddenly. I'm sure those who have given low scores to this are disappointed with the lack of gross-out gore, and probably surprised by the humor and the twists near the end. Unfortunately, if you like gross-outs, then this isn't for you, but if you like something thoughtful in the slasher/horror genre (is that an oxymoron?), then you'll enjoy.

Obviously low-budget, but doesn't look low-budget. Very gripping and entertaining. A good thriller with twists and turns like any big-budget film. Fun to watch alone or with your significant other.

Hopefully the start of a good career for director McGatlin.

A warehouse night watchman finds himself in the middle of a cat and mouse game with an escaped murderer known as...you guessed it: The Head Hunter!

No budget shot on video horror movies are an iffy way to spend your night, but every now and again I come across one that manages to impress and prove that you don't need a load of dough to make a good movie. Competence goes a long way, forget the cheap gore special effects, and write something with substance that is actually fun to watch. Troy McGatlin took that advice to heart when he penned, directed, and even decided to act in Head Hunter. A competently made little horror offering that is not only fun as hell to watch, but dare I say...kinda mysterious and suspenseful.

The entire movie takes place in and around a large warehouse where twenty-something slacker T.J. (Derek Hoffman) has duties as night watchman. Soon he learns of the escape of a psycho that terrorized the area in the 80's and after he's left alone, the threatening phone calls begin to come in from someone claiming to be the Head Hunter who has some rather shocking information. As the story unfolds we're held to examine what's just transpired in order to figure out what's going on. Is this a game? Has T.J simply smoked too much weed? Whose to be trusted? What's going on?

Needless to say I fell into the story, appreciated the good acting, and the directing from McGatlin. Loved that long shot following T.J into the warehouse at the beginning of the film, good stuff duder.

If I sound impressed with Head Hunter, it's because I am. The movie came along, flew under my radar for a while, and when I decided to give it a shot was a pleasant surprise. Despite it's video box and the fact that's it's released through Dead Alive, Head Hunter is a well made horror flick obviously done by people who love and respect the genre. Two things that seem non-existent in recent horror offerings. And it's on this level that you actually find those films that play for the horror fan and not just for the simple purpose of making a PG-13 rated buck. Check this baby out if you get a chance.

TJ (Derek Hoffman) is a slacker pothead stuck in a dead-end, blue-collar, third-shift job as a warehouse night watchman. Of course, as is often painfully seen in real life, he has an upwardly mobile, good-looking, could-be-doing-better girlfriend (Maria Stevens), who has a power meeting with the mayor in the morning but still drives through a snowstorm in her underwear to give her man some office lovin'. Unfortunately, a brutal serial killer known as the Head Hunter also happens to bust out of the slammer on the same fateful night. How these two plotlines intersect make for an alternating fun and suspenseful ride, and makes Head Hunter one of my favorite microcinema offerings.

At the outset, Head Hunter has a great sense of place, not only in the creepy warehouse that is the main set piece for the feature; but in its feel for Chicago, from the snow-choked streets to the "City of the Big Shoulders" supporting cast. Especially potent in a co-starring role is Wesley Walker as a lantern-jawed, seemingly thick-skulled Windy City cop.

Overall the talent is solid, especially the beleaguered TJ, who wants to spend another night getting high and shooting hoops at a makeshift basket, but instead is chucked headlong into a series of mind-bending, teeth-rattling shocks. The script deftly weaves the clever plot with realistic dialogue and characterizations, from the guy-talk sports banter to the ham-handed office politics of the marginalized, going-nowhere denizens of the night-side working world.

Solid production values showcase the professionalism on the other side of the lens, with good shooting, crisp editing, and smooth post elements finishing out the package.

I would place Head Hunter in the upper tier of microcinema offerings, along with the likes of Hall of Mirrors and Hardcore Poisoned Eyes, as features that break out of their poverty-row restrictions with solid writing and talent, making themselves accessible to a wider audience.

Four Stars out of Five

TJ works security at a warehouse late nights. All he has in his life is his girlfriend Tracy and weed. Well, one night when TJ shows up for work his Co-worker Chuck tells him that a serial killer called the Head Hunter has escaped from prison!! After Chuck leaves TJ is left alone and his night of terror starts.

The film starts off slow but picks up towards the middle. Actress Maria Stephens looks damn good in a thong. The acting isn't half bad. The DVD isn't much and it's a really bad transfer. But over all, if you're into B movies, this one is worth watching.