The Amazing Screw-On Head

If you missed Amazing Screw-On Head from Sci-Fi channel, then rent, buy or download it now! This short animated film is brilliant, hilarious, and perfectly employs the visual textures and grimy, baroque aesthetic of Mike Mignola's world. It uses elements of Lovecraft, Universal Monsters, steampunk mecha, and Wild Wild West to plunge the viewer into a completely absorbing adventure.

Amazing Screw-On Head is stylistically superior to both the 2004 live-action Hellboy and the 2006 Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms. This production has more in common with Mignola's concept work on Bram Stoker's Dracula, Blade II, and Disney's Atlantis. His monsters are both horrific and lovable, his hero is upright (when attached to his body), and his villains are truly sinister.

Attn Cartoon Network and Sci-Fi: Screw-On Head should be a template for future Hellboy and BPRD animated specials.

This is the story of the Amazing Screw-On Head, a robot that works for Abraham Lincoln and the United States of America circa 1862. He is capable of attaching himself (a head) into various robotic bodies, some humanoid and others far more powerful. He is called to service when his arch-nemesis, Emperor Zombie, has decided to unleash the power of a demi-god.

This short, roughly 24 minutes, cartoon was a pitch for a series for the SyFy network. For reasons unknown to me, it was not picked up and all that exists today is this one episode. Like another series that never took off, "Heat Vision and Jack", I think this was a great mistake on SyFy's part.

Besides a nice limb-beating scene, the cartoon had original and quirky characters with a unique artwork style. Then you add Abraham Lincoln. I think one could compare the style of this roughly to "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" or "The Venture Brothers", both of which were or are quite successful. Compared to the other original crud SyFy pumps out, this would have likely gathered them a respectable audience.

There isn't much point in watching this cartoon with no others to go with it (the story is really minimal), but if you can get your hands on a copy, maybe give it a try. You'll see what might have been...

This was the best show I've seen all summer. I didn't really know what to expect, and then managed to sit in some peace and quiet and watch it.

Wow.

A perfect 1/2 hour of television, no matter what the medium. The story moved, the look was unique, the dialogue, the framing, the voices... were all perfect. TV has come a long, long way....I sure hope this becomes a series.

Kudos to Mike Mignola, Dark Horse, the team that did this gem, and sci-fi channel.

Now...give us ...MORE :)

I absolutely love this show! I love the humor and the detail that was put into each character. Emperor Zombie is now one of my all time favorite animated villains, not just for his witty remarks, but he is so excellently drawn! Abraham Lincoln is also an awesome character, along with Mr. Groin, Patience, and Amazing Screw-On Head himself.

This show surprised me. I half expected it to be some odd show that I wouldn't like, but, boy, was I wrong. The show is odd, to be truthful, but it is hilarious! The story and the characters are easy to get into and understand.

This is now one of my all time favorite animated shows! The pilot on July 27th on the SciFi channel was phenomenal. I can't wait for the rest of the series.

"The Amazing Screw-On Head" is NOT a cartoon for everyone. It's not intended for kids or normal folks. However, if you fit into that third category, weirdos that like weird stuff (like me), then this is right up your alley! This is a cartoon that was based on a one-shot comic book from Dark Horse Comics--and the hope was that the Sci-Fi Channel would like this pilot and okay the production of an entire series. Well, not surprisingly, it was NOT picked up--mostly because it made shows like "The Oblongs" and "Archer" seem downright normal!!

The film is a mission performed by Screw-On Head for President Lincoln. As for Screw-On Head, he is exactly that--a robotic head (voiced by Paul Giamatti) who can be screwed onto a variety of robotic bodies and goes on spy missions to save America. In this case, the President wants him to stop Emperor Zombie (David Hyde Pierce) from unleashing his latest evil plan--to release a demi-god from his hibernation inside a turnip. Why? Because the creature will conquer the world and Zombie is thrilled to follow up as his new sycophant. Can Screw-On Head possibly stop an undead man-servant and his new demi-god monster friend?!

As you can tell in my description, this is NOT for everyone's taste! This is a very dark, gothy and funny film--particularly the wonderful dialog from Emperor Zombie!! Well worth seeing but, sadly, something I assume you'll never see more of in the future.

By the way, if you get the DVD (available through Netflix), be sure to watch the excellent and informative making of featurette included on the disc.