Baghead (2024) is directed by Alberto Corredor and stars Freya Allan, Jeremy Irvine, Ruby Barker, Peter Mullan, Anne Muller, Svenja Jung, and Ned Dennehy. The film follows Iris (Allan), a down-on-her-luck 20-something who inherits a ratty old pub after her estranged father (Mullan) passes away. When a stranger (Irvine) arrives late one night offering a large sum of money to see “the woman in the basement,” Iris is shocked but reluctantly agrees. She quickly learns that a shape-shifting creature able to channel dead loved ones resides in her basement. When signing the deed to the property, she unwittingly signed on as the creature’s ward. Unable to leave, Iris decides the creature will be the perfect money-making opportunity. The problem is that the more the creature uses its powers, the stronger it becomes. 

Freya Allan gives a strong lead performance and although the character is mostly forgettable, there are a few tiny details that make her stand out. For example, the character being so broke that it drives her every move could come across as grating, but in today’s day and age, it feels realistic/relevant. The supporting cast is serviceable, but the characters fail to stand out because their dialogue is wooden and unrealistic actions. 

The film opens with an effectively creepy intro that sets up a compelling first act. Unfortunately, the quality regresses from there. This is the kind of movie that sets up some great mystery and tension, but the longer it goes, the more unoriginal it feels. The film does a great job of building tension, but it leaves a sour taste in one’s mouth when the payoffs are so disappointing. I think this is because there’s a tonal discrepancy between tension-building and the eventual payoff. The building of tension is dark and serious while the payoffs lean into a goofier, CGI-heavy, B-movie tone. This sacrifices scares but also doesn’t achieve much in terms of making the experience more fun. 

Although the second act is a clear step down from the first, the third act is where the movie unquestionably begins to fall apart. It begins with the cliche “creepy old guy gives last-minute exposition dump that explains how to defeat the creature” and gets worse from there, culminating in an ending that makes little sense. On top of this, it also contradicts any rules set up in the first two acts of the film. 

Overall, this is a somewhat disappointing horror experience that never capitalizes on the promise of its chilling first act. The longer one watches, the more it feels like something they’ve seen countless times before. It lacks any thematic depth and features a lot of rocky dialogue. Thankfully, it doesn’t overstay its welcome and features some impressively efficient exposition. The design of “Baghead” is also sufficiently creepy. As a horror streamer for the Halloween season, it’s serviceable enough. In any other context, it’s the definition of forgettable. C