By Jay of the Dead
I am always impressed when filmmakers return back to the basic, fundamental roots of what makes the art of motion pictures so potent. For instance, the well-meaning duo of Danish directors Lars von Trier (“Antichrist,” “The House That Jack Built”) and Thomas Vinterberg created the stringent “Dogme 95 Manifesto” in 1995.
Don’t worry. I won’t launch into a whole big thing, but for those who don’t know: In essence, Dogme 95 dictated that the cinema should be created by using the classic components of story, theme, performance, etc., while eschewing any reliance on the “vulgarity” of special effects or any other modern filmmaking technology. In short, the point was to “get back to the basics,” the bare bones heart of filmmaking, where the director remains free to be an artist without being henpecked by studio interference.
And that odd little preface brings me to a notable 2019 Horror film called “The Head Hunter,” formerly known as “The Head.” (Side note: “The Head Hunter” is an excellent title because its meanings are multi-faceted.) In fact, this film is not just notable for 2019; I would argue that it is also notable for the 2010s decade. “The Head Hunter” was released on April 5, 2019, and it just hit Redbox on May 7. Continue reading
