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
Microcinema
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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.
burnout-central
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