Doomtomylo
a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
Steve Nyland (Squonkamatic)
Seriously, if you're rained in for the weekend while visiting mom this summer you should probably find something else to watch than HEADER. Or THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE, two post HOSTEL films of the new school of ultra-extreme horror & exploitation entertainment that are setting message boards across the internet abuzz. That people are talking about the film -- or chatting about it, whatever the right term -- justifies its existence. In a sick, demented, completely inappropriate way this is art, like it or not.That doesn't mean everybody necessarily needs to see it, however. I kind of wish I hadn't. A lifelong lover of horror films including low budget gross out exploitation horror, this film went beyond the pale that I usually confine myself to. But it did so deliberately, with conviction, and had the courage to get down into the cesspool with its viewers. The idea wasn't just to repulse its witnesses, or titillate them, or to push the boundaries and limits of what's permissible. The film does that in the first fifteen minutes & never looks back. It eats up repulsive extreme torture porn for breakfast and regurgitates it back up for lunch, wolfing the filth and bile down a second time with a lip-smacking leer. Shocking its viewers was small potatoes.I think one of the purposes of the film was to try and push the clock back on how low budget exploitation horror garbage was made; I was reminded of THREE ON A MEATHOOK, the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" films, and the despicable FORCED ENTRY (the first version, that is) as much as I was thinking of DELIVERANCE. Those treasure troves of human creativity were made back when filmmakers weren't obsessed with potentially alienating viewer demographics and went for broke. Likewise, HEADER manages to assail every creature on this Noah's Ark of human failure: Hillbillies, law enforcement, medical professionals, housewives, random people walking down the street, are more or less all devalued into human trash to be chopped up, shot, skewered, stabbed, beaten, whatever you can imagine and then some. The only person in the whole film with any genuine scruples is a drug dealer and even he buys the farm.The barbarity of the movie's core premise also masks an interesting Tarentino-ish plot about an overworked idealistic ATF agent at the end of his rope whose life spirals out of control during the very gripping final twenty minutes. Which have nothing to do with perverted hillbilly psychopaths ... and yet it does, or rather has to do with the depths to which humans will descend for primal pleasures, a mythical attribute of the cinematic redneck harvested by DELIVERANCE. And the first half of the film serves as an extension of that film's second most famous scene. If you ever wanted to see what the deformed mountain men from DELIVERANCE might be doing back at their barnyard shack when not dry humping canoeists, here's your big chance!Beyond that however it's an almost impossible film to recommend, a matter not helped by the shot on digital hand-held cam look the film is just as obsessed with as it is the sex & violence. After a while the technique becomes tiresome, as if the filmmakers were saying they were just too punk rock cool for a tripod, or that its storytelling too frenzied for simple pans & zooms. Sometimes they even move the camera deliberately just to show it isn't stuck in one place. The effect of a hand-held shot is best utilized when juxtaposed against more static camera positions in a way that involves the viewer in momentary bursts of action (see ALIEN from 1979 for a masterful example). Without anything to juxtapose it against the effect becomes a method and overpowers whatever visual language the cinematography was trying to employ.There's also a duality to the film that seems like two different ideas welded together & given a fresh coat of paint that divides the movie into two acts: A first act that wallows in the urinal with the rednecks, and the second act where the ATF agent's ultra-bad day at work comes into play. The first part is more of what I call a Behavior Film where we get to witness various depraved behaviors put on display for our entertainment like a cartoon freak show. It is only when the plight of the agent takes center stage that the film concentrates on telling a story about events happening to people & becomes genuinely interesting. The standout scene being a jaw-dropping monologue by a veteran ATF agent (played by Jim Coope) who obligingly explains what a "header" is while spitting tobacco juice into a paper cup. I won't forget that speech anytime soon, and just like THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE can't help myself from wondering *how* anybody ever thought any of this up.But still, for an in-your-face, all out assault on good taste you can do a lot worse. Sadly, this will probably make a great party movie, catering to low attention spans, bawdry crass humor, dumb cracker jokes (one of the only demographic groups along with fat guys still fair game to any manner of abuse a writer can hurl at them) and repulsive visual gags. I also like the goofy low budget approach with certain elements like the mail order ATF AGENT shirts that serve as a readymade costume for the feds. There's some good laughs to be had here for sure, though whether or not I would hang around such a party is a different matter. The idea of people actively enjoying this film is even more disturbing than its content, which may have been the ultimate goal.5/10; As for mom? "Dark Shadows" box set. Never fails!
EVOL666
I originally started watching HEADER a year or so ago-but I remember being tired when I watched it and couldn't get into it-so I turned it off less than halfway through. Despite having read several of Lee's stories (though I have yet to read this one...) and being pretty hyped to see this-I found the poor acting, horrible Southern accents, and lame cinematography to be more tedious than entertaining. But just recently I started reading Lee's 'Flesh Gothic'-and it reminded me that I still had this disc laying around, so I decided to give it another shot. Travis is a scumbag redneck who gets out of jail and goes to live with his legless grandpappy in some shack in the woods. During their time of familial re-bonding, grandpappy relates the joys of the 'header' to Travis, and explains that the act is to be used as a means of revenge against those that have wronged the family. Travis becomes an enthusiastic header devotee-and starts header-ing everyone in sight. Meanwhile, there is a dirty ATF agent named Cummings who runs drugs for local dealers to help pay for his wife's expensive prescriptions. The two story lines converge when Cummings starts getting involved in the header murders...I'll start with the good. The basic plot works for what it is. Grandpap's performance (unlike anyone else's in the film...) was extremely entertaining. There is a passable amount of gore-but those that insist that this film is some sort of gore-soaked bloodbath obviously haven't seen too many gore-soaked bloodbaths. There's a couple decent sets of tits-that's always a plus. As to the bad: the acting by virtually the entire cast is weak. Travis' retardedly fake Southern accent is so horrible that he's often unintelligible. The cinematography/editing (if they can be called that) make the film look extremely amateurish. I also feel that the revenge aspects of the whole header ritual was glossed over when it came to Travis' choice of victims. Often the victims transgression against the family-resulting in the header-was explained in a quick sentence or two- almost as an aside-and oftentimes nearly or completely unintelligibly due to Travis' ridiculous accent. So what's the verdict? Upon my second attempt with HEADER, I will say that I enjoyed it more than the first time-at least to the point that I finished it. It's hard for me to judge this one because although it's relatively entertaining and despite the fact that I haven't read the source-material, I've read enough of Lee's work to see his 'spirit' in the film. Unfortunately-I just can't get past how low-budget HEADER feels. I realize that it is in fact a low- budget indie film-but I've seen many 'smaller' films do more with less. One reviewer nailed it when he mentioned the style of the opening scene and how it had a cool, vintage, degraded film-stock kind of look that would have assuredly worked much better throughout the entirety of the film, as opposed to the obviously shot-on-digital look that the rest of the film has. And even though HEADER presents some semi-graphic material-it doesn't come close to capturing in visual terms the hyper-sexuality and violence that Lee's writing exudes. Personally-I'd love to see a more experienced and ballsier film- maker do a proper adaptation of one of Lee's other works. I totally think it could be done-but it would take someone who's really willing to both cross and crush the 'line' between horror and porn in film like no one else has before. Anyway-I'm going to give HEADER a pretty lenient 7/10 for at least attempting to put this sort of material out there-even if it is a bit tame (and lame...) by comparison...
dstern1
This is not a horror film! Horror films have suspense. This film has none.This film was screened at a major festival for independent films. I left the screening wondering why it had been selected. It was far below par for any festival, much less a major festival.It is the story of sadism and revenge among hillbillies. It is the story of an equally sadistic federal agent. The plot was predictable. We had technical problems during the screening; however, I knew exactly what was missed because the plot was overly predictable.The film is on its way to the DVD dollar racks or more likely the 50 cent racks. It will be purchased by those on the fringes of society who identify with the sociopathic.
sariybnormll
This horror film containing a campy sense of humor similar to Sean of the Dead, although with surprising depth is a must see! The controversial themes and definition of a HEADeR is reason enough to check this film out. WARNING... it is so disturbing you won't believe your eyes. The special effects and scoring are fantastic for a low budget indie, true guerrilla film-making at its best. But listen close to Grandpap, the funniest paraplegic white cracker that will make you pee your pants... I promise you don't want to miss a single line! The writing is unbelievably catchy, unconsciously you'll find yourself repeating one liners to your friends and family! Do your self a favor and see this film, a new and innovative movie never done before. You won't be disappointed!
