Head Count (2018)

A group of college students on a weekend getaway accidentally summon a supernatural entity intent on using them for its deadly ritual.

Review

Head Count is a clever little film. Scratch that. Head Count is fresh - it's different. It's actually good. I mean, really good. You see, I'm a jaded old film watcher, and without even seeing the trailer I made a horrible judgement of what to expect. It's American, mid-budget, full of twenty-somethings. It's going to be bland, Blumhousian fail, think Slenderman, or Bye Bye Man. Rings. That sort of watchable-but-not-scary or even come to think of it, particularly good, three star because it doesn't deserve two tripe. Ten a penny.

But it's not.

Writer / director Elle Callahan (Feature Debut) pulls it totally out of the bag, even laying down some early first act tropes just to make you think you're going to get that - and then sub-verses that shit. I won't go into the plot here, because we're not spoiling this.

With spot on performances across the board, it's hard to pick out those to note, but Ashleigh Morghan (Paper Shadows) shines.

A well thought out movie, above and beyond anything else. Head Count shows what a horror movie can be, without relying on jump scares and gore, with some good acting, great writing, and wonderful direction.

It's a great, must-see film for anyone who liked It Follows, or The Autopsy of Jane Doe.