OOP DVD
A few days ago, as I was watching Head Trauma, I was reminded of all the abandoned barns, shacks, boats, empty summer homes and burned out campers I had explored as a child. It occurred to me that I never stopped to consider that there may have been somebody actually LIVING inside of them! Now, when I say living, I’m actually referring to squatters.
See, in my opinion, there’s nothing scarier than a squatter. I mean bums are scary, don’t get me wrong, but squatters have this whole different creepy vibe. They live amongst other people’s memories, marriages, college graduations and bad sexual episodes. They’re sniffing your wife’s discarded panties and sleeping with little Sally’s bobo bear. They’re like not-so-best friend’s that dig through your photo albums, leaving their unwanted fingerprints as they go.
I can distinctly remember walking through an empty summer home one time and finding unopened cans of beans and beer. I had this eerie feeling somebody was there in the house with me but I just couldn’t find anybody. I went from room to room looking through closets, in dresser drawers and under beds. The only place that remained unexplored was the basement and I wasn’t about to go exploring down there because…well…we all know what happens in dark, scary basements.
Anyhow, Head Trauma was one of those films that scared the living shit out of me. I was just blown away by some of the sequences in this film and yes…I walked backward into my bedroom after heading to the bathroom! That means it was good!
George Walker (Vince Mola), an alcoholic drifter, heads to his deceased grandmother’s home after a 20 year absence in order to reclaim his rightful ownership, fix the home up and resell it. The house has been abandoned and condemned; the insides are in shambles after a successive procession of careless tenants and scofflaw squatters. Despite the daunting task ahead of him though, George is determined to see this project through.
During his first night in the home, he’s awakened by somebody slinking around in the bedrooms. Deciding to confront and chase away the squatter, George gets into a struggle with a young black man claiming to be next door neighbor, Roberta’s (Meryl Lynn Brown) grandson. Grabbing the young man and insisting that they go next door so George can verify his claim, the young man panics and George is thrown from the front porch and knocked unconscious on the front lawn.
When George finally comes to he finds himself on Roberta’s couch. Apparently the young man, named Julian (Jamil A.C. Mangan), was telling the truth. Julian is punished for his trespassing and George and Roberta catch up a bit before he heads back home with a box George’s grandmother left with Roberta in case George ever came back home. Roberta insists that Julian’s punishment will be for him to help George clean out the house.
Not all is well though. George begins having horrible nightmares of a limping, heavy breathing “person” hidden by shadows that may or may not actually be living in the house. As he starts cleaning the place with Julian, they find more and more “junk” that indicates there may have been some extremely “strange” people living in the home. Julian claims the locals believe the house is haunted and legend has it there were Satanists living there for quite awhile too.
To make matters worse, local tough guy and High School nemesis, Chat Jackson (Jim Sullivan), is pushing to have the house condemned no matter how hard George works to get it up to code. Chet even sneaks into the basement and “adjusts” a couple water pipes for George free of charge! What a nice guy! Unfortunately, the basement fills with a few feet of water and if George has any hope of getting the home ready for sale he needs to get the water out.
Something…somebody lies in wait beneath the rippling waters of the flooded basement. A sick, festering truth lies within the walls of the home and George’s mental state steadily declines as he continues finding clues to the identity of the limping “creature” he sees in his dreams and the shadows of the house. The nightmares and visions are no longer confined to George’s sleep. Whatever it is that walks the halls of this home is very real.
Julian believes its local boogeyman legend, Chester. George isn’t sure of anything anymore.
Head Trauma was good. Damn good. It was thought provoking and overflowing with tension. You know you’re having fun when you occasionally use the phrase, “Holy shit!”
Director Lance Weiler keeps the film moving without directing things too tightly. The film never feels like a paint-by-numbers psychological thriller. Fact is, you’re left guessing for quite a bit until the “I knew that would happen!” moment finally happens and all the visions come together to complete the puzzle. The story is there and the plot is sound but there’s absolutely no hand holding on this ride.
I didn’t get too deep into explaining Head Trauma because it really has to be seen to fully appreciate the cool concept. What everybody should expect from Head Trauma though is some seriously exciting, breathtaking cinematography, a creative score, excellent acting and atmosphere up the o-ring. Some of the “scare” sequences were incredibly effective and even felt a bit inspired by the recent (within the last 5 years) wave in J-Horror.
Heretic Films has done a fantastic job with this release. Not only do we get a solid transfer but we get quality extras. That’s something many companies just don’t understand, it’s not the quantity but the quality of extras fans really care about. You can have 32 trailers on a DVD but it only takes one comprehensive “making of” featurette to satisfy. Heretic has definitely done their job on this little indie winner. The only possible thing that could have made this better would have been a CD soundtrack.
Head Trauma is a solid, scary independent that drags you into the shadows and allows your imagination to run wild. Highly recommended.
