Shudder Secrets: Daddy’s Head

Writer/director Benjamin Barfoot’s Daddy’s Head is one creepy creature feature. However, it’s not a schlocky, late-night B movie. Barfoot’s eerie film is also a layered and arresting drama that explores the profound grief of a stepmom and a boy, reeling from the sudden loss of his father.

While it’s true the creature steals most of the scenes it’s in, the film works so well not only because of its practical effects, but also the characterization. Barfoot crafted a tale that certainly leans into the horror while exploring how a shattered family processes the loss of its patriarch. The weight of the sadness is reinforced by the grim tone and rain-soaked setting. Daddy’s Head is one of Shudder’s strongest offerings during the streaming service’s jam-packed October.

Daddy’s Head and an Exploration of Grief

Barfoot’s film stars Rupert Turnbull as the young Isaac, whose father, James (Charles Aitken), already died by the film’s opening. Though it’s never explicitly stated how James died, one scene shows a smashed car in the woods. It’s fair to assume he died in a car accident. Isaac processes his grief by mostly withdrawing and shutting down, turning to video games and drawing as a means of escape. More than one shot shows him in his dimly lit bedroom, staring at a screen.

Isaac’s stepmom, Laura (Julia Brown), self-medicates. She’s frequently boozing. Mind you, she just married James before he died. A young stepmom, she’s left alone in a rather larger house (James was an architect) with a kid that she barely knows. At more than one point, she says that she never wanted children. She only wanted James.

Not long into the runtime, Isaac dreams of his dad with bandages wrapped around his face. Then, he starts hearing him in the air vent and the thick forest surrounding the house. When he ventures outside, he discovers a teepee-like structure he assumes his dad built. . Yet, the structure gives off sinister vibes and houses the creature.

Barfoot made a wise choice to only show the creature in drips and drabs. It leaves more to the imagination. That said, when the creature is shown fully, it’s downright unnerving. Credit goes to Brad Greenwood, the concept artist who worked on the film. As for the creature itself, it can be read as Isaac’s means of handling his grief, especially since he’s a budding artist. His social worker is convinced that’s the case. Yet, that reading grows more complicated when the creature starts harming others, though Laura is convinced maybe Isaac’s responsible. That’s possible, too.

Daddy’s Head & Messy Family Dynamics

To an extent, Daddy’s Head also explores motherhood. Initially, Laura wants to look after Isaac. However, her mom, during a phone call, expresses skepticism that Laura can handle it. There’s also distance between Laura and Isaac from the get-go. They hardly talk to each other. In one scene, after a spooky incident in the woods, he tip-toes into Laura’s bedroom. She allows him to sleep in her room for the night, but she doesn’t hug or comfort him. The shot of them laying in the same bed, on opposite ends, encapsulates their frosty relationship.

Despite Laura’s growing distrust of Isaac, others pressure her to give him a chance and stay with him. This includes his social worker and James/Laura’s friend, Robert (Nathaniel Martello-White). Again and again, Laura reiterates that she never wanted kids. The more the pressure weighs on her, the more she drinks. Yet ,it’s fair to point out that when she married James, she knew he came with a child. Isaac’s first mother died. Laura also thwarts the conventional notions of motherhood. Isaac even states at one point that she can’t cook. The pressure to fill the mommy role causes her to turn inward and spiral.

Overall, Daddy’s Head is an atmospheric and unsettling film about how a broken family processes grief after the loss of a father and husband. This is a smart creature feature that gets under the skin.

The film releases on Shudder on October 11. Keep updated on the streaming service’s newest releases by following my Shudder Secrets column.