The Head Hunter

The Head Hunter exists, and that is a very good thing.  Most people are not aware of this wonderful little fantasy-horror mash-up, and that is a shame. A very big shame.  Somehow this movie has flown right under everyone’s radar and that needs to change.

The Head Hunter was directed and co-written by Jordan Downey. He’s responsible for ThanksKilling, so you may not have great expectations for this film. Don’t let his previous work fool you; this guy knows what he’s on about. 

The star of this film is Christopher Rygh, who I have not seen before.  IMDB says that he’s been in five movies, but I don’t know any of them. Here he mostly works alone. The Head Hunter largely a one man show.  There are two actors credited, but the other one is dead just a few minutes into the film.

Rygh’s character, credited as father, lives in the shadow of a castle. At the start of the film we learn that his young daughter was killed by something and that he has sworn revenge.  He waits for the horn to blow, then goes to collect the flyer attached to an arrow that will name his prey. He hunts them. Kills them. Hangs their heads on his wall.  He makes some sort of potions to heal himself from the dreadful wounds he receives while doing battle. 

The monster fights mostly play offscreen, We see him gear up and leave, then he returns to mount a head on his wall.  We see what leads up to the carnage and we see its aftermath. We don’t see the fight.

The movie kicks into high gear when he finally gets the bounty on the thing that killed his daughter. I don’t want to spoil it, as the film takes a wicked little twist that should be experienced clean. 

The Head Hunter is a great film. It was reportedly shot for only thirty-thousand dollars, but they put every penny on the screen. It looks marvelous. The costumes are perfect. The monster effects are very good, given the budget. Rygh was built for this sort of thing.  His credits are all medieval or fantasy films and it would be hard to picture him in modern dress.

Go check out The Head Hunter