Search - Headspace on DVD

C.B. K. from RIO RANCHO, NM
Reviewed on 6/27/2010...

This was well-done, with an excellent cast. great production values, and a surprise ending. Definitely recommended!

"Gore and beasties and gratuitous nudity." The New York Times.

"The film looks uncommonly terrific." Hollywood Reporter

"Andrew Van Den Houten shows us that the scariest place on earth is between our own ears." Stuart Gordon ("Re-Animator")

Winner: Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography - New York City Horror Film Festival
Winner: Best Monster Movie - World Horror Convention

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Modest Horror

K. Fontenot | The Bayou State | 10/16/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"For a film that boasts "gore and beasties and gratuitous nudity" and revealing that "the scariest place on earth is between our own ears," "Headspace" falls short of its proclamations. It attempts to be an intelligent thriller that relies more on the "what if?" factor than anything else. Sure, there are a couple of reasonably gory moments in the film, but nothing worthy of the praises or awards it features on its DVD case. The gratuitous nudity is late night Cinemax-worthy, but nothing to write home about.

The story involves the splitting of two young brothers by a seemingly uncaring father after the violent death of their mother. One boy has become super intelligent and is the focus of this tale, while the other is slowly revealed through flashbacks in the smart brother's mind. Our hero begins to have vicious headaches and horrible nightmares that eventually put him in the hospital. Unable to diagnose him, his doctor releases him into the care of a psychiatrist who attempts to figure out what's going on in his head. As the days go by, however, the body count grows. Eventually, the boy figures out what's really happening in his mind and attempts to struggle with his demons both inside and outside of his brain.

The story does have a nice twist to it involving a key character in the story, but I don't want to give away any more information. Had a little more time been spent on this tale, and less emphasis on tauting the gore, this could have been a wonderful, suspenseful tale. Instead, we get a movie that attempts to be both intelligent and gory at the same time and fails at both.

The acting is pretty good, but the bulk of the cast is towed along by former scream queen Dee Wallace Stone, ex-Juliet Olivia Hussey, the capable William Atherton, and the still lovely Sean Young. The rest of the cast is made up of newcomers.

The creatures in this feature are okay, but they do look somewhat like a cross between a pig and the vampire bat that Gary Oldman turns into in "Bram Stoker's Dracula."

In short, I'd consider this flick a one-time rental. It doesn't add or take away from the horror genre, but the DVD case will mislead you to believe so."

CEREBRAL HORROR

Michael Butts | Martinsburg, WV USA | 10/12/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"For a low budget indie, HEADSPACE isn't all that bad..unfortunately, it's not all that good either...but it maintained my interest and relies on atmospheric spookiness most of the time with a few scenes of gory terror. Although it's plot is sometimes nebulous, it is a psychological thriller focusing on "links" between our world and the "netherworld." Christopher Denham is very good as Alex, a young man plagued with horrific visions, headaches and the incredible gift of an almost photographic memory. His search to find out what's wrong with him leads him to a superior chess player, a sympathetic psychiatrist AND murderous demons.
Veteran performers Olivia Hussey, William Atherton, Udo Keir, Dee Wallace Stone and Mark Margolis are along for the ride and ultimately contribute to a better than average if not great thriller."

Surprisingly Good

Laserman | Rosarito, Mexico | 10/16/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"every now and again something comes out under the radar...Headspace is that something...the story is fairly intriguing and the acting is very good...I wouldnt say this is a horror film per se, but the premise and the conclusion is as close to true horror as it might get...all in all, a very solid film and I strongly suggest a viewing. (the cover art is kind of cheesy though)"