The constant bad swipes this low-rent South American horror film receives might be justified, but I didn't think it was entirely terrible. Mostly wooden, and more often vapid you could say, with the occult idea being push aside for lame (and oddly placed) soapy domestic quibbles of the two police detectives (likeably played by Wayne Crawford and Kay Lenz) who are chasing a killer that unusually decapitates its victims, and might be something supernatural of African origins. Cool! No not cool. This offbeat angle is left high and dry, and just frustrates with its sloppy pace and bland script. Quite a drag! Well up until the frenetic climax. Having the two leads being fully developed is fine, but still it leaves us with too many questions about our ugly looking demon. The underwritten premise is randomly disjointed and terribly unclear and inconsistent in its motives. Never does it become much fun, as its light on suspense, action and gratuitous splatter. Nor does it have any sort of camp value. It needed to go out on a limb to achieve excitement, because it sadly underplays itself and goes about things seriously. The convincing location choices however, seemed to invoke an effective atmospheric tenor, and Hans Kuhle's free-flowing camera-work is well done. Julian Laxton's howling music score has a thumping, menacing tone that won't let up. The rubber demon looks tacky and bulky, but decent for such a budget. Watchable fluff, but not one to lose your head over.
21 Reviews
Made somewhat watchable by its sense of humor (5 out of 10)
andybob-319 February 2007
Plots revolves around an evil voodoo spirit terrorizing a neighborhood in Miami which is mostly populated by Nigerian refugees, chopping off and stealing their heads. Police detectives Crawford and Lenz are given the unenviable task of investigating the murders, and soon find out for themselves that they are in WAY over their own heads.
Sometimes creepy, sometimes boring, but its sense of humor perks things up throughout and helps hold your interest. Unfortunately when you do finally get to see the killer is a big let down, and it most resembles what you'd expect a living-dead pro-wrestler with a machete to look like, except made out of foam-rubber. Crawford and Lenz do an excellent job in their roles and help hold things together despite this films serious weaknesses, with Crawford delivering some pretty good one-liners.
5 out of 10, not for everyone but a passable time killer.
Sometimes creepy, sometimes boring, but its sense of humor perks things up throughout and helps hold your interest. Unfortunately when you do finally get to see the killer is a big let down, and it most resembles what you'd expect a living-dead pro-wrestler with a machete to look like, except made out of foam-rubber. Crawford and Lenz do an excellent job in their roles and help hold things together despite this films serious weaknesses, with Crawford delivering some pretty good one-liners.
5 out of 10, not for everyone but a passable time killer.
Pretty average.
Skutter-214 May 2006
A forgettable little horror ditty involving two cops in Miami (Wayne Crawford and Kay Lenz) investigating some bloody murders which prove to be the work of an African demon which has pursued some refugees there. Headhunter is actually kind of plodding and uneventful and not the cheesefest the gaudy cover promised (How many times have I been let down by a dull movie with a cheesy VHS cover). There is little in the way of suspense, gore or action until the end of the movie when we finally get a look at the titular nasty which is actually a rather impressive, if rubbery, looking nasty. The dialogue is dull, the acting is decent and the plot is a little muddled (Something about the creature killing those are unfaithful to the African religion involved the movie and those who know its secret but it is unclear and underdeveloped and comes across as somewhat nonsensical and random given the events of the movie). There is some attempt at characterisation but it is of the clumsy, awkwardly inserted background personal life stuff that just eats up running time instead of seeming part of the movie Your wife left you for a woman, boo-hoo, go and sit in the sitcom corner with George Costanza and that big nosed schlub from friends. There are some weak attempts at black humour such as an aborted baptism scene and one amusing scene involving a spontaneous late night visit to a hardware store by the films male protagonist to grab a chainsaw to do battle with the headhunter. A good sense of place and atmosphere is actually created in the seamy back blocks of Miami but it is not enough to make the film work any better. Not really terrible but mot really worth watching unless you're really stuck for something.
Highlander: The Demon from Africa
udar5510 October 2010
Detectives Katherine Hall (Kay Lenz) and Pete Giullani (Wayne Crawford) are investigating a bizarre series of beheadings in Miami. With Christopher Lambert nowhere to be seen, they focus on a small community of Nigerian immigrants who believe they are being haunted by a vengeful spirit from their homeland. Before you can say THE BELIEVERS, our heroes find themselves targets and their personal lives attacked. This is a pretty average 80s horror flick that loses points for being boring. It is too bad because director Francis Schaeffer stages some effective scenes (all of the kill scenes are well done), but then bungles the human drama. The end has Crawford chasing the main beast - that looks kind of like Rawhead Rex - around a tiny backyard with a chainsaw. The movie needed more crazy stuff like this, and less stuff like Crawford arguing with his wife. The film ends with Headhunter being resurrected back in Africa, but no sequel arrived.
An African Demon in Miami.
BA_Harrison28 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
A pair of Miami cops, Kat (Kay Lenz) and Pete (Wayne Crawford), investigate a series of grisly murders in the city's Nigerian community, in which the victims have been decapitated, their heads stolen. The pair's enquiries lead them to believe that a shape-shifting African demon is behind the slayings, which puts them both in danger of losing their own heads to the supernatural being.
There's potential for a lot of over-the-top fun with the notion of a Nigerian demon lopping off people's heads in Florida, but Headhunter fails to do the idea justice, the meandering script focusing way too much on Pete's boring relationship issues with his wife, and on routine police work.
Director Francis Schaeffer handles his visuals well enough - the film looks stylish throughout - and the decapitations, when they happen, are entertaining, but for much of the time the drama makes the film feel like a made-for-TV movie, at least until the rousing finale which makes up somewhat for all of the dull stuff. After discovering his wife and her girlfriend dead (some decent gore in this scene), Pete purchases a chainsaw and rushes to rescue Kat from the demon (which we finally get to see in its true form). Pete and Kay battle the monster, successfully dismembering it, but a final scene sees the demon brought back to life by its Nigerian worshippers, ready for the sequel that never happened.
There's potential for a lot of over-the-top fun with the notion of a Nigerian demon lopping off people's heads in Florida, but Headhunter fails to do the idea justice, the meandering script focusing way too much on Pete's boring relationship issues with his wife, and on routine police work.
Director Francis Schaeffer handles his visuals well enough - the film looks stylish throughout - and the decapitations, when they happen, are entertaining, but for much of the time the drama makes the film feel like a made-for-TV movie, at least until the rousing finale which makes up somewhat for all of the dull stuff. After discovering his wife and her girlfriend dead (some decent gore in this scene), Pete purchases a chainsaw and rushes to rescue Kat from the demon (which we finally get to see in its true form). Pete and Kay battle the monster, successfully dismembering it, but a final scene sees the demon brought back to life by its Nigerian worshippers, ready for the sequel that never happened.
Hard to Get Overly Enthused About
Uriah4312 April 2016
"Pete Giullani" (Wayne Crawford) and "Katherine Hall" (Kay Lenz) are two Miami detectives who are partners and are given an assignment to investigate a series of brutal murders among the small Nigerian community in their city. At the same time Pete has just learned that his wife is having an affair and because of that he has decided to move out of the house. Not knowing where else to turn he goes to the only person he can trust-who happens to be Katherine--and asks to move in temporarily with her. She reluctantly agrees even though she has a boyfriend and a private life of her own. Unfortunately, if that wasn't enough, the murders begin to increase and soon both Pete and Katherine begin to suspect that the person responsible for these grisly murders may not be human after all-and it has now targeted them. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that, although the plot certainly seemed interesting enough, I found this film to be somewhat disappointing overall. For starters, the demon wasn't depicted until the end of the film and when it was finally shown it looked quite ridiculous. Likewise, too much time was spent on the subplot involving Pete's marriage which wasn't even remotely interesting. Additionally, other than Kay Lenz, none of the actors really stood out and for that reason it was hard to get overly enthused about this movie at all. That said, I have rated this movie accordingly. Slightly below average.
Fake horror item
lor_7 May 2023
My review was written in February 1990 after watching the movie on Academy video cassette.
"Head Hunter" is a less than engrossing horror film set in Miami that was filmed in South Africa in 1988.
Kay Lenz and Wayne Crawford are Miami cops stuck with the case of gory murders breaking out in the city's Nigerian community (if such a subculture actually exists there). Victims have their heads cut off, and our sterling heroes trace this to an ancient voodoo-style ritual. Predictable climax has the heroes' friends possessed by a demon.
Poor shot matching fails to meld convincingly the Miami locale with the African-lensed principal photography. Worse yet, this is a screen portrayal of Miami with no Latin Americans in sight.
Adding to the insult of pic's premise is the set of bored walk-throughs by the cast, plus unconvincing makeup effects for the demon's final reel appearance.
"Head Hunter" is a less than engrossing horror film set in Miami that was filmed in South Africa in 1988.
Kay Lenz and Wayne Crawford are Miami cops stuck with the case of gory murders breaking out in the city's Nigerian community (if such a subculture actually exists there). Victims have their heads cut off, and our sterling heroes trace this to an ancient voodoo-style ritual. Predictable climax has the heroes' friends possessed by a demon.
Poor shot matching fails to meld convincingly the Miami locale with the African-lensed principal photography. Worse yet, this is a screen portrayal of Miami with no Latin Americans in sight.
Adding to the insult of pic's premise is the set of bored walk-throughs by the cast, plus unconvincing makeup effects for the demon's final reel appearance.
Migraine maker.
mark.waltz12 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The overuse of banging sound effects and banging drums and tedious chanting had me reaching for pain relief how to get past the voodoo that they didn't do do so well. This tedious horror movie is boring with unlikable characters, a ridiculous premise and an over-the-top presentation. Unhappy Wayne Crawford should be happy that his harpy of a wife has kicked him out so she can be with her girlfriend even though the scene that shows that doesn't give any of the people involved any sympathy including the wife's girlfriend.
The only support he gets his from his cop partner tail ends and they end up on the weirdest case of their careers, dealing with a series of mysterious decapitations that seem to be connected to Nigerian tribal curses. Steve Kanaly took a break from "Dallas" for this film, and he should have stayed at Southfork. There really is nothing to recommend about this although there are a few unintentionally funny scenes, but if there were any efforts to make a camp, they failed miserably. Save your head a lot of pain and just stay away.
The only support he gets his from his cop partner tail ends and they end up on the weirdest case of their careers, dealing with a series of mysterious decapitations that seem to be connected to Nigerian tribal curses. Steve Kanaly took a break from "Dallas" for this film, and he should have stayed at Southfork. There really is nothing to recommend about this although there are a few unintentionally funny scenes, but if there were any efforts to make a camp, they failed miserably. Save your head a lot of pain and just stay away.
Plenty of heads...but no brains
Coventry12 June 2003
Compared to what you might think, it's really easy to make a movie. Here's what you do: You take a tribe somewhere in Africa. You film the village witch-doctor while he's doing some kind of ritual. you place some candles around him and BANG! All of a sudden appears a hideous demon. You transfer the whole thing to Miami and you're done. All the rest are details. Bad acting, huge mistakes in the script ? So what ? You got to give the makers of this film some credit: they were obviously very enthusiast and they did create an interesting demon. I don't mind films like this being made, but the problem with this kind is that they take themselves too serious. There's ain't much humor in this story.
Could have been SO much more
sasquatchismyhero7 July 2009
Could have been a cult classic. Everyone and anyone who gravitates to these type of movies knows what they are getting, gore and lots of it. Sadly, there was not enough. The "action scenes" are choppy and, having seen worse movies, done poorly. This is just a majority of the scenes, however. There are some scenes done very very well. If the action scenes were as up front and to the point as the final scene, or the dream sequence, the movie would just make more sense. Period.
I happened upon this movie in a goodwill store and i am, although a little disappointed with the gore, glad that i bought it (probably being the only one in the world with a copy on VHS...hehe). The scenes that are done well, almost bring it to cult status. Overall, i would advise to see it because of a little bit of b-movie humor and some b-movie horror. Hopefully there is a remake, one that will heed this advice and become a cult classic!
I happened upon this movie in a goodwill store and i am, although a little disappointed with the gore, glad that i bought it (probably being the only one in the world with a copy on VHS...hehe). The scenes that are done well, almost bring it to cult status. Overall, i would advise to see it because of a little bit of b-movie humor and some b-movie horror. Hopefully there is a remake, one that will heed this advice and become a cult classic!
"My wife is a god damn muff diver." Poor slasher.
poolandrews1 March 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Headhunter is set in Miami where homicide detective Pete Giullani (Wayne Crawford) is having personal problems, his wife Denise (June Chadwick) has left him for a woman. Add that to the fact that a sicko serial killer is running around the city decapitating Nigerian people & he's not having a good time of it, is he? He, & his partner Katherine Hall (Kay Lenz), investigates the brutal & seemingly motiveless murders when some crazy dude named Professor Samuel Juru (Sam Williams) claims that an ancient Nigerian tribal demon (or some crap like that) is stalking those who have escaped from it's homeland to America &, well it wants to kill them & anyone that gets in it's way basically. Pete & Katherine are determined to find this monster or lose their heads trying...
This South African production was directed Francis Schaeffer & is a rather bland, forgettable & tedious experience to sit through. The script by Len Spinell tries to mix a Friday the 13th (1980) style slasher with a police thriller & ends up as neither particularly. The character's are dull, the dialogue is stiff & boring & as a whole the film just doesn't gel together that well. It's slow & not that much actually happens in it. The murders are few & far between, this creature is also able to possess other people's bodies which would give it so much power it's untrue but what does it decide to do with this ability? It sets out to kill one cop who's after it, it could take over anyone's body & do literally anything it wants & all it does is try to kill one single bloke. It doesn't have much imagination does it? Or should that be the guy who wrote this doesn't have much imagination? Even though the end features chainsaws, magical swords, dismemberment & a demon it finishes off with an awful sequel driven final shot. There are much better films out there.
Director Schaeffer pulls off a few nice camera moves here & there but generally speaking the look of Headhunter is as bland & forgettable as the rest of it. There are a few decapitated heads & dead sacrificial animals but apart from that there isn't much blood or gore, when the demon makes an appearance at the end it looks rather rubbery & is obviously just a man in a badly fitting rubber suit.
Technically Headhunter is OK & is even quite impressive on occasion but these moments are few & far between. The acting is as dull & lifeless as the script.
I suppose I would sum things up by saying that Headhunter is one of those films that hasn't got anything major wrong with it but it's just that it's so forgettable & bland that I doubt I'll remember any of it by the end of the week. One to watch only if your desperate.
This South African production was directed Francis Schaeffer & is a rather bland, forgettable & tedious experience to sit through. The script by Len Spinell tries to mix a Friday the 13th (1980) style slasher with a police thriller & ends up as neither particularly. The character's are dull, the dialogue is stiff & boring & as a whole the film just doesn't gel together that well. It's slow & not that much actually happens in it. The murders are few & far between, this creature is also able to possess other people's bodies which would give it so much power it's untrue but what does it decide to do with this ability? It sets out to kill one cop who's after it, it could take over anyone's body & do literally anything it wants & all it does is try to kill one single bloke. It doesn't have much imagination does it? Or should that be the guy who wrote this doesn't have much imagination? Even though the end features chainsaws, magical swords, dismemberment & a demon it finishes off with an awful sequel driven final shot. There are much better films out there.
Director Schaeffer pulls off a few nice camera moves here & there but generally speaking the look of Headhunter is as bland & forgettable as the rest of it. There are a few decapitated heads & dead sacrificial animals but apart from that there isn't much blood or gore, when the demon makes an appearance at the end it looks rather rubbery & is obviously just a man in a badly fitting rubber suit.
Technically Headhunter is OK & is even quite impressive on occasion but these moments are few & far between. The acting is as dull & lifeless as the script.
I suppose I would sum things up by saying that Headhunter is one of those films that hasn't got anything major wrong with it but it's just that it's so forgettable & bland that I doubt I'll remember any of it by the end of the week. One to watch only if your desperate.
Good horror film with an excellent demon!
Movie Nuttball4 September 2003
Headhunter is is good horror movie that stars Kay Lenz and Wayne Crawford! The killings are gruesome! It has good music and the Headhunter demon is very neat! it wasn't suppose to be funny but I thought the scene with the preacher was funny and it seemed like his voice was dubbed! I was funny when he said "I'm never coming back to this (curses) river again!I feel this movie needs more attention that it has received! I don't want to spoil it for you in case you haven't seen the movie and if you haven't rent it because its a good horror movie!
Pretty fun little Grade B horror item
Woodyanders27 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Spazzy Miami cop Pete Giullani (a solid and likeable performance by Wayne Crawford) and his spunky partner Katherine Hall (a perky and appealing portrayal by the ever-luscious Kay Lenz) investigate a series of grisly decapitation murders that turn out to be the bloody work of a lethal African voodoo demon.
While director Francis Schaeffer fails to generate much in the way of either tension or spooky atmosphere, he still does manage to keep the enjoyably inane story moving at an even keel, makes nice use of the steamy Miami locations, delivers a satisfying smattering of gore, and stages a wild last reel confrontation between the demon and a chainsaw-wielding Pete with considerable flair and skill. Crawford and Lenz display a winning chemistry in the lead roles; they receive sturdy support from Steve Kanaly as the huffy Captain Ted Calvin, June Chadwick as Pete's bitter estranged wife Denise, and Sam Williams as helpful occult expert Samuel Juru. Hans Kuhle's fluid cinematography gives this movie an impressive stylish look and makes invigorating use of a smooth gliding camera. Julian Laxton's spirited score hits the stirring spot. An entertaining time-killer.
While director Francis Schaeffer fails to generate much in the way of either tension or spooky atmosphere, he still does manage to keep the enjoyably inane story moving at an even keel, makes nice use of the steamy Miami locations, delivers a satisfying smattering of gore, and stages a wild last reel confrontation between the demon and a chainsaw-wielding Pete with considerable flair and skill. Crawford and Lenz display a winning chemistry in the lead roles; they receive sturdy support from Steve Kanaly as the huffy Captain Ted Calvin, June Chadwick as Pete's bitter estranged wife Denise, and Sam Williams as helpful occult expert Samuel Juru. Hans Kuhle's fluid cinematography gives this movie an impressive stylish look and makes invigorating use of a smooth gliding camera. Julian Laxton's spirited score hits the stirring spot. An entertaining time-killer.
This one really had potential, but alas...
Vomitron_G21 February 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Damn, it's sad to see a movie fail so miserably when you can just feel the potential it had. This easily could have been a decent modern-day horror-flick about voodoo and an interesting demon on the loose chopping off heads. At least in two or three scenes there's a bit of suspense to be felt (I admit, it's not that much, but still...) and the demon's make-up is decent. The fact that he runs around decapitating people is a nice bonus too. However...
I always admire the fact when scriptwriters of horror-stories try to give the main characters a bit of background (that doesn't happen much in horror). But here it really is a bit too much. I mean, the cop's ex-wife turned out to be lesbian, so then he starts hitting on his female partner who's dating a fellow-cop which wants to spend more quality time with her? Come on. Instead they should have made the demon a much bigger and menacing character. Where does he come from? Why and by who is he summoned? Why does he chop off all those heads of seemingly unrelated victims? Are there more of his kind? Nothing do we learn about this demon. But he does look cool. And he also seems to be able to shape-shift, but that concept isn't really worked out either.
For a moment it looked like this movie was going to have a suspenseful bloody end fight. The set-up was present but the fight is over before you know it. What a waste. Even the over-all acting wasn't too bad. You can easily sit through this flick, but you'll forget about it as easily. So don't bother. But if you have a thing for sword-swinging demons then I won't stop ya.
I always admire the fact when scriptwriters of horror-stories try to give the main characters a bit of background (that doesn't happen much in horror). But here it really is a bit too much. I mean, the cop's ex-wife turned out to be lesbian, so then he starts hitting on his female partner who's dating a fellow-cop which wants to spend more quality time with her? Come on. Instead they should have made the demon a much bigger and menacing character. Where does he come from? Why and by who is he summoned? Why does he chop off all those heads of seemingly unrelated victims? Are there more of his kind? Nothing do we learn about this demon. But he does look cool. And he also seems to be able to shape-shift, but that concept isn't really worked out either.
For a moment it looked like this movie was going to have a suspenseful bloody end fight. The set-up was present but the fight is over before you know it. What a waste. Even the over-all acting wasn't too bad. You can easily sit through this flick, but you'll forget about it as easily. So don't bother. But if you have a thing for sword-swinging demons then I won't stop ya.
* * out of 4.
brandonsites198111 September 2002
A cop (Wayne Crawford) whose wife is having an affair on him finds himself facing off against an African demon that has just arrived in the USA and is cutting off everyone's head. Kay Lenz is his partner and love interest. This film is very crudely made and lifelessly acted, but somehow or another it manages to move along at such a fast pace and also manages to be very entertaining and exciting the entire running time that you really don't care.
If you can keep your head while all around are losing theirs...
JoeytheBrit21 September 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Headhunter was one of those movies that was always on the shelf of your local video shop back in the early 90s. It was always there because nobody ever rented it and nobody ever rented it because the biggest cast names it could muster were a couple of second-string TV actors usually a sure sign that a film is going to stink. To me, Kay Lenz is and always will be Nick Nolte's squeeze in Rich Man, Poor Man and Steve Kanaly will always be that ranch-hand who never got to say much in Dallas. Kanaly only has a support role here - the lead male is played by an actor called Wayne Crawford whom I have never heard of but who bears a passing resemblance to an old British footballer called Ian Rush.
The story concerns a visit to Miami by an African demon who goes around chopping people's heads off for reasons that are never particularly made clear. Lenz and Crawford are the cops who are assigned the case. Lenz is seeing a uniformed cop, while Crawford's wife has just dumped him for a woman. You think Lenz and Crawford will get it on before the end credits, but they don't, which is at least original if nothing else. They're not having much luck on the case until a suspect who looks suspiciously like Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction introduces himself at one of the crime scenes and puts them wise re. the demon. Going from disbelieving sceptics to devout believers in a couple of scenes for no apparent reason, our two heroes spend the following hour running around in circles wondering what to do
Despite my snipey synopsis, this film isn't really too bad. Or at least it's entertaining enough in its own small, unambitious way, although there is very little consistency in any aspect of it from performances to script to direction, and there is a very real sense that you're watching a neat 40-minute short padded out to 90 minutes as the whole thing grows increasingly repetitive. And director Francis Schaeffer obviously believes that if you repeatedly mention Playboy and show enough signs saying "This is Miami" viewers will eventually be brainwashed into believing the movie wasn't shot in South Africa after all.
There are a couple of neat scenes here that look as if they belong in some other film: Crawford running into a hardware store and buying a chainsaw on his way to do battle with the demon strikes an agreeable note of absurdity, while the demon's hand trailing across a TV screen showing an old black-and-white horror movie is also well done. The ending is quite fun in a campy sort of way that is totally at odds with the tone of the rest of the film, and Kay Lenz makes an agreeable heroine despite some of the poor dialogue she is given. She's a pretty woman, Lenz; small, but with a generous mouth, small chin and wide jaw. She wears pink socks with a blue dress in this one
The story concerns a visit to Miami by an African demon who goes around chopping people's heads off for reasons that are never particularly made clear. Lenz and Crawford are the cops who are assigned the case. Lenz is seeing a uniformed cop, while Crawford's wife has just dumped him for a woman. You think Lenz and Crawford will get it on before the end credits, but they don't, which is at least original if nothing else. They're not having much luck on the case until a suspect who looks suspiciously like Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction introduces himself at one of the crime scenes and puts them wise re. the demon. Going from disbelieving sceptics to devout believers in a couple of scenes for no apparent reason, our two heroes spend the following hour running around in circles wondering what to do
Despite my snipey synopsis, this film isn't really too bad. Or at least it's entertaining enough in its own small, unambitious way, although there is very little consistency in any aspect of it from performances to script to direction, and there is a very real sense that you're watching a neat 40-minute short padded out to 90 minutes as the whole thing grows increasingly repetitive. And director Francis Schaeffer obviously believes that if you repeatedly mention Playboy and show enough signs saying "This is Miami" viewers will eventually be brainwashed into believing the movie wasn't shot in South Africa after all.
There are a couple of neat scenes here that look as if they belong in some other film: Crawford running into a hardware store and buying a chainsaw on his way to do battle with the demon strikes an agreeable note of absurdity, while the demon's hand trailing across a TV screen showing an old black-and-white horror movie is also well done. The ending is quite fun in a campy sort of way that is totally at odds with the tone of the rest of the film, and Kay Lenz makes an agreeable heroine despite some of the poor dialogue she is given. She's a pretty woman, Lenz; small, but with a generous mouth, small chin and wide jaw. She wears pink socks with a blue dress in this one
Heads Will Roll
Zantara Xenophobe28 March 2002
Warning: Spoilers
This review has some minor spoilers in it.
I avoided renting `Headhunter' for years. I would see it on the shelves and the picture on the cover would make it so that I just did not even want to hold the box in my hands. It has a picture of a deformed head on the cover, which would turn out to be the head of the title character. But it looked really gross. I finally broke down and rented it, and as it turns out, I had no reason to be hesitant, as it is neither very gross nor very scary. Yet that also serves to work against this movie, for much of it is not very interesting enough to keep your attention.
That fact has more to do with the plot than anything else. The plot is that people are being murdered in the city of Miami, Florida, with all the victims being Haitian immigrants and all of them having their heads lopped off. Two detectives are assigned the case. One of them (Wayne Crawford) is struggling with the stress of a separation from his wife. His wife has been seeing another woman, and his ego is pretty dashed. In the meantime, he has to balance out his feelings for his partner (Kay Lenz). So when the grisly murders start to happen, it is just another stressful aspect in his life, but one he hopes he can at least handle. But then the case takes an unusual turn when their prime suspect informs them that the people are being killed by black magic. Yep, for some reason, voodoo has been used to conjure up a big, sword-wielding creature that pops up mysteriously for fun dismemberment.
All that is nice, but it isn't effectively pulled off. It is never fully clear why the murders are happening, for one thing, and then it never makes sense how the creature gets around so fast. If he is magical enough to pop up in and out of places, why not dispose of all targets in one night? But then it starts to target anyone that knows the secret of the Headhunter. So it makes less sense with every little twist, and this makes it so that you have some contempt for the movie for a long time. It isn't until we actually get to see the Headhunter fully in the end climax that the movie turns from so-so to good. The climax is thrilling, well-shot, and all-around cool, although the final scene sort of robs you of all this. It's too bad the rest of the movie couldn't have been as good, for it would have made it a wonderful gem. I mean, it isn't all bad up to this point. It does things some horror movies don't even bother with, and that is nice characterization. The personal struggles of the main characters are realistic and insightful, it's just that the movie chooses not to resolve them interestingly but to resolve them through bloodshed. Still, the things I liked most about the movie were the main players. Crawford and Lenz are good in their parts when the story isn't making you scratch your head. They aren't the usual pretty faces, and I thought that was a good step by the casting department. If only the whole movie had been more cohesive, perhaps these two would be more noticed for their abilities. Zantara's score: 5 out of 10.
I avoided renting `Headhunter' for years. I would see it on the shelves and the picture on the cover would make it so that I just did not even want to hold the box in my hands. It has a picture of a deformed head on the cover, which would turn out to be the head of the title character. But it looked really gross. I finally broke down and rented it, and as it turns out, I had no reason to be hesitant, as it is neither very gross nor very scary. Yet that also serves to work against this movie, for much of it is not very interesting enough to keep your attention.
That fact has more to do with the plot than anything else. The plot is that people are being murdered in the city of Miami, Florida, with all the victims being Haitian immigrants and all of them having their heads lopped off. Two detectives are assigned the case. One of them (Wayne Crawford) is struggling with the stress of a separation from his wife. His wife has been seeing another woman, and his ego is pretty dashed. In the meantime, he has to balance out his feelings for his partner (Kay Lenz). So when the grisly murders start to happen, it is just another stressful aspect in his life, but one he hopes he can at least handle. But then the case takes an unusual turn when their prime suspect informs them that the people are being killed by black magic. Yep, for some reason, voodoo has been used to conjure up a big, sword-wielding creature that pops up mysteriously for fun dismemberment.
All that is nice, but it isn't effectively pulled off. It is never fully clear why the murders are happening, for one thing, and then it never makes sense how the creature gets around so fast. If he is magical enough to pop up in and out of places, why not dispose of all targets in one night? But then it starts to target anyone that knows the secret of the Headhunter. So it makes less sense with every little twist, and this makes it so that you have some contempt for the movie for a long time. It isn't until we actually get to see the Headhunter fully in the end climax that the movie turns from so-so to good. The climax is thrilling, well-shot, and all-around cool, although the final scene sort of robs you of all this. It's too bad the rest of the movie couldn't have been as good, for it would have made it a wonderful gem. I mean, it isn't all bad up to this point. It does things some horror movies don't even bother with, and that is nice characterization. The personal struggles of the main characters are realistic and insightful, it's just that the movie chooses not to resolve them interestingly but to resolve them through bloodshed. Still, the things I liked most about the movie were the main players. Crawford and Lenz are good in their parts when the story isn't making you scratch your head. They aren't the usual pretty faces, and I thought that was a good step by the casting department. If only the whole movie had been more cohesive, perhaps these two would be more noticed for their abilities. Zantara's score: 5 out of 10.
I Haven't Spent a Lot of Time in Miami but...
maxwellmojo30 January 2020
This looks nothing like Miami to me. I know it says this was partially shot in Miami, but this doesn't feel like it is set in America, or populated by Americans for that matter. The scene in the meat processing plant doesn't strike me as anything like what you would see in America, even in the 80's in a bad neighborhood. Maybe they thought setting this in America would make it easier to get it distributed.
Fairly standard 80's horror from South Africa
Red-Barracuda20 September 2021
I guess one of the primary interest factors with this one was that it was made in South Africa during the Apartheid years. I have heard some detect a racism in it but I am not so sure - the one racist character was the police chief who everyone thought was an idiot. If this had been American, nothing would be said. In actual fact, it is trying to pass itself off as American to help its commercial appeal, setting its action in Miami. But you can tell this sure isn't Florida - unless the Sunshine State resembled a third world country in the late 80's! It would have been better if like Dust Devil, they had just set the movie in Africa, as it would have given it a more distinct flavour. Anyway, this horror is about a Nigerian demon who goes around decapitating folks when it is unleashed in 'Miami'. The voodoo angle is quite effective and there are some well-staged sequences, including a fun/ridiculous finale replete with chainsaw. Generally, it's a fairly standard bit of late 80's horror but the context is everything.
Don't lose your head.
Hey_Sweden4 May 2019
Warning: Spoilers
"Headhunter" is a fairly intense, murky supernatural horror-thriller starring the amiable pair of Kay Lenz (as Detective Katherine Hall) and Wayne Crawford (as Detective Pete Giuliani). They get faced with an African demon that is raising Hell among Miamis' Nigerian community; this demon decapitates some victims and possesses others, and generally makes life miserable for our protagonists.
While it's commendable that director Francis Schaeffer and screenwriter Len Spinell spend a fair amount of time developing the two main characters, some viewers may feel that all of this human drama detracts from the horror. And "Headhunter" does have some pretty good horror content to deliver, as well as some humour (it doesn't take itself too, too seriously). There's some gore, with director Schaeffer trying mightily to give his film some atmosphere and ambiance (it does go heavy on the horrific imagery). Unfortunately, we never do see very much of the demon, nor get much insight into why it does what it does.
The film does benefit from the chemistry between the weary Katherine and the more volatile Pete; Lenz and Crawford make an interesting pair. Steve Kanaly pops up as their racist boss, who's not too concerned about the killers' choice of victims, June Chadwick has a two-scene cameo as Petes' ex-wife (who's become a lesbian), John Fatooh is okay as Katherines' boyfriend Roger, Gordon Mulholland figures memorably as an exposition provider, and Sam Williams is similarly striking as another provider of background information.
At least "Headhunter" does manage to go out with a bang, as Pete channels his inner Ash and chops up everything in sight with a chainsaw. He and Katherine remain reasonably compelling heroes, and rooting interest in them does not wane.
Overall, an okay B horror flick.
Six out of 10.
While it's commendable that director Francis Schaeffer and screenwriter Len Spinell spend a fair amount of time developing the two main characters, some viewers may feel that all of this human drama detracts from the horror. And "Headhunter" does have some pretty good horror content to deliver, as well as some humour (it doesn't take itself too, too seriously). There's some gore, with director Schaeffer trying mightily to give his film some atmosphere and ambiance (it does go heavy on the horrific imagery). Unfortunately, we never do see very much of the demon, nor get much insight into why it does what it does.
The film does benefit from the chemistry between the weary Katherine and the more volatile Pete; Lenz and Crawford make an interesting pair. Steve Kanaly pops up as their racist boss, who's not too concerned about the killers' choice of victims, June Chadwick has a two-scene cameo as Petes' ex-wife (who's become a lesbian), John Fatooh is okay as Katherines' boyfriend Roger, Gordon Mulholland figures memorably as an exposition provider, and Sam Williams is similarly striking as another provider of background information.
At least "Headhunter" does manage to go out with a bang, as Pete channels his inner Ash and chops up everything in sight with a chainsaw. He and Katherine remain reasonably compelling heroes, and rooting interest in them does not wane.
Overall, an okay B horror flick.
Six out of 10.
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