Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Following the death of her estranged father, Iris learns she has inherited a run-down, centuries-old pub. She travels to Berlin to identify her father’s body and meet with The Solicitor to discuss the estate. Little does she know, when the deed is signed she will become inextricably tied to an unspeakable entity that resides in the pub’s basement – Baghead – a shape-shifting creature that can transform into the dead.
Baghead has an intriguing central concept — a shape-shifting creature that assumes the forms of the dead, bound to a creepy Berlin pub — giving it a distinctive enough premise to stand out modestly in the crowded horror landscape. The acting is serviceable, with Freya Allan carrying the film reasonably well as Iris. Cinematography leans into the dank, atmospheric setting effectively. However, the plot struggles to capitalize on its premise, falling into familiar haunted-property and grief-horror tropes without fully developing its mythology or tension. The ending feels rushed and unsatisfying, failing to deliver on the emotional and horror buildup the premise promised.