DVD Review: Swamphead

By Brad Henderson

It seems that throwback horror is becoming the next big thing, but it’s a delight when the film doesn’t recognize it’s a throwback. Unless it is done with finesse and skill, movies like these can fall flat quickly. On the other hand, we have films that are made in the same vein as those weird classics. They take us back to being little and staying up watching movies on VHS in our living room after our parents have gone to bed. That’s how I felt while watching Swamphead, a new title from Wild Eye Releasing.

In the 1970s and ‘80s we were inundated with a ton of horror films. Most of them were off the wall. There was a point in time where no one wanted slashers, ghosts, or demons, so filmmakers had to start thinking of new ways to kill people and scare audiences. Some of those ideas worked and others made us feel like we needed drugs to understand what the hell was going on. Swamphead is a film you may need drugs for.

Swamphead feels like it was made in the ‘80s. From its impeccable retro script to its creative weirdness, this film knocks it out of the park. There is a relic at the bottom of a lake that gets into the hands of some dumb horny teens and is used to decapitate a man named Robert Gross. After his death, his head is thrown into the swamp. Then he becomes Swamphead and wants the relic back.

This film is loaded with man tits, rubber penises, farts, poop, and blood. . . not all at the same time. Still, it never goes into gross out territory. Yeah, all that stuff isn’t pleasant but it’s all done in a manner that will have you cracking up. What I enjoyed more than anything were the very subtle things that happen in the film that the characters don’t notice; they are put there for us to discover and laugh at.

Swamphead was made in 2011 but I’m guessing they couldn’t find distribution because I don’t see many companies going after films like this. Luckily we have Wild Eye Releasing, who picks up these types of films and gives them a chance. Yeah, they may not put out Oscar winners or films that will be talked about for years to come but they give these little films a chance and I’m glad they do. It gives me the opportunity to watch them because no one else will.

So far Wild Eye Releasing has put out some real gems. Yeah, you might have to do some digging, but consider me your map and I will tell you where to start.

Swamphead was released on October 21 by Wild Eye Releasing.