Head of The Family
Horror
Blue Sky Video
Beyond Home Entertainment
R4 DVD
The
secretive Stackpoole family is a bit unusual. The
four of them are quadruplets but they have not received all the normal faculties.
Rather, they are shared between the family members. Otis is the dumb one but
has superhuman strength. Wheeler seems like he is retarded but has eyesight and
hearing far above anyone else. Ernestina, the female, has the attribute of
immense sex appeal and she seems able to control any man to do her bidding.
They are all controlled by Myron, literally the head of the family, by
telepathy. His gross misshapen head and stunted body hold a powerful, twisted
intellect. “One mind controlling four separate bodies”
Myron
is unhappy with his situation. He would like to keep his powerful mind but
transfer it to a more human body. To this end the family is kidnapping
motorists so Myron can experiment towards his goal. His experiments are
gruesome and leave the victim with a nearly empty mind. These human shells are
kept in captivity in the basement of the isolated family home.
Bogan,
a storekeeper, is having trouble with Howie, the local drug dealer, hardcase and extortionist. Howie has made him an offer to
be a “silent partner” in the store for only fifty percent
of the takings. Bogan is in an awkward position – he is having an affair with
Howie’s wife. If this is discovered he will be killed. If he refuses the
“partnership” offer he will be killed.
One
night Bogan sees the Stackpooles at work kidnapping a
passing motorist and realises this could be his way out. In exchange for his
silence about their activities he gets Myron to agree to kill Howie. This works
out well but he gets too greedy when he decides to blackmail them as well. Can
his redneck cunning beat Myron’s huge brain and his wish for a normal body? Of
course not, but when the Stackpoole house catches
fire who will survive?
The
film is a nicely done piece of light horror, especially the makeup on Myron’s
head. In the battle between rednecks and freaks there is no real opportunity
for great acting but the tight, twisting plot is good and carries the momentum
of the film right up to the last seconds.
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