Easing one’s grief comes with a hefty price.
If you were given a few minutes to talk to a deceased loved one, what would you say to them? The Horror film Baghead shows the actual price of getting one last moment with a person you hold dear: having closure isn’t as easy as you think it would be.
Iris Lark (Freya Allan) is a young woman who inherits a centuries-old pub called The Queen’s Head after the sudden death of her father. Once she and her best friend Katie start looking into it, they discover a shape-shifting, eerie creature known as Baghead, who has the supernatural ability to communicate with the dead by taking on their form. However, there’s a caveat: you can only communicate with a loved one for no longer than two minutes.
Desperate to earn more, Iris decides to profit from the creature, despite a video left by her late father warning her of the curse surrounding the pub and Baghead. The situation spirals out of control as they continue to break the rules. Soon enough, Iris and Katie struggle to save themselves before Baghead consumes their lives.
Directed by Alberto Corredor, Baghead had a limited theatrical release in 2024 and is an extension of a 2017 short film of the same name, also directed by Corredor and written by Lorcan Reilly. Reilly’s script touches themes of family, grief, and closure, and Corredor saw the original story fitting for his first feature film.
“We invested considerable effort in designing Baghead, knowing that an iconic character would be crucial for the transition to a feature film,” Corredor told Warped Perspective. “The transition from a short film, where I managed every aspect, to a studio-led project was substantial. It can be overwhelming, and feelings of insecurity—the well-known ‘impostor syndrome’—can surface, so it’s essential to be adaptable and rely on your team.”
On preparing for her role as Iris, Allan told FILMHOUNDS that she had discussed her character’s background with director Corredor. “I watched a lot of YouTube videos and documentaries and spoke with people about loss and grief. I spent time figuring out what she’d been through before we even met her in the film.”
Stream Baghead now on Lionsgate Play via PLDT Home, Smart and Cignal, and experience the true horror of trying to have one last moment with a loved one.