Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- witty
- awkward
- eerie
- indie horror night
- double feature with meta horror
What critics said
Critics generally praised the film’s self-aware blend of mumblecore-style character comedy and horror, though some found its first half stronger than its later genre escalation.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The actors develop a horror screenplay about a masked killer while their own circumstances begin to resemble that fiction.
The film’s struggling-actor ensemble and conversational indie naturalism are explicitly framed by critics as mumblecore entering horror.
Four actors isolate themselves in a Big Bear cabin to write a career-making screenplay, turning the retreat into the film’s central social arena.
The characters pursue stardom by transforming a threatening bag-headed figure into screenplay material and a possible career opportunity.
Films like Baghead, and why
The Cabin in the Woods
self-aware horror comedy blending interpersonal indie naturalism with genre menace
Scream 3
low-budget meta-horror using filmmakers and genre conventions for comic effect
Drinking Buddies
mumblecore-adjacent relationship realism and awkward ensemble comedy
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
independent horror comedy centered on creative ambition and unstable social dynamics
Movie Details
- Directors
- Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass
- Release Date
- 2008-01-21
- Runtime
- 84 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (131)
Cast
- Steve Zissis
- Ross Partridge
- Greta Gerwig
- Elise Muller
- Jett Garner
- Jennifer Lafleur
- Darrell Bryant
- Cass Naumann
- Anthony Cristo
- Jen Tracy
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Baghead about?
- A quartet of ambitious actors discovers that their cabin horror screenplay may be scripting their own increasingly dangerous reality.
- What is Baghead like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Baghead as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Baghead violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Baghead as moderate.
- What did critics think of Baghead?
- Critics generally praised the film’s self-aware blend of mumblecore-style character comedy and horror, though some found its first half stronger than its later genre escalation.
- Which films are like Baghead?
- Films with a similar feel include The Cabin in the Woods, Scream 3, Drinking Buddies, and Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.
- How long is Baghead?
- Baghead runs 84 minutes.
- Where can I watch Baghead?
- In United States, Baghead is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
