Baghead is a 2023 horror film directed by Alberto Corredor and featuring Freya Allan, Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan, Ruby Barker, Ned Dennehy, Anne Müller, and Saffron Burrows.
Following the death of her estranged father Owen, Iris Lark learns she has inherited a run-down, 400 year old pub in Berlin. However, when she signs the deed, she will becomes the keeper of an unspeakable entity that resides in the pub's basement: Baghead - a shape-shifting creature that can transform itself into the form and mind of a dead person for two minutes. Like her father, Iris tries to exploit the creature's powers and help desperate people for a price. But she soon discovers breaking the two-minute rule can have terrifying consequences. Together with her best friend Katie, Iris must battle to keep control of Baghead and figure out how to destroy her, before she destroys them.
No connection to the 2008 horror-comedy of the same name.
Tropes:
- Antagonist Title: Baghead is the shapeshifting Sealed Evil in a Can in the basement of the pub Iris inherits.
- Asshole Victim: Neil turns out to be such a skin-crawling piece of work that the audience can’t help but be on the Baghead's side when she brutally kills him via No-Holds-Barred Beatdown.
- Burn the Witch!: The brotherhood tried to kill the woman who would later return as Baghead by claiming she was a witch and having her burned at the stake. This ends very badly for them.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: It was Neil's possessiveness that drove his wife Sarah away and caused the accident that resulted in in her death. He is now willing to do anything to spend just two more minutes with her. He ultimately murders Iris in an attempt to gain ownership of the pub so he can force Baghead to become Sarah whenever he wants.
- Enter Stage Window: Iris and Katie first appear climbing through the window of Iris' flat after Iris jimmies the lock on the window so Iris can take back her possessions after her landlord locks her out.
- "Everybody Dies" Ending: By the end of the film, every character with a speaking role is dead, apart from Baghead (who may already be dead) and The Solicitor (who may not be human).
- Evil Is Not a Toy:
- The brotherhood attempted to exploit the witch who would become the Baghead for her powers, and they only ended up creating an undead abomination that nearly destroyed them.
- Centuries later, their descendants ignored the lesson and tried to use the creature's powers again, which resulted in all of them getting wiped out and leaving a series of strangers bound to a building by a curse as a stopgap to contain her.
- The series of pubs owners, including Owen and Iris, who charge grieving people exorbitant fees for access to the creature, despite knowing the dangers.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The Solicitor is never named, but just referred to as 'The Solicitor'. It is possible he may not even have a name.
- It Was Here, I Swear!: Iris takes Katie to the office where she met The Solicitor, only to discover it is abandoned and seems to have been unoccupied for years.
- The Little Shop That Wasn't There Yesterday: Or 'The Little Solicitor's Office That Wasn't There Yesterday' in this case. Iris visits The Solicitor in his office and signs the deed for the pub. Later, Iris takes Katie to the office where she met The Solicitor, only to discover it is abandoned and seems to have been unoccupied for years.
- Kill It with Fire: At the start of the movie, Owen attempts to destroy Baghead with fire. This ends badly for him and he is the one who is burned to death.
- Man on Fire: Owen attempts to destroy Baghead with fire, but it backfires (literally) and he is set on fire. He staggers up the stairs from the cellar while alight before expiring in the corridor.
- Plot-Triggering Death: The events of the film are triggered by the death of Iris' estranged father Owen. After his death, she inherits The Queen's Head pub in Berlin and the Sealed Evil in a Can in the cellar.
- Posthumous Character: Sarah, Regina, Catherine and Otto are all dead before the action of the film commences. They only appear when Baghead assumes their forms and (for two minutes) their minds and personalities.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: When the Baghead first came into being, the brotherhood managed to entomb her beneath Berlin where she remain safely contained for centuries. Then their descendants partially break the tomb to try to exploit her powers: they put a magical binding in place that keeps her from leaving the basement and under the nominal control of whomever owns the building.
- String Theory: When Katie visits Otto Vogler's old home, she discovers the room where he had tried to plot out the relationship between the pub, Baghead and the mysterious consortium; linking documents, photographs and sketches with string.
- Too Dumb to Live: A long series of people, both groups and individuals, who think they can control the Baghead and profit from her powers for their own ends, inevitably end up death as a result… despite knowing the fates of the people who tried before.
- Unexpected Inheritance: The plot is kicked off when Iris inherits The Queen's Head, a 400 year old pub in Berlin, from her estranged father Owen whom she has not seen since she was a child.
- Video Will: Owen records a set of instructions for whoever inherits the pub after he dies; starting by saying that if anyone is watching it, it means that he has failed in his plan to destroy Baghead and the pub. He then goes on to explain the rules regarding Baghead and being her keeper.
