The Head Hunter (2018)-A Medieval Tale of Monsterous Revenge- Fitz of Horror Review

Bryan Fitzgerald (Fitz of Horror) April 1, 2019

Synopsis–A medieval warrior’s gruesome collection of heads is missing only one – the monster that killed his daughter years ago.

The Head Hunter is now easily one of my favorite revenge movies. Coming in at a svelte 72-minute run time, the action and overwhelming sense of dread start immediately and never let up. Our Viking warrior (Christopher Rygh) is the sole protector of his young daughter in a winter laden forest crawling with monsters of all types. When one of these atrocious beasts finally gets to and kills his beloved child, the Viking warrior sets a path of revenge that won’t stop until he collects the head of the monster that took her.

With many of the monster battles happening off screen what we see most is the aftermath of the fights where each time the warrior becomes a little worse for wear but he claims a new monster head each time, nearly filling the inner walls of his cabin and serving as warnings to other monsters on large spears in front of the dwelling. 

What is interesting is that the warrior is alerted via a loud horn blow from the castle that towers over the land almost as if he is living in the woods as a badass protector of the people (which is never explained) but is now put in a position to make the monster extermination not only an important job but also very personal.

When the monster that killed his daughter makes its return to the area the Viking is ready for a battle that very well could be his last and culminates in one of the most unexpected endings I’ve ever experienced.

Overall this movie is a desolate, brooding and powerful twist on the revenge genre of film, a great blend of horror, fantasy, and action that immediately makes you side with and feel for the main character and what happens to him. I felt at first that I was being cheated by only hearing the monster battles offscreen and then only seeing a monsters head afterward but this actually was a masterful touch by director Jordan Downey because in all reality the film is more about a fathers love of his child and his willingness to take on and do anything to avenge her soul and put his agonizing guilt to rest. Don’t get me wrong, there is also a ton of gore throughout the film but I feel the choice to not show each monster in each confrontation adds to the air of seriousness the film thrives on.

*Just a side note and something that blew my mind after doing research on director Jordan Downey, he was the director of the schlock holiday horror “franchise” Thankskilling, a Thanksgiving horror/comedy about a foul-mouthed murderous turkey-What a difference 9 years makes!