Wonderful character development!

Some things I liked some I did not.

How sad is this?

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Seriously, if you're rained in for the weekend while visiting mom this summer you should probably find something else to watch than HEADER. Or THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE, two post HOSTEL films of the new school of ultra-extreme horror & exploitation entertainment that are setting message boards across the internet abuzz. That people are talking about the film -- or chatting about it, whatever the right term -- justifies its existence. In a sick, demented, completely inappropriate way this is art, like it or not.That doesn't mean everybody necessarily needs to see it, however. I kind of wish I hadn't. A lifelong lover of horror films including low budget gross out exploitation horror, this film went beyond the pale that I usually confine myself to. But it did so deliberately, with conviction, and had the courage to get down into the cesspool with its viewers. The idea wasn't just to repulse its witnesses, or titillate them, or to push the boundaries and limits of what's permissible. The film does that in the first fifteen minutes & never looks back. It eats up repulsive extreme torture porn for breakfast and regurgitates it back up for lunch, wolfing the filth and bile down a second time with a lip-smacking leer. Shocking its viewers was small potatoes.I think one of the purposes of the film was to try and push the clock back on how low budget exploitation horror garbage was made; I was reminded of THREE ON A MEATHOOK, the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" films, and the despicable FORCED ENTRY (the first version, that is) as much as I was thinking of DELIVERANCE. Those treasure troves of human creativity were made back when filmmakers weren't obsessed with potentially alienating viewer demographics and went for broke. Likewise, HEADER manages to assail every creature on this Noah's Ark of human failure: Hillbillies, law enforcement, medical professionals, housewives, random people walking down the street, are more or less all devalued into human trash to be chopped up, shot, skewered, stabbed, beaten, whatever you can imagine and then some. The only person in the whole film with any genuine scruples is a drug dealer and even he buys the farm.The barbarity of the movie's core premise also masks an interesting Tarentino-ish plot about an overworked idealistic ATF agent at the end of his rope whose life spirals out of control during the very gripping final twenty minutes. Which have nothing to do with perverted hillbilly psychopaths ... and yet it does, or rather has to do with the depths to which humans will descend for primal pleasures, a mythical attribute of the cinematic redneck harvested by DELIVERANCE. And the first half of the film serves as an extension of that film's second most famous scene. If you ever wanted to see what the deformed mountain men from DELIVERANCE might be doing back at their barnyard shack when not dry humping canoeists, here's your big chance!Beyond that however it's an almost impossible film to recommend, a matter not helped by the shot on digital hand-held cam look the film is just as obsessed with as it is the sex & violence. After a while the technique becomes tiresome, as if the filmmakers were saying they were just too punk rock cool for a tripod, or that its storytelling too frenzied for simple pans & zooms. Sometimes they even move the camera deliberately just to show it isn't stuck in one place. The effect of a hand-held shot is best utilized when juxtaposed against more static camera positions in a way that involves the viewer in momentary bursts of action (see ALIEN from 1979 for a masterful example). Without anything to juxtapose it against the effect becomes a method and overpowers whatever visual language the cinematography was trying to employ.There's also a duality to the film that seems like two different ideas welded together & given a fresh coat of paint that divides the movie into two acts: A first act that wallows in the urinal with the rednecks, and the second act where the ATF agent's ultra-bad day at work comes into play. The first part is more of what I call a Behavior Film where we get to witness various depraved behaviors put on display for our entertainment like a cartoon freak show. It is only when the plight of the agent takes center stage that the film concentrates on telling a story about events happening to people & becomes genuinely interesting. The standout scene being a jaw-dropping monologue by a veteran ATF agent (played by Jim Coope) who obligingly explains what a "header" is while spitting tobacco juice into a paper cup. I won't forget that speech anytime soon, and just like THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE can't help myself from wondering *how* anybody ever thought any of this up.But still, for an in-your-face, all out assault on good taste you can do a lot worse. Sadly, this will probably make a great party movie, catering to low attention spans, bawdry crass humor, dumb cracker jokes (one of the only demographic groups along with fat guys still fair game to any manner of abuse a writer can hurl at them) and repulsive visual gags. I also like the goofy low budget approach with certain elements like the mail order ATF AGENT shirts that serve as a readymade costume for the feds. There's some good laughs to be had here for sure, though whether or not I would hang around such a party is a different matter. The idea of people actively enjoying this film is even more disturbing than its content, which may have been the ultimate goal.5/10; As for mom? "Dark Shadows" box set. Never fails!

I read numerous reviews about this film before purchasing. The reviews had me thinking this was a good, but low budget film. After watching the film a few times I decided to share my $.02. First, the overall film exceeded my expectations. There actually was a story and plot - often lacking in horror and indie films. Second, the special effects and setting were great. Third, I truly believed the characters and their interactions with each other. Agent Cummings truly loved Kathy. Grandpap and Travis truly cared for each other, heck, ignorance is bliss. I gave this film a very high rating, because it appears as some people are giving it a unfair "low" rating. If you want to compare this to a $20m Rob Zombie remake - you may not be satisfied. But if you want to compare on the basis of creativity and cost, it can't be beat! Again, just my $.02.

You go into a movie like HEADER, based on a novel by Edward Lee, with certain expectations. If you know *anything* about Lee's work, you go in expecting a nauseating bloodbath, a grand guignol for the 21st century. I've seen the movie a few times now, at various screenings (Rhode Island and New York City), and it stays entertaining and fun at each showing. Yes, it's about hillbilly revenge, as another reviewer stated, but it's a balls-to-the-wall, no-holds-barred gorefest and with this in mind -- and it's made clear from the start what this is about -- you go in and have a bloody good time! The performances are over the top (some are: Grandpap Jake, and Travis are wildly exaggerated in their performances, but they're effective, while Jake Suffian as Stewart was more reserved, more in control, but equally effective) but *exuberant*. These guys are having a blast playing their parts.So why did this make the film festivals? Why not? Seriously, there's room for all forms of entertainment, and there is an audience for all of it. Take me, for example. I loved the hell out of it, and I cite My Fair Lady, The Princess Bride and Finding Nemo and some of my favorite movies. But sometimes you just have to sit back, kick up your feet, and get down and dirty with entertainment that may be a bit (or more than a bit) more extreme than most people can handle. But if you're one of those people who appreciate Edward Lee, and can appreciate a true "Backwoods Greek Tragedy," as this film is affectionately referred to, then you're going to enjoy the hell out of this one. Check it out if you get the chance, because as I've stated elsewhere, I really believe this is destined to become a cult classic.

This horror film containing a campy sense of humor similar to Sean of the Dead, although with surprising depth is a must see! The controversial themes and definition of a HEADeR is reason enough to check this film out. WARNING... it is so disturbing you won't believe your eyes. The special effects and scoring are fantastic for a low budget indie, true guerrilla film-making at its best. But listen close to Grandpap, the funniest paraplegic white cracker that will make you pee your pants... I promise you don't want to miss a single line! The writing is unbelievably catchy, unconsciously you'll find yourself repeating one liners to your friends and family! Do your self a favor and see this film, a new and innovative movie never done before. You won't be disappointed!