Nice effects though.

A Disappointing Continuation

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

SHRUNKEN HEADS is one of the most bizarre films to have been put out by Charles Band's Full Moon Pictures studio, which is perhaps why I found it one of their most entertaining. It's a really oddball picture with the bad taste premise of having a trio of child protagonists murdered by gangster thugs and brought back as floating severed heads to get revenge. The film has a quirky, offbeat look which mixes in various influences and feels a bit film noir style in places. Director Richard Elfman (brother of composed Danny) does a good job with his available resources here.The special effects aren't fantastic but they're serviceable enough. The cast boasts two veteran performers, both of whom give solid turns. Julius Harris, of LIVE AND LET DIE fame, is a delight as the scheming old witch-doctor, while Meg Foster (THEY LIVE) is unrecognisable as the big bad of the piece. The film has lots of bizarre little touches and generally entertains, even if it can hardly be described as highbrow entertainment.

Fans of Full Moon entertainment might lap up this insane comedy/horror offering by director Richard Elfman (The Forbidden Zone). After being violently gunned down for sticking their noses in unwanted business, three kids are brought back to life through voodoo by their elderly Haitian friend as floating shrunken heads to seek vengeance against the head mobster who has a real identity crisis (a beautifully smarmy Meg Foster who's loving every minute of it) and her dim-witted thugs who did them wrong, by turning the thugs into model citizen zombies.'Shrunken Heads' is exceptionally well done for what it is, however there's a childish charm to it all and you take it for face value. Even with such an outrageous and macabre concept, it never finds a surreal air. It's plain, but that's because of the routine plot about vengeful justice set within a crime-riddled urban backdrop (obviously on a studio back-lot). Some laughable moments are achieved. Like the scene when it shows the ritual process of the kids being resurrected as a shrunken head and of course when they hand out their magic punishment. One slices the throat of its victim with it's blade (I don't know where it came from, but hey it's voodoo magic), another chomps and lastly electricity fills the final head. The special effects are cheerfully crude, but workably achieved with puppets and digital animation. Richard Brand's flamboyant score is perfectly etched in and the performances (Aeryk Egan, Becky Herbst, A.J. Damato, and an amusingly campy Julius Harris) are enjoyably brought across. Also in support are Bodhi Elfman and Leigh Allyn Baker. Richard Elfman does a modest injecting some pulpy visuals, despite some bumpy pacing problems and Matthew Bright's script is brightly silly. Wait around to the end as there's still more to show after the credits have some stop rolling.An odd little film.

I picked up a copy of this at a boot sale last sunday for a pound. It's a quality low budget comedy/horror about 3 kids who are gunned down by Vinnie and the Viper Gang. Luckily Mr Sumatra the local newsagent and witch doctor revives them as 3 nasty little shrunken heads. If you are a fan of films like 'idle hands', 'Ghoulies' or 'Critters' you will love this film. It has an excellent Danny Elfman score great special effects and a tongue firmly lodged in it's cheek! It also comes from producer Charles Band who produced 'Dolls' & 'Puppet Master'. This is definitely one of the better full-moon horror movies. If you see this film - grab it! This movie has only been released in the UK once- on rental video. Time for a DVD!!!!

Real life contains enough reality. "Shrunken Heads" is gloriously fake, a frothy cocktail of Haitian voodoo, teen romance, and a butch lesbian crime boss whose pompadour is a special effect in itself. At their best, movies ease us into a dreamlike state with its own logic. This film creates a world in which the sight of flying shrunken heads hell-bent on revenge makes perfectly delightful sense.