The underground horror boom of the 2000s birthed a lot of strange and nasty little films, and Maskhead is absolutely one of the standouts. Scott Swan and Fred Vogel’s grotesque splatter opera isn’t a film built on story or polish; it’s an exercise in pushing the limits of microbudget horror with a heavy emphasis on grisly, in-your-face special effects, much like Vogel’s August Underground films.
Unearthed Films has built a reputation for rescuing titles like this from obscurity, and their Blu-ray release finally gives Maskhead the kind of treatment fans of extreme horror crave.
Posing as a modeling agency, two women (Shelby Lyn Vogel and Danielle Inks) secretly launch a side business producing snuff films, luring in their unsuspecting, sex-obsessed costars. What the victims don’t realize is that they’re being offered up to a hulking masked killer (Daniel V. Klein) who takes sadistic delight in tearing them apart.
The plot is skeletal, but the gore is anything but. With every low-fi kill, you can feel the FX crew stretching their resources as far as possible, delivering a parade of mangled flesh, sticky prosthetics, and gallons of blood. It’s cheap, it’s crude, but it’s effective. Each kill is long and drawn out, so if you’re into extreme horror, you know where to look.
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Maskhead isn’t for everyone; it’s raw, ugly, and designed to make you squirm, but was given it the kind of treatment that turns a nasty little film into a collector’s piece. Fans of extreme microbudget gore will want to see just how far the effects team will push; it won’t disappoint.
Unearthed has never been about cutting corners, and this Blu-ray reflects that. The transfer is good and is sourced from the original materials. It looks as good as this kind of production can look, but the real treasure here is in the extras. Much like the aforementioned August Underground films, it’s staggering to go through all the included materials.
There are three commentary tracks: the Swan Cut, Fred Vogel’s introduction, interviews, test footage, extended death scene, blooper reel, trailers, and so much more. Unearthed made sure to pack it with archival material as well as new content, and most of it is new.
I wouldn’t exactly say I’m the target audience for Maskhead, but I can appreciate what’s accomplished and have no problem recommending it to the hardcore splatter fans out there. It’s ninety minutes of wall-to-wall filth and fluids, and Unearthed will give you your money’s worth.
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