Bad Hair

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2:22

Bad Hair

2020

1h 42m

Horror

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

62%

Tomatometer

85 Reviews

40%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Terror strikes when a woman's new hair weave seems to take on a life of its own.

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Critics Consensus

Bad Hair's unwieldy ambitions are easy to respect -- even if the film's tonal jumble and uneven execution are impossible to ignore.

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Shelli Nicole

Autostraddle

Whenever I watch horror my fascination is the actual gore. My favorite horror genres are Body & Revenge and in some way Bad Hair encompasses both.

Apr 13, 2022

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Cate Young

Bitch Media

In his quest to create a fable about Black women's hair, Simien overlooks the actual function it plays in Black women's lives, opting instead for a superficial finger wag about the value and importance of natural beauty.

Feb 27, 2021

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Angelica Jade Bastién

New York Magazine/Vulture

A banal, sepulchral tour through the failures of the Black male imagination supported by an industry that bleeds Black folks for inspiration but doesn't care for their very humanity either.

Oct 30, 2020

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Patrick Beatty

ABC4 Utah

This is kind of a horror film, but it’s a lot more of a social commentary, specifically on cultural stifling and being in the spotlight.

Jul 23, 2025

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Brittany Patrice Witherspoon

Pop Culture Reviews

...the entire script feels like one giant mockery that aims to crowd-please over educating the ignorant and/or condemning the system responsible.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 14, 2024

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Paul Lê

Nightmare on Film Street

Justin Simien braids a clever and funny allegory whose central themes are intelligible without being pushy.

Rated: 8/10

Jul 20, 2023

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Zema K

In Justin Simien’s satirical slasher, a weave becomes the monster, but the real villain is the pressure Black women face to fit Eurocentric beauty standards. Set in a glossy, image‑obsessed 1989 TV world, it’s funny, messy, and sharp about how “professionalism” can be code for assimilation. The killer hair is absurd; the microaggressions and cultural compromises are all too real. It’s School Daze meets The Ring, with a side of truth that lingers longer than the jump scares.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/03/25

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Dennis L

Es una pelicula que tiene una trama original, muy diferente a las tramas de siempre, es una pelicula buena en terminos generales, muy buena para ver en estas fechas de halloween.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/24/25

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Audience Member

I absolutely loved it! An excellent 90s style horror with some cultural commentary. A little bit of comedy and a little gore to keep the story going.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

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Audience Member

Loved it, people say it's a finger wagging at black womens protective styles. It's not. It's a camp horror. I'm a black woman who has worn weaves, and who no longer does. I can laugh at it without it being a criticism of black women. It has a message, I got that message. Interpret how you will but I thought it was fun!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

super cringe execution. premise a bit lame.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

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Audience Member

Was like watching a lobotomy

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

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Bad Hair: Featurette - Filmmakers Playlist

4:43

Bad Hair: Trailer 1

2:22

Bad Hair: Teaser Trailer

1:05

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Synopsis

Terror strikes when a woman's new hair weave seems to take on a life of its own.

Director: Justin Simien
Producer: Julia Lebedev, Angel Lopez, Justin Simien, Eddie Vaisman
Screenwriter: Justin Simien
Production Co: Sight Unseen Pictures, Culture Machine
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 23, 2020
Runtime: 1h 42m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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