Daddy's Head

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Daddy's Head

Released Oct 11, 2024

1h 37m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

38 Reviews

52%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

In the wake of his father's untimely death, a young boy is left in the eerie solitude of a sprawling country estate with his newly widowed stepmother. Struggling to navigate the overwhelming task of parenthood, his stepmother grows distant, leaving their fragile bond at risk of collapse. Amidst the growing tension, the boy begins to hear unsettling sounds echoing through the corridors, and is soon haunted by the presence of a grotesque creature bearing a disturbingly familiar resemblance to his late father. As the boy's warnings are dismissed as the imagination of a grieving child, the sinister entity tightens its grip on their crumbling lives.

Alison Foreman

IndieWire

Daddy’s Head isn’t likely to stick around as a film that genre fans will revisit often, but as far as haunting and half-baked ghost stories, Shudder subscribers could do worse than this sort-of-good-sort-of-bad pain in the neck.

Rated: B

Oct 10, 2024

Full Review

Phil Hoad

Guardian

A monster, or the supernatural, as a manifestation of uncontainable emotions is hardly a new idea... Daddy’s Head adopts this increasingly familiar tactic, and just about succeeds in freshening it up.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 8, 2024

Full Review

Meagan Navarro

Bloody Disgusting

Daddy’s Head is handsomely crafted, with a creature design that’s pure nightmare fuel.

Rated: 3.5/5

Sep 28, 2024

Full Review

Rebecca Sayce

FILMHOUNDS Magazine

After the influx of horror films exploring grief and trauma that the 2020s has been marked by, Daddy's Head feels like a breath of fresh air that will chill you right to your bones – and just in time for Halloween.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 23, 2025

Full Review

Joshua Ryan

Sunshine State Cineplex

Despite the cast’s strong efforts and innovative creature design, the film is bogged down by the recycled elements of its overly familiar script.

Rated: 5/10

Jul 19, 2025

Full Review

John Daniel Tangalin

The Cinema Spot

Despite being a horror film, the narrative doesn’t require a body count to carry it but rather showcases its themes through a story of belief and family matters.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 19, 2025

Full Review

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Nic F

Really unique, hard to pigeon-hole plot. Had a bit of a 'Midwich Cuckoos' vibe to it, somewhere between mild horror and sci fi, it's a pretty good slow burn. I would have liked to have had the characters fleshed out a little more, as I didn't feel super invested in them from the get go, but it grew on me. (Spoilers ahead) The friend character was a little bit unbelievable as a father of two, who could just drop everything and be there at the main character's whim, I found that a bit annoying. I found it strange that the main character didn't consider staying elsewhere, with her friend (who offered), or at a hotel, etc. She had plenty of money, and didn't seem to need to be anywhere for work or anything. But that is being picky – still very entertaining!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/05/25

Full Review

Nick F

Once again we have a horror movie w both potential and a creepy villain, completely ruined by an incompetent director who doesn’t have a clue how to make a horror movie. Calling this movie “underbaked” is an understatement. Script, execution all felt written and filmed in 1 day. Skip it and watch movies like The Dark and the Wicked, Azrael, Arcadian, and Oddity instead.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

09/04/25

Full Review

Spike D

Frequently seems to be running low on ideas.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/04/25

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Samir R.

One of the best movies!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/01/25

Full Review

Ronaldo P

I gave it a 3.5 strictly because I didn't love the movie but I would recommend watching it if you like horror. Enjoyed the concept they did a good job making it creepy / weird. The story aspects were just the part that left me scratching my daddy's head. I just had so many why is this happening? What is going on? Not gonna bother looking it up though. Why the weird alien things there God only knows

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/22/25

Full Review

Jeffrey P

This was better than expected, it worked for awhile in a Babadook-kinda way, but the weak explanation and resolution hurt it in the end.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

06/19/25

Full Review

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Benjamin Barfoot

Director

Julia Brown

Actor

Rupert Turnbull

Actor

Charles Aitken

Actor

Nathaniel Martello-White

Actor

Benjamin Barfoot

Screenwriter

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Daddy's Head: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

In the wake of his father's untimely death, a young boy is left in the eerie solitude of a sprawling country estate with his newly widowed stepmother. Struggling to navigate the overwhelming task of parenthood, his stepmother grows distant, leaving their fragile bond at risk of collapse. Amidst the growing tension, the boy begins to hear unsettling sounds echoing through the corridors, and is soon haunted by the presence of a grotesque creature bearing a disturbingly familiar resemblance to his late father. As the boy's warnings are dismissed as the imagination of a grieving child, the sinister entity tightens its grip on their crumbling lives.

Director: Benjamin Barfoot
Producer: Mathew James Wilkinson, Patrick Tolan
Screenwriter: Benjamin Barfoot
Distributor: Shudder
Genre: Horror
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 11, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 11, 2024
Runtime: 1h 37m