If 2000s horror was marked by ‘torture porn' and extreme violence – and the 2010s quieter, psychological horrors – then the 2020s are all about ‘trauma porn' and grief. A plethora of festival titles this year have all delved deep into our fears surrounding death and the loss of our loved ones, with the subgenre becoming so overwrought with wailing widows and downtrodden offspring that they often lose their fear factor. Enter Daddy's Head – a spine-tingling take on an over-saturated theme.

Directed by Benjamin Barfoot, Daddy's Head follows Isaac (Rupert Turnbull) and his stepmother Laura (Julia Brown) after the death of their father/husband in a car crash. Coping with the mammoth loss in their own ways, Isaac retreats into himself and his video games while not only processing his dad's death but the loss of his mother only a few years prior. Laura, meanwhile, turns to alcohol after struggling with substance abuse issues as she grapples with the solitude of their sprawling, forest estate as well as whether to care for Isaac, with whom she has a strained relationship. Soon after their bereavement, Isaac and Laura begin seeing a strange presence in their home which seemingly has the same face as their lost loved one.

The themes of Daddy's Head are nothing new, but its uniqueness lies in how it doesn't neatly tie up every plot thread it poses, rather leaving the audience to run wild with their imaginations. We never know why the mimicking creature chooses Laura and Isaac, nor what it is or where it came from, but the unknown surrounding the uncanny horror only heightens the fear and dread the audience feels alongside the unnamed antagonist's grieving victims.

This tension leads to simple yet effective jump scares, using traditional horror imagery and tropes in tandem with the devastating pain and despair that Isaac and Laura display. Daddy's Head also perfectly masters the all-encompassing numbness of loss, with Julia Brown delivering a remarkable performance as Laura as she floats through one day to the next numbing the pain with alcohol and loud music, only showing true, unfiltered emotion when faced with protecting Isaac. Rupert Turnbull is similarly captivating as Isaac, tackling some heavy themes expertly and believably at such a young age, so much so it's hard not to well up in the film's final act.

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.

Daddy's Head had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2024 on Sunday, September 22. It is released on Shudder on October 11.

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