Review: “Head Count”, Elle Callahan’s directorial debut has got your number.

Posted by Liz Whittemore on Jun 13, 2019 | 0 comments

HEAD COUNT

Directed by Elle Callahan

Newcomer Evan joins a group of teens on a getaway in Joshua Tree. While exchanging ghost stories around the campfire, Evan reads aloud a mysterious chant from an internet site. From that moment, someone–or something–is among them. As unsettling, inexplicable events become more frequent, Evan realizes this summoned shape-shifting creature is targeting them to fulfill a deadly ritual.

This script by director Elle Callahan and Michael Nadar is something special. Right off the bat, I noticed nods to It Follows, one of the most unique genre films in a long time. But once Head Count’s weirdness takes full hold, you’ll find it’s completely its own creation. You will be just as spooked/confounded as the characters themselves. Not too often can you say that about a film. This is anything but formulaic. There is a really great visual reference, several actually, to “the veil”. Along with effective cinematography and smartly used tropes, Head Count is upsetting in the best ways possible. Performances are authentic and fun to watch. This young cast is super grounded in their work. Not one is a loose thread. It’s a spooky story and the scares are genuinely heart pumping. Head Count has got your number.

Samuel Goldwyn Films will release the horror/thriller HEAD COUNT in theaters and on digital and On Demand June 14, 2019. 

The film premiered at the 2018 Los Angeles Film Festival, and Ashleigh Morghan was honored with the Nightfall Special Jury Prize for a Lead Actor.

HEAD COUNT is directed by Elle Callahan (“Happy Deathday”) in her feature film debut, and Callahan co-wrote the script with Michael Nader (The Toll, Flock of Four).  The film features an up-and-coming cast including Ashleigh Morghan (Native Son, “Snowfall”), Isaac W. Jay (Flock of Four) and Sam Marra (“Homecoming,” “Awkward”).