A struggling art student inherits an empty, disused pub from her estranged father and sets off to Germany with her friend Katie . Yet, the pub itself hides a dark secret. In the basement, a shapeshifting demon exists who has the ability to bring back the dead - but only for two minutes, after which the demon assumes control. The demon exerts a control over whoever has the deed to the pub and the land, which causes misery and tragedy for anyone who tries to leave...
High-concept horror movies, or ones set up with rigid rules and arbitrary consequences, often require a lot of tight plotting before it can begin to add visual flourishes and outsized performances from the cast. The base logic of the thing has to be solid the whole way through in order for everything else to follow, even if said rules and so forth aren't necessarily followed to the letter. Subversion and misdirection can often work wonders in an idea such as 'Baghead'.
Unfortunately, there's such little imagination in 'Baghead', such dull characterisation, and so many underlying issues with the script, that it really doesn't matter if there's anything else going on. It's a crying shame as there's an accomplished and varied cast assembled, including the great Peter Mullan, who is just utterly squandered in this, as well as lead and rising star Freya Allan.
Even more, there's a tiresome plot point involving Jeremy Irvine's character, Neil, that is staged like some kind of rug-pull moment when it could have been done so much better.
Beyond the issues with the script, 'Baghead' just looks plain dull. The drinking hall and the basement itself where much of the action takes place are lit and shot with zero imagination. The gothic surrounds of Berlin and Germany itself are utilised in such a flat way that it barely registers where they are until you see a car registration. Not even the special effects or the creature effects are worth mentioning either.