Before I even properly read what exactly the story of "Headspace" was about, I already knew damn sure that I wanted to see it, simply because it assembles one of the most impressive B-movie casts of the last 15 years! Even though they all just appear in supportive roles, "Headspace" managed to snare legendary names such as Olivia Hussy (who still looks yummy even though well passed 50, I may add
), Udo Kier, Dee Wallace-Stone, Mark Margolis, Sean Young and William Atherton! With names like that, who needs extra motivations to buy a ticket? Now that I've seen the movie during a festival screening, I regretfully can't claim that it's a genuine masterpiece but nonetheless it's a truly creative and intelligent production that definitely has more trumps than just an attractive cast. Young director Andrew Van den Houten dedicated an equal amount of energy to telling a good story AND supplying the film with exhilarating gore! We're introduced to Alex Borden, a confused young man who carries some severe childhood traumas around with him. Every morning when he wakes up, Alex discovers that his intellect and storage capacity has remarkably increased but; even though this sounds fantastic, he begins to suffer from terrible headaches and nightmarish visions about demons. When people in his surrounding start to get brutally slaughtered, Alex (righteously?) fears that he might be the murderer without fully realizing it. The ideas and sub plots of "Headspace" are so many-sided that the film might have worked even better as a mini-series! Now some of the potentially very interesting story lines (like Alex' family background or the dubious intentions of his doctors) look slightly underdeveloped even though I'm sure they were initially meant to get processed more carefully. But hey, I'm really not complaining since this probably resulted in more action and gore! "Headspace" contains some very effective shock-moments and graphic make up effects that will surely appeal to all horror fans! The set pieces and locations are convincing, with a very nice portrayal of typical New York City suburbs and street life. The camera-work and choreography is terrific, at times even downright artistic, and the screenplay even manages to be educational! How many horror movies can honestly say that teach you interesting facts about the game of chess? Recommended!
