This week I’m covering movies leading up to the end of the year best of countdown. It’s going to be a little different than other years, seeing as movie theatres never quite returned, but good horror has still been making its way to fans in the form of VOD and streaming, so there’s still plenty to talk about! The two movies I’m covering today both came out on VOD but could not be more different, Amulet and Uncle Peckerhead. Amulet is an art film with a capital ‘A’ and Uncle Peckerhead…is titled Uncle Peckerhead. But are they any good? Will they, or anything else I talk about this week shake up my end of year list? Let’s start answering those questions now!

Amulet!

Amulet tells the story of ex-soldier Tomaz, a migrant from an unspecified Eastern-European country who now lives in the U.K. as a homeless day laborer. After a brush with death, Tomaz is saved by a nun and given the chance to live in a home with a young woman and her ailing mother, provided he helps fix up the rotting house that they reside in. Once in, Tomaz soon learns that this house is even stranger and creepier than he originally thought. Things are exacerbated by Tomaz’s recurring nightmares about his time as a soldier, which complicate his relationship with the woman he moves in with, Magda.

Effective Story And Characters.

There are only a handful of characters here, but that works fine as it gives time to become acquainted with everyone and delve into what makes these people tick. It helps that the performances are generally quite good, natural, and understated, particularly for Tomaz and Magda. It is obvious from the moment that Tomaz arrives that things are not what they seem in this house and there are plenty of twists and turns without Amulet feeling like it’s constantly pulling the rug out from under you. What I particularly like is that most of the sequences here feel quite different, there’s a good variety to the scary bits and everything does wind up coming together at the end, which is a big plus.

Gorgeous Visuals That Stay With You.

More importantly, though, Amulet is a complete triumph of visual storytelling. The ending sequence alone is enough to completely recommend this movie but the entirety of Amulet is full of confident visual storytelling, a welcome return to a time when viewers were expected to engage with a movie and connect the dots of what they’re seeing in their own heads. Sure, there is exposition, but the stuff that matters is clear in all its terrible glory. Also, there isn’t a ton of gore in Amulet, but the gory body horrory bits are excellent, and they did satisfy my more lowbrow horror tastes. On the whole, Amulet is another notch in the belt of a very good year of horror, a horror film that may be a little too out there for some, but if you’re patient and have an appreciation for strong trippy visuals, I would recommend Amulet.

Uncle Peckerhead!

Uncle Peckerhead follows a young, aspiring punk band called ‘Duh’ as they attempt to start their first tour and make it in the music business. Being a punk band though, they are flat broke and have no alternative but to accept the help of an odd homeless man who calls himself Peckerhead. With no other option but Peckerhead’s van, the band makes their way on tour, immediately discovering that the music business is a harsh mistress – oh, and also that Peckerhead is some kind of demonic cannibal. That isn’t a spoiler, by the way, it’s the opening scene. But that news does complicate ‘Duh’s’ inaugural tour.

Would It Shock You If I Said This Movie Is Wacky?

Uncle Peckerhead is a goofy movie. I knew it was a horror-comedy going in but I had no idea how hard it was going to lean on the comedy part of that genre. What’s good is that most of the comedy is actually funny! Every scene, from when we first meet our lead Judy, to nearly the end of the film, is stuffed to the gills with witty dialogue, sarcastic quips, and banter. Thankfully, the cast is light on their feet and has the energy and comedic timing to pull this off and keep things fresh and amusing. It helps that the three bandmates all have super different personalities, which plays into the classic comedy approach and makes it all the more interesting when Peckerhead begins to inch his way into this friend group.

The Horror Elements Work Too.

There are two kinds of horror present here, the first obviously being the demonic cannibalism thing and the second being something a bit more personal which I won’t describe too much because of spoilers. The gore effects here are all pretty good, it’s obvious that’s where most of the budget went to, and I quite liked the look of Peckerhead’s demonic form, which is simple but effective. What’s also effective is the more emotionally driven fear that the film tackles in its second half. There’s a lot of humanity and vulnerability to the people involved and that makes where the movie eventually goes even more interesting.

Maybe It Needs A Little Polish. Or Maybe Not.

Uncle Peckerhead does have a few problems though. As it is very much an indie film, everything feels a little cheap. They clearly don’t have a ton of money for sets and locations and it does show a bit but not usually enough to be noticeable. Also, you could probably tell this from the, well, everything, but this movie can get pretty low-brow. That’s less of a complaint and more of an observation, I don’t personally have much of a problem with that style of humor but I understand some people may want to know about that before going in.

Two Quality Movies!

All in all, these are two good movies that are at the exact opposite ends of the horror spectrum. They both do what they set out to do and are both worth watching. I think I liked Amulet a bit more but that was just because of the stronger visuals in it, Uncle Peckerhead certainly had a lot of heart and was hilarious. I would recommend both of these movies, depending on what sort of mood you’re looking for. If you’re in a somber and patient mood then give Amulet a shot. If you just cracked open a six pack and need some lighter fare, check out Uncle Peckerhead.