Uncle Peckerhead
While delivering on the over the top gore that is expected of the genre, Uncle Peckerhead manages to blend horror tropes with some solid laughs and a surprising amount of heart.
After quitting her job, Judy (Chet Siegel) decides to pursue her passion for music alongside her close friends/band mates Max (Jeff Riddle) and Mel (Ruby McCollister), deciding to take their band DUH on tour. Issues arise after the tour van is repossessed, forcing the trio to seek a quick solution to their transport problem. Enter the titular Peckerhead (David H. Littleton), a seemingly kind yet mysterious man who is willing to lend his truck, providing he can join the band on the road trip. After begrudgingly agreeing to Peckerhead’s deal, the group arrive at their first gig venue and are antagonised by a rude venue manager. Upon leaving the gig, Judy stumbles across Peckerhead, finding him zombified as he mutilates and devours the venue manager. Unwilling to let what Peckerhead describes as his ‘condition’ get in the way of the tour, Peckerhead continues to join the band on their trip, as the group tries to keep him at bay.
Surprisingly, what follows on from this is not a typical slasher film as one might expect from the given premise. What Uncle Peckerhead does deliver on is at times being heart-warming while in others being laugh out loud funny, as well as delivering some intense yet comical gore. Uncle Peckerhead manages to take the pre-existing tropes of its genre and, while still playing with many of them, successfully subverts many conventions, allowing the film to stand firmly on its own in an often-busy crowd of horror comedy features.
David H. Littleton’s performance as Peckerhead is initially frightening and off putting, yet Littleton, while not exactly bringing a huge amount of depth to the role, does a great job taking the character in a more goofy and loveable direction, while still portraying the horrific aspects well. This works great in tandem with the chemistry of the three band members; Judy’s straight-talking and believable attitude to the events unfolding are a great contrast to Max and Mel, who are far number to the situation, resulting in an entertaining dynamic. As well as a believable band portrayal, particular attention appears to have been given to the original music written for the band DUH. Jeff Riddle – as well as portraying Max – is credited as the song writer for DUH, with music that is believable of the punk genre, consequently allowing the band to have a great element of realism. Alongside the original music, Christopher Marti composes a playful score that serves the film well, ramping up in the brutal yet comically over the top gore scenes.
At times, the tone of the film can become distracting. Towards the final act of the narrative, it feels as if a decision about where to take the film’s conclusion was slightly rushed, resulting in themes feeling abandoned in favour of a curve ball ending. Yet, despite a slightly unsatisfying conclusion, Uncle Peckerhead is a gruesome horror-comedy that, for the most part, manages to balance its tonal shifts well. With a strong script and direction from writer/director Matthew John Lawrence, there is potential to only improve on the solid groundwork if the planned sequels go ahead.
