Redhead – 2023 – Gory and Violent

Redhead starts of gory

Redhead goes straight to business. Already in the very opening, we’re introduced to gruesome violence. We’re also introduced to ghastly overacting. Not from all actors though—some of them deliver just fine performances. But let’s just say they’re very uneven. Some scenes are very convincing, while others certainly aren’t.

The gore is already prominent at the start too. Gore and a chainsaw—can it get much better? Obviously, it depends on the kind of movie you’re watching, right? But since Redhead is supposed to be a violent flick featuring cannibalism, I’d say it’s a very strong start. Come to think of it, I can’t think of a single movie where a chainsaw didn’t raise the anticipation. Certainly not a horror flick.

There’s a little bit missing when it comes to character development, perhaps. It depends on from which angle you’re looking, I suppose. There is certainly motivation from the killer’s point of view, and also from the early-on victims. But there’s little to no information about who these people are. Why are they tied up in the killer’s basement? What is the killer’s motivation for having them there?

Made by Enthusiasts

But I guess that’s what you get when you start a story in an intensive scene. It becomes a teaser of sorts and can be seen as a foundation to build the rest of Redhead on. Oh, one of the characters has red hair. I guess the secret behind the title is out. But what it lacks in character development, it makes up for in makeup and gore effects, which are very good. I think this is the kind of movie that couldn’t have been made if it wasn’t made by enthusiasts. There are scenes early on that I doubt any Hollywood actors or actresses would even perform. There’s dedication to the art here! The editing could use some improvement though.

I realise that I’ve only described the opening scene so far. Let’s get into the details of what happens then and come to a bottom line, shall we? If the intensity of the teaser had lasted throughout the whole movie, this could have been really good. Now, it gets uneven at best. It becomes an excuse for one gory scene after another, but with no real plot to connect the dots. It just becomes an exercise in gore. It’s a shame, since the opening scene was so strong. There were real emotions and a revolting theme.

The Purpose of revenge movies

I get that the whole purpose of revenge movies is that the woman seeks revenge on all men—whether they did something bad or not might be beside the point. But there should still be a motif, a reason. It’s not enough just to hit on a woman in a bar to get your nuts cut off. Or get strangled with your own intestines just because you show concern and want to call the cops. But maybe the point is to show the decay and increasing insanity of someone deeply traumatized by violent events.

I liked the first part of the movie. It was gruesome and ugly and dirty. I thought the acting was mostly believable. But it goes downhill from there. In the wake of the opening scene, it all fades. The acting grows worse with every scene, and the closer the movie comes to an end, the more the feeling grows that Redhead is just an excuse for showing off gore on film. What started off as great potential was more or less wasted at the end.