Lillian Likes… “Redhead”
This review may contain spoilers
“Redhead” is a brutal revenge horror about newly widowed Autumn Blacksmith on a cannibalistic revenge tour on any and all disreputable men that cross her path.
The film opens in a surreal horror landscape with flashes of a bleeding arm and a naked monster approaching the camera that is slowly obstructed by black blood draining down covering the audience’s view of the approaching monster.
The opening kill scene sequence is memorable and satisfying for the avid horror fan, with the gore and effects that are spectacularly gruesome.
Actor Ashley Stinnet, who holds two women captive in a warehouse, plays lowkey creepy psychopath well, just holding back his rage that gurgles beneath the surface. His character personifies twisted weirdo.
We see a man chained up and learn that this is the husband of one of the captive women.
Lillian Likes…The gore and effects that are on full display as the psychopath uses a chainsaw to cut the innards out of one of the captive ladies, delivering hardcore gore to the horror fan.
When the killer presents some disgusting looking food to the lone survivor of this bloodbath, we can only guess that it is some human remains from the massacre.
Lillian Likes…The use of the concept of cannibalism as the demonic transformation catalyst for Autumn Blackstone, the revenge killer of this tale.
Lillian Likes…The way that Johnna Hodge takes broken female to revenge psychopath to new depths with her acting chops. Her acting is palpable and reaches across the screen in intense fashion.
Lillian Likes…When the name of the production company “Killer Pug Pictures” flashes on the screen as an unidentified woman ominously pets a pug dog on her lap.
Lillian Likes…The 80s darkwave electronic soundtrack created by co-director Sam Hodge.
Lillian Likes…The compelling shot of Autumn’s reflection in the dark colored table that she sits at glaring at her pen-clicking therapist.
Lillian Likes…Johnna Hodge’s acting in the scene where she speaks to a therapist following her murderous massacre. She clearly did a lot of work in “the moment before” to stay in character as far as personifying a shattered woman coming to terms with her trauma.
When a smarmy bar fly dude makes the mistake of trying to pick up Autumn when she is just trying to cope with everything that has gone on, we just know that she is a breath away from snapping.
Lillian Likes…The drunken dedication of the unfortunate creep, upon being stabbed, crawls away still clinging to his beer.
Lillian Likes…The blood splatter effect as Autumn rage stabs the already dead body of the dedicated drunk displaying a newly found bloodlust for creeps who perv on her.
Lillian Likes…The way that Autumn has a mock tug of war with the intestines of a man whose stomach she has sliced open after he threatens to call the cops on her, then using his own intestines to choke him.
Lillian Likes…The use of blue light cascading on Autumn’s blood splattered face as she exhaustedly enters the house.
Lillian Likes…The way that the sound is layered, in an almost binaural way, of voices that seemingly reach across the screen as a demonic entity appears behind Autumn washing the blood off of her in the shower.
Lillian Likes…The scene where Autumn, a woman on a mission, brandishes a knife as she walks her cute little pug.
Lillian Likes…The authenticity of the news report that Autumn watches when a reporter on television talks about the string of murders happening.
Lillian Likes…The coffee mug that Autumn uses which has a pug on it.
Lillian Likes…The line from Autumn to the detective who comes to question her: “My dog is real protective. I don't want her to get arrested by you."
As Autumn has a drink at her father’s bar, she begins to piece together memories of her ordeal of when she and her husband were kidnapped, showing just how traumatized and broken she is.
Lillian Likes…The authentic interaction that Autumn has with her father (Scott Myers) as he attempts to talk her out of going after the people responsible for her trauma. Hodge’s vulnerability shines through in her performance, and Myers, who plays concerned yet jaded father, perfectly complements Hodge in this scene.
When Autumn approaches co-conspirator Roger Knight at a his warehouse (Frank James III) dressed up like a vixen, we just know this thirst trap is going to ensnare this hapless dude to his doom.
Lillian Likes…The spike bra that Autumn wears in her effort to lure Roger to his demise. The spikes on this bra go hand in hand with the danger lurking beneath the surface of this bloodthirsty lady.
Autumn flirts her way into a tour from Roger of the place that she and her husband were held captive at.
Lillian Likes…The flirty way Autumn says the line: “Whoa…that looks like a really good place to dump a body,” when being given the tour.
Lillian Likes…The gaping hole gore effects when Autumn blows Roger’s head off.
Lillian Likes…The fact that this ruthless lady takes time out of massacring during the revenge montage to smooch her pug.
Lillian Likes…When the mayor tries to jump the line to use the bathroom and asks, “Don’t you know who I am?” to which the guy responds, “Yeah, I do. I didn’t vote for you.”
Lillian Likes…The blood spurting action all over her face after using a buzz saw on the detective who has been tailing her.
Lillian Likes…The acting performance of the photojournalist captured by Autumn upon catching him snooping around her property. This actor looked like he cried real tears.
This lady does not have the patience to deal with perverts, or men who she perceives to be perverts, and she really embraces her ghoulish fate to be a psychotic cannibal when she locks hands with a demonic entity at the close of the film.
Lillian Likes…The fact that this film has a female brutalizer in it, as you don’t see that too often in horror exploitation films.
This film is a feast for horror and gore fans alike, and the effects and gore are top notch. The level of gore and depravity compliment the performance of Johnna Hodge who takes broken psychopath to new depths.
Lillian Likes…“Redhead”
Written by Sam Hodge
Directed by Johnna Hodge & Sam Hodge
Starring Johnna Hodge, Sam Hodge, Puggles, Will Holland, Ashley Stinnet, Sara Stinnet, Daniel Lund, Scott Myers
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