Pop Skull

In the dark and fathomless depths of shallow contemporary American horror and thriller movies, "Pop Skull" stands as one of the seldom noticed beacons of light. It is not only Adam Wingard's finest picture to date, but one of the best in its genre. Like all great horror and thriller films, "Pop Skull" eludes categorization by invoking fear for something deeper and more interesting than simple jump scares. Juxtaposing hallucinogenic imagery with realistic dialogue, the film captures the essence of today's young generation, giving expression--through the strained words and cathartic thoughts and actions of its characters--to its fears within the context of it's other anxieties, such as loneliness, depression, confusion and aimlessness. Furthermore, by portraying something as common as heartbreak while illustrating a self-destructive addiction to what most people use and have easy access to, i.e., over-the-counter drugs, the narrative acts a disturbing reflection of the audience by connecting them to something they can all relate to and potentially experience. Simply put, "Pop Skull" is a film that manages to present the audience with an insightful social critique within the entertaining confines of the horror genre.

A pill addict (Lane Hughes) confronts ghosts in this artsy, independent film directed by Adam Wingard. Not unlike other Halo Eight releases (such as "Devil's Muse"), this will cater to the more cultured horror fan, not necessarily the splatter-gore fan. Those who need constant, fast-paced stimulation will be bored and likely quickly become distracted. This is not just entertainment, but art put to celluloid.

Instead of giving a review -- really, what sums up this film is its beautiful vision and presentation, rather than a focus on the plot -- I wanted to clarify another review I read that says "Pop Skull" is for the viewer who "can remember your first heartache". Despite all the great things one can say about "Pop Skull", this review went over the top and needs a sense of grounding.

Hughes is compared to Jack Nicholson in "Five Easy Pieces" and Marlon Brando in "Last Tango in Paris". That's some heavy praise. I would hold off on judging Mr. Hughes until his next role, though I concur that he was the man for the job here. The film itself is compared to "Easy Rider", another Nicholson film. Again, this may be a stretch. "Easy Rider" is today a classic... "Pop Skull" is unlikely to achieve this level, and I'd be interested in hearing the reviewer's opinion after a second viewing in a few years.

The reviewer asks, rightly, "since when does conventional film-making imply superiority to something attempting to try something else?" This is a crucial question, both for this film and film in general. The formulaic structure of most movies and their film quality is accepted as the standard, but independent films need love, too, and often times the new concepts trump the tested methods. The reviewer craps on such so-called independent films as "Garden State" ("vapid") and "Saw" ("stupid"), which is unfair, in my opinion. These are both fine films, I think, just simply different from "Pop Skull". To dump on bigger budget indie films is just as discriminating as dumping on low budget indie films.

That is all I have to say. If you like the artsy films and have come to like what you see from Halo Eight, get this one. Buy it. Support indie film.

I have been seeking this movie out for weeks and had to join Netflix DVD to secure it. I watched it one night when I wasn't feeling well on a weekend and decided to stay in. That night changed my life.

This movie embodies so many emotions that really can't be put into words. Paranoia, anxiety, sadness, loneliness, fear and perhaps guilt. Adam Wingard basically shows us what the mind of someone who is desperately struggling looks like. It's something most of us have gone through but something we never thought could be depicted on screen. It's beautiful. Every scene is beautiful and meaningful and will bring you to your knees. I don't understand how something like this was created with such a small budget. I have never seen anything this authentic since Harmony Korine. Adam Wingard uses so many different types of varieties of direction to depict what we can't hear and can only see. I simply cannot give this enough praise.

Yes, perhaps this isn't something that you would watch with your family or even friends. I watched it alone and have rewatched it alone since. There are scenes that remind me of Cronenberg and Lynch but yet separate Wingard from the bunch. This movie is hard to retrieve but please try. I have been a fan since I saw "You're Next" and for me, this movie is his best although I love all of his work. This is what someone who really knows what they are doing creates and his passion and clear intent shines through and leaves an imprint on you that no movie has in so long.

Believe me, I saw lots of horror movies. But not even one compares to that waste of time that "Pop Skull" is. You thought "Haunted boat" or "Seven mummies" or "Chain reaction" are bad? Wait until you see this and bore yourself to death. Literally, with every passing minute of this movie you feel you life being sucked from you and you want to scream and scream again! I saw this at the cinema and half of the people just escaped from the theater after the first half, where nothing happened. Nothing happened in the second half either... And they call that horror, when there isn't a single scary moment in the whole movie!

I don't quite know what was supposed to happen with this movie. I don't understand what was supposed to be scary. I don't understand how the strange lights, flashing, camera tricks, etc. are supposed to be scary or creepy. As I was yawning, I stopped the movie unable to finish the last 30 minutes or care that I didn't finish it.