BAD HAIRCUT Is a Razor-Sharp Slice of Indie Horror Chaos - FilmQuest Review
I managed to catch a screening of Bad Haircut at FilmQuest, and I wasn’t ready for how much fun I was about to have. It’s been a long time since a movie made me laugh this hard while also creeping me out in all the right ways.
This isn’t your average horror-comedy, it’s a full-blown rollercoaster ride of laughs, blood, and chaos that never loses its sense of play. The energy in that theater was wild, and I walked think about how something so dark could be so damn funny.
Written and directed by Kyle Misak, Bad Haircut follows Billy, played by Spencer Harrison Levin, a college kid trying to shake off the embarrassment of a humiliating party incident. His plan? A simple haircut to change his image.
But when his buddies take him to their barber, who they hype up so much, things take a turn from awkward to batshit insane. What starts as a harmless snip quickly becomes a nightmare in the most bonkers and entertaining ways.
That barber is Mick, brought to life with electric chaos by Frankie Ray. And let me tell you, Mick is one of the most mesmerizing villains I’ve seen in years. He’s a perfect cocktail of villainous insanity, but still entirely his own creation.
You can’t take your eyes off him. He’s creepy, hilarious, and oddly sympathetic in moments that shouldn’t work, but somehow do. Misak and Ray manage to make him a character you kind of love, even when you really shouldn’t.
I also love how the movie straddles that thin line between horror and humor without tripping over itself. Misak’s writing gives his cast room to go nuts, and Ray absolutely owns the film, but Levin keeps it grounded with an everyman charm that makes the madness feel believable.
The chemistry between them gives the movie its edge, and it’s both terrifying and weirdly heartwarming watching this bizarre relationship unfold.
As the story plays out, we learn more about Mick’s dark habits and the trail of missing teens in the area. But Bad Haircut never gets bogged down by the darkness. It’s fast, snappy, and full of clever twists. There’s even a strange sweetness to it, like it knows exactly how ridiculous it is and dares you not to enjoy the ride. Somewhere between the blood and the bad jokes, it finds a surprising amount of heart.
The movie’s small budget actually works in its favor. It feels handmade, scrappy, and full of personality like something that could’ve come out of the midnight movie scene in the ‘80s. Every rough edge adds to its charm. Misak gives the film a raw, throwback energy that suits its strange world perfectly.
Bad Haircut is a hidden gem. It’s bold, ridiculous, and absolutely entertaining from start to finish. I had a blast watching it, and I can’t wait for more people to discover it. Whether it gets a wide release or finds its cult following later, this movie deserves to be seen. It’s a cut above the rest… no pun intended.