Scary BAMBOOZLED is entirely reductive but also you get the idea. Really thoughtful and sly, a confrontation between Blackness and genre that makes a lot of similar current attempts seem amateurish at best and pandering at worst. A raw, angry, funny, campy display of ambivalence over assimilation, complicity, and denial of opportunity that accumulates influences like (yeah very obviously) Spike Lee but also De Palma and vintage Blaxploitation and of course J-Horror and even a little good old fashioned TV movie texture spooky stuff. A real triumph.

“I did what the box told me.”

I would never dare to ask for a perfectly executed horror film, but one was thrown my way and I don't mind at all.

Vegan alert:
Pig's blood is an ingredient in a product.

THIS WAS SUCH A SERVE ABSOLUTE CULT CLASSIC IN THE MAKING

"Fuck it... it's just hair" -Zora,

- 2020 Ranked: boxd.it/4zdAI

An awkward woman gets hair extensions to fit into her business environment, a Music Television station focused on black entertainment, and things start to go really bad. It's an early 90s homage with a low budget but lots of heart and a bunch to say about issues in the black community, being yourself, and the power of culture. This is a headsy dramedy horror with a slow pace but tons of great parts. I love when the hair attacks, even though it looks cheesy its a type of cheesy I love and it fits with the general vibe of the movie.

I think what I like most about this film is that it nails that low budget cult feel. It's really silly but it plays the script completely seriously. There's a low budget grain to it that feels cozy and the ending is excellent.

Recommended.

Hair today, gone tomorrow.

A corporate assimilation melting pot of themes and culture that feels like De Palma joint woven together by so many different characteristics that I love. Adored the 16mm, all the performances, very late 80’s aesthetic, and direction. One of my favorites of the year—I’m so glad I decided to pull the trigger on watching this.

Put that Kelly Rowland song on Spotify immediately

Holy fuckkkkkkkkk Bad Hair is incredible, just wow Justin Simien. Goes all out with a haunted hair concept and delivers what feels like a major moment in horror. Loved the originality and intensity, the humor and clever twists on horror tropes, building to one hell of a freaky final act. This is going to be big. Tons of horror references and nods all over this film, but one of my favorites is its tip to They Live. I hope all the other horror fans go nuts for this, too.

Something about this film just registered with me, and I think it's such an immensely original and one-of-a-kind crazy horror feature. Yes, it's an 80s De Palma thriller throwback with all kinds of horror nods, but it's also still contemporary and intelligent and universal. It's the best kind of "fuck with you" horror film. It feels it could be tightened up a bit, otherwise it's a blast.

I Think You Should Weave

So nice to see nice long, slow zooms in a new horror movie. It's a shame we can't see this with huge, rowdy crowds at late night screenings. It would kill.

BAD HAIR takes its time to build up its themes & story until it explodes into full blown camp horror territory in the third act. Enjoyed the social commentary more than the actual horror but Elle Lorraine was the exact opposite of bad throughout. Cult classic status feels assured

shoutout to all the ladies who say they can’t control their hair... in this film, the hair controls you

This was pretty good. Definitely a diffrent take on horror. I loved all the 80s and 90s Hip Hop and R and B Cameos they had.

That was something

haha.. i do that. in fact, this happened to me last week.

Una versión afroestadounidense del cuento de fantasmas japonés “Cabello negro”, que adaptado a cine en la película “Kwaidan”, y luego en “Exte”, “Suicide Club” y cualquier otra cantidad de películas japonesas. La apropiación mítica africana es hecha de una manera ingenua y obvia, a través de un libro de leyendas que, gratuitamente, aparece en la trama.

a premissa é incrível e a execução ainda melhor. a crítica social tá presente, porém não toma mais espaço do que necessário, e as referências visuais são um show a parte, além do design de som sem impecável o filme todo.

Admittedly it gets super batshit crazy in the final act but the first half of this movie is SO amazingly conceived and executed that it more than makes up for the b-movie it collapses into in the final 10 minutes.

Definitely worth searching out.

Never using hair product EVER AGAIIN!!

This movie is so deep

Aesthetically and tonally masterful for the first half. Early 80's look and feel with a premise so silly it has to be played straight (and the very literal metaphor). The second half devolves into a cheesy irony fest that neither says much nor really knows how to make a solid horror movie with scares and laughs intermingled. Movies like this require a deft tonal hand and it just doesn't land here.

Grade: B+
Recommendation: Smart humor that borders on camp without ever going over the top. A fun watch. Worth a rental.

With a better, more developed script, I think Bad Hair could have been an interesting look into assimilation and respectability politics surrounding Black women and their hair. But instead, we got...this.