The Amazing Screw-On Head Review

Much like Hellboy, The Amazing Screw-On Head posits a secret history of America, one marked by the presence of the supernatural and policed by a secret, inhuman agent devoted to the well-being of the common man. In this case the hero is Screw-On Head, a disembodied robotic head who swaps bodies depending on need and who answers directly to the president of the United States - Abraham Lincoln. Screw-On Head’s arch-nemesis is the evil Emperor Zombie, our hero’s former manservant who was seduced by the powers of evil and who now makes a point of killing all of Screw-On Head’s subsequent manservants in unpleasant ways. He’s taken out six so far. With the help of his sinister accomplices - a cannibal, a werewolf, the aforemention machine gun toting monkey, and Screw-On Head’s former lover since turned into a vampire - Emperor Zombie has now kidnapped the leading expert on Evil Texts to help translate the scroll left behind by the ancient warlord Gugan who used a mystic jewel - which turns out to actually be a turnip - to conquer the world in 9600 BC. Will Screw-On Head, Mr. Groin - his latest manservant - and his undead dog be able to stop Emperor Zombie’s evil plot?

Oh, yeah, this has got more weirdness per minute than you can shake a stick at. Mignola conceived the character as a chance to do nothing more than blend all of the things he loves and it shows. The world of Screw-On Head is a playground for every geek’s inner child, a stew of old serials, spy thrillers, cyber punk, and horror all played so absurd and tongue in cheek that when Mignola references Monty Python in an included interview it makes perfect sense. The writing is fast paced, wry, and very, very funny; the animation matches Mignola’s own drawing style perfectly, and the voice talent - most notably Paul Giamatti and David Hyde Pierce - are stellar.

The just-released DVD edition is excellent. You get the twenty two minute pilot episode in full frame and enhanced widescreen options with storyboard comparisons, a featurette on the origins of both the character and the animation that features Mignola’s own thoughts very heavily, plus a commentary track by producer Bryan Fuller and director Chris Prynoski. I would have loved to have Mignola on the commentary as well but Fuller and Prynoski turn out to give rather good commentary themselves, giving a nice balance of behind the scenes info, funny stories and generally fresh banter.

For whatever reason the Sci-Fi Channel commissioned this pilot episode and then seemingly left the title to die. This is, without a doubt, a major cult title just waiting to happen and yet the pilot is the only episode ever produced. But if recent history has taught anything it is that strong DVD sales can resurrect a dead title. Do not rent this. Do not download it. Go buy it. It may only be twenty two minutes but it’s twenty two minutes of gold and if there is ever to be more we need to make our opinion heard in the only venue that matters when these decisions are made: the marketplace.