HorrorComedy

Bad Hair

- Terror takes root.

In 1989, an ambitious young woman gets a weave in order to succeed in the image-obsessed world of music television. However, her flourishing career may come at a great cost when she realizes that her new hair may have a mind of its own.

Release Date : 2021-05-05

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Sight Unseen PicturesCulture Machine

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Anna Bludso

Original Name : Elle Lorraine

Gender : Female

Character Name : Julius

Original Name : Jay Pharoah

Gender : Male

Character Name : Brook-Lynne

Original Name : Lena Waithe

Gender : Female

Character Name : Sandra

Original Name : Kelly Rowland

Gender : Female

Character Name : Zora

Original Name : Vanessa Williams

Gender : Female

Character Name : Virgie

Original Name : Laverne Cox

Gender : Female

Character Name : Linda Bludso

Original Name : Chanté Adams

Gender : Female

Character Name : Amos Bludso

Original Name : Blair Underwood

Gender : Male

Character Name : Grant Madison

Original Name : James Van Der Beek

Gender : Male

Character Name : Germane D.

Original Name : Usher

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sista Soul

Original Name : Yaani King Mondschein

Gender : Female

Character Name : Maxine

Original Name : Michelle Hurd

Gender : Female

Character Name : Edna

Original Name : Judith Scott

Gender : Female

Character Name : Denise

Original Name : Robin Thede

Gender : Female

Character Name : Rosalyn

Original Name : Ashley Blaine Featherson

Gender : Female

Character Name : Baxter Tannen

Original Name : Steve Zissis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Coral

Original Name : MC Lyte

Gender : Female

Character Name : Young Anna

Original Name : Zaria Kelley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Linda

Original Name : Corinne Massiah

Gender : Female

Character Name : Executive Justin

Original Name : Moses Storm

Gender : Male

Character Name : Valet

Original Name : Jon Gabrus

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gina

Original Name : Nicole Byer

Gender : Female

Character Name : Reggie Watson

Original Name : Justin Simien

Gender : Male

Reviews

Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots

@screenzealots

2021-06-23

While audiences are thankfully seeing more female-driven horror films in the movie world, black female horror is even more of an anomaly. That’s why writer / director Justin Simien‘s “Bad Hair” is so damn interesting. The story of one woman’s ambition and her (literal) killer weave is an absurd yet astute satire of popular culture with a meaningful message. This is one you’ll be talking about long after the final credits roll. Set in Los Angeles circa 1989, Anna (Elle Lorraine) prefers the au naturel look after a traumatic childhood hair accident left her with a burned scalp. She’s a hardworking assistant on a music video show for the Culture television network, but struggles to get a promotion due to the way she looks. When Anna’s supportive boss is fired and a former supermodel (Vanessa Williams) is brought in as a replacement, Anna is scared of being let go and decides to do something about her appearance. She gets a gorgeous new weave and learns her flowing locks may just be the key to success that she was missing — until her hair gets a taste for blood. The hair-raising (snort!) story is cleverly based on fictitious slave myths and superstitions that weave in (pun intended) the idea of mystical African folklore in relation to what the horror of everyday life feels like (including the pain some endure in pursuit of beauty) for black women in America. “Bad Hair” is a nontraditional horror film that’s presented in a traditional way. There are jump scares and a silly finale, but Simien blends humor with horror in this campy thriller. It’s also a pensive style of social horror that will likely be more meaningful to women as well as people of color. The film tackles the absurdity in everyday life and in particular, the system of oppression that preys on African-American women the most. The women in the film are tricked into becoming their own oppressors, all in the name of fitting in with what society defines as beautiful. This movie is super smart, brutally honest, sometimes scathing, and highly uncomfortable, but it’s also really funny.