Movie Review: Uncle Peckerhead (2020)

Uncle Peckerhead is an indie horror film written and directed by Matthew John Lawrence. It’s about a rock band called “Duh” comprised of Judy (Chet Siegel), Max (Jeff Riddle), and Mel (Ruby McCollister) who are about to embark on their first tour and are in desperate need of a van to make it to their gigs. Their rent is due, their van got repossessed, and they are in serious need of some cash or they are in trouble. At the last minute, they find someone willing to help out, who turns out to be someone much more deadly than he appears to be.

Enter Uncle Peckerhead (David Littleton). He is this seemingly harmless older man and because he lives in his van, he can’t offer it to them. Instead, he offers to drive them to their gigs and also offers be their roadie along the way. Somewhat of a bloodbath happens at midnight on the first night of their journey, which defines how the rest of the trip plays out.

We loved the concept of this film. It is never actually mentioned what Peckerhead actually is, but to us, he mostly resembles a zombie so we’re going to go with that. It’s a pretty fresh take on it, and while it doesn’t take itself too seriously, it also doesn’t overdo the comedy aspect of the story. There are definitely some good moments of comedy peppered in here and there, though. There are also some awesome moments of horror. The scenes where Peckerhead does his thing are shot very well. There was a nice amount of practical effect use and blood when it was called for, and they definitely didn’t hold back on the blood.

The acting was pretty decent for an indie film. The majority of the cast didn’t have a lot of experience, and their talent really stood out here. The character dialogue was tight for the most part, and the story was also well-paced. Another thing that we really thought stood out was the production. Everything was pretty great on that side of things. As mentioned before, the practical effects were nice. The cinematography during some of the gory scenes was perfect, and the sound department was on-point too.

Overall, we would definitely recommend everyone check out Uncle Peckerhead. It has something for just about everyone who is into horror and even something for people who aren’t.

Uncle Peckerhead just released on VOD so check out the trailer below and look for it on Amazon and other streaming platforms today!