Head of the Family

Myron Stackpoole is a super-genius mad scientist. He is also a humongous head w/ a tiny body. He lives w/ his giant, incredibly strong brother, Otis, his bug-eyed brother, Wheeler; and his voluptuous sister, Ernestina (yowza!). Myron controls the actions of his three siblings through his titanic force of will, and a strong psychic connection between them. This allows Myron to gather supplies and capture fresh victims for his nefarious experiments. Everything is great, until two star-crossed lovers named Lance (Blake Bailey) and Loretta (Jacqueline Lovell) get mixed up w/ the Stackpoole clan. Things get very interesting from there! HEAD OF THE FAMILY is a well-made full moon production. I love the dungeon, the house, the Stackpooles, the biker-guy, the frequent nudity, the love-scenes w/ on-going conversations, the humor, the tribute to Joan of Arc, and the general oddness of it all! One of my favorite movies...

I'm starting to see that Full Moon does 2 different types of movies: The Subspecies kind that are supposed to be full on horror and movies like this that are supposed to be weird, scary and comical. I really enjoyed HOTF. I liked the makeup and the story kept me interested. Good characters in that family. Oh yeah, that blond chick was pretty happenin' as well. Nice job by Charles Band and co.

Lance (Blake Bailey)--protagonist of the ultra-low-budget direct-to-video flick HEAD OF THE FAMILY (1996)--is the owner of a greasy-spoon diner in a small southern town, but a successful entrepreneur he is not. As with most of his fellow small-town denizens, Lance is the sort of white-trash American citizen who is more likely to wind up as a guest of Jerry Springer than in an issue of FORTUNE magazine.

Adding to the day-to-day problems of running a struggling business, Lance is having an affair with Loretta (former soft-core porn actress Jacqueline Lovell), the attractive wife of Howard, the town bully. Howard seems perpetually on the verge of discovering the ongoing extramarital trysts--after all, everybody else in town already knows--and this is starting to make Lance and Loretta fear for their lives. So during their obviously choreographed lovemaking sessions, the two discuss the possibilities of choreographing Howard's demise. But can they devise a plan that will succeed AND keep them both out of the electric chair?

Enter the Stagpooles, a mysterious family of freakish quadruplets who live on the edge of town in a dilapidated old mansion. Only three of the four are ever seen in public--Otis (Bob Schott), a muscular, oafish brute; Wheeler (James Jones), who seems to have eye problems and always wears thick, dark sunglasses (even at night); and the drop-dead gorgeous Ernestina (buxom hard-core porn star Dianne Colazzo), whose supply of gray matter is inversely proportional to her breast size--when they come into town for food and supplies. And even then, the trio rarely talks. They simply pass along a grocery and supply list made out by their brother Myron (J.W. Perra), the sibling who always stays at home. And though none of them work, they always readily pay cash for their purchases. Only two things, therefore, are certain about the Stagpooles--they have plenty o' money, and they value their privacy.

One night, however, Lance and Loretta are out driving by the Stagpoole place and discover, quite by accident, a little secret that the reclusive family wouldn't want revealed to their neighbors. Crafty opportunist that he is, Lance arranges a meeting with Myron, and after confirming that the heretofore unseen sibling is, quite literally, the titular Head of the Family, Lance blackmails the Stagpooles into disposing of Howard. But Lance lets greed cloud his judgment, and he uses his special "knowledge" in an attempt to also gouge the Stagpooles out of a large chunk o' their change. Unfortunately for Lance and Loretta, such an action enrages Myron and pushes the couple towards their ultimate demise. Fortunately for the audience, however, it also drives the movie towards its hilariously tasteless and delightfully "hot" B-movie climax.

Though touted as a horror film, HEAD OF THE FAMILY is actually schlocky, humorous burlesque (as are most flicks from Full Moon Home Video) that both pays tribute to and spoofs the horror genre. Accept it as that and expect nothing more, and the film will entertain you in that way that only a B-movie can. Take it seriously--which the filmmakers clearly did not intend for you to do--and you'll come away with the proverbial sour taste in your mouth.

The DVD from Full Moon Home Video offers the direct-to-video HEAD OF THE FAMILY in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and the transfer is quite good with only occasional filmic and digital artifacts. Bonus features include trailers for this film and other fun Full Moon schlock, as well as a feature commentary with J.W. Perra and "Myron." All in all, the DVD edition of this low-budget flick is well worth the reasonable cost and should be added to the collections of all connoisseurs of the tasteless and the outrageous.

I thought this diverting little effort could have been pushed a lot further. Indeed, I was hoping for it to be a genuine cult item but I was left a little disappointed.
Not bad though and cheap enough to add your collection.
Now, where's The Dark Backward when you need it on dvd ?

The Stackpooles are different from the rest of the town. They have money. They keep themselves apart from the town except when stocking up supplies. They are also quadruplets mutated in unusual ways.

One brother is dumb but super-strong. Another brother has super-senses (and really big eyes), the sister has unresistable powers of sexuality. The last brother, Myron, has all of the brains. He is the head of the family with a head as big as most peoples' torsos. They are also connected telepathically.

Grifters, infidelity and bribery drive a plot that reveals what the Stackpooles are up to in their isolated home. But Myron really hates not being in control and the battle of wills and tortures begins.

With liberal amounts of nudity, sex, and colorful characters this is an enjoyable and sometimes silly horror film that is very light on the blood and guts (although there is some finger breaking). I found it to be quite rewatchable and one of the better thought out Full Moon films. Myron is a wonderful evil genius.