A chilling Antarctic thriller

A chilling Antarctic thriller

The Head, a murder mystery inside a polar research station, will keep audiences guessing until the very end

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
A chilling Antarctic thriller
Álvaro Morte in The Head. Photo © HBO Asia

When communication with the outside world suddenly stops, everything starts to fall apart for a small team of scientists trapped inside a station in Antarctica where they are carrying out research to tackle climate change. However, this isolated space soon becomes hellish as the multinational research group start dying one by one.

The Head is a new Spanish sci-fi thriller and mystery series created by David and Àlex Pastor and features stars like John Lynch, Katharine O'Donnelly, Alexandre Willaume and Tomohisa Yamashita. There are a total of six episodes, with each creating enough suspense and thrills to make you binge-watch the series on HBO GO.

At first, the new show looks very similar to John Carpenter's The Thing, a classic monster flick from 1982. Since the series is a sci-fi mystery set in a remote place in Antarctica, there's even a part in the opening scene where the scientists are seen gathered around a living room watching The Thing together, which was obviously a nod to the filmmakers' main inspiration.

The Head takes place during the six-month dark period in the South Pole where sunlight does not reach and everything is icy cold. Another team of scientists, who later join the others at the Polaris VI base, soon discover that nearly the entire team was murdered with three people still missing. This marks the beginning of the investigation which is told through the words of the surviving characters such as Maggie (Katharine O'Donnelly).

Although the script has nothing to do with aliens or monsters, the intense and creepy atmosphere in The Head still retains the essence of The Thing. Everything in the story is full of mystery and each character has a sense of distrust because they have no idea who the murderer is. However, each episode will gradually reveal the secret bit by bit and keep you guessing until the very last episode. Moreover, the production with its greyish cinematography is simply stunning and takes you right into the Antarctic landscape and allows you to witness the beauty of the southern lights in the sky.

The background music and score enhances the overall mystic vibe but never becomes jarring enough to give you an unsettling feeling. There are also a number of standout performances, most notably from O'Donnelly and Willaume, as well as actor Tomohisa Yamashita, who is a major star in Japan. In particular, O'Donnelly and Yamashita as Maggie and Aki respectively bring a youthful idealism to the story that unfortunately is shuttered by the more senior and older crew at every turn.

In addition to the story's murder and thriller elements, it is interesting to note that the show also picks up on the limitations of the six-months-dark period when it comes to survival under such brutal conditions as there is no sunlight to convert energy from solar cells. The series also explores the mental state of each character, who are close to becoming insane. While The Head is a short series, it provides a compelling ride with some great acting and directing. The way the series ends makes it seem like there will not be another season in the future because the final episode answers all the puzzles.

The Head may not be original like many other sci-fi horror films that came before it, however, it does a good enough job and has an interesting concept which makes it well worth a watch.

  • The Head
  • Starring John Lynch, Katharine O’Donnelly, Alexandre Willaume and Tomohisa Yamashita
  • Created by David Pastor and Àlex Pastor
  • Now streaming on HBO GO
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