Skulhedface (1994)

Skulhedface (1994)

Directed by: Melanie Mandl

Starring: Sebastian Bach, Jello Biafra, Dave Brockie

The second GWAR movie was made at the height of their popularity, and clearly had a lot more money behind it. As opposed to Phallus in Wonderland, Skulhedface seems to have had an actual crew behind the camera, and the puppet effects are significantly better, to the point where some of it actually looks pretty good instead of just held together with a similar art style.

GWAR are ready to go back to their home planet, but to do so they must sacrifice as many people as they can to the “World Maggot”, a giant flying space maggot, I guess. So, of course, the band creates a TV channel and holds a telethon where people call in to kill themselves for GWAR. Meanwhile, Skulhedface, an alien posing as a record company executive tries to get a contract with GWAR so she can take their “jizmoglobin”, a substance which powers creativity. GWAR isn’t about subtlety, okay? She eventually succeeds with the help of a big tower of body parts and turns the band into babies, but the jizmoglobin is too powerful for her and she turns into a good guy and gives it all back. Unfortunately, this happens too late for them to catch the World Maggot and GWAR remain trapped on Earth. Darn.

The head they got for the eponymous Skulhedface is actually a really good servo-controlled puppet thing, especially for still being obviously cheap. Like, I respect the craftsmanship that went into it, they did a good job with that. The rest of the movie is just as stupid and juvenile as any other GWAR work, of course, and it’s still an exercise in keeping your eyes from rolling out of their sockets after repeated exasperated sighs to watch the damn thing. But hey, good job with that head.