Baghead

Baghead has built a devoted audience in the US on Philo and AMC+ Amazon Channel among viewers who want their drama to earn its emotional beats. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Freya Allan leads a cast that never overplays its hand. Start it on Philo whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

There is a reason Baghead keeps coming up in conversation. Character-driven storytelling at its most effective — Baghead earns every emotional beat it goes for. Following the death of her estranged father, Iris learns she has inherited a run-down, centuries-old pub. She travels to Berlin to identify her father’s body and meet with The Solicitor to discuss the estate. Little does she know, when the deed is signed she will become inextricably tied to an unspeakable entity that resides in the pub’s basement – Baghead – a shape-shifting creature that can transform into the dead. Freya Allan and Jeremy Irvine lead a cast doing genuinely serious work here. It was released in 2023. The writing trusts the audience to sit with ambiguity rather than wrapping everything up in a tidy conclusion — it is the approach that separates good drama from great. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Baghead is what you recommend to people who say they do not really watch much. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Freya Allan carries the material with a performance that rewards close attention. Worth starting sooner rather than later.