Written and Directed by Leonard Murphy and Michael Patrick
Featuring Rich Cowden, Chris George, Sondraya Rowe, Jeff Stroud, Josh Walitt
Released 2004
USA
79 minutes
Brain Damage Films

Machine Head is a modern day Frankenstein story with a ridiculous twist: a lawnmower engine!

Herman Kelp, maniacally portrayed by Jeff Stroud, is the son of a funeral director (portrayed by Josh Walitt). Herman's father is unimpressed with his son, upset by his desire to sit in his room all the time and mess around with his computer and one infernal lawnmower engine that he gets very sick of hearing.

But poor Herman doesn't just get disapproval from his father, he gets disapproval from "jocks" and popular kids who would rather beat him up or ignore him completely. The worst of it is a girl named Sally (Sondraya Rowe) whom he keeps several pictures of in his stark room. In order to impress the entire world via high school science fair (and not mention, get the girl) Herman decides that he is going to do the unimaginable: he is going to bring the dead back to life! No one will beat him up or laugh at him then!

At first Herman tries his experiment on a recently deceased cat. After hooking the cat up to his computer and lawnmower engine and by reversing the polarities of the brain signals delivering messages to the body, Herman starts the engine and gives the cat a jolt. Wouldn't you know it, it works! It's alive! The cat attacks Herman and runs away. Herman is more than impressed with himself. He almost feels God-like. But not quite. His next experiment? A human, unwittingly supplied by his funeral directing father.

Herman chooses a recently deceased cadaver and attaches the engine to his head (with bolts!). He starts it up, and wouldn't you know it! IT'S ALIVE! But oh no! Here comes his dad! Now he's dead with a simple twist of a wire. This happens several times through-out and after Herman introduces the "machine head" to jocks and his one true lust, he finds that the monster is out of control and yet, somehow, he can't stop himself from showing the rest of the world.

Rich Cowden portrays Machine Head and does one bang up job too! He shivers, he twitches, his facial expressions are at times very hilarious. I couldn't help but to feel sorry for and laugh at this poor creature who had to "live" with the constant thrum of a lawnmower engine next to his head. It's gotta drive a guy batty, that's for sure. That and the annoying "dead/not dead/dead/not dead" that he has to deal with. I thoroughly enjoyed his performance.

I like the part where he breaks free, so to speak, and ventures into the world in search of...who knows! He ends up going to a carnival, a bar, and an abandoned storage place (which I think this hints at what happened just before he died). He also tries to hide the fact that he has an engine strapped to his head by covering it up with a white table cloth. That was funny in itself! He also has something to say, but can't due to the straps around his chin and head. Yet, he knows that once that engine stops, so does he.

What's a guy to do?

Machine Head delivers the same pitfalls and perils of playing God while giving us a strange new icon to costume ourselves with on Halloween (I know I want to dress up like Machine Head, for serious. It'd be cool, you'll see...) Machine Head is ridiculous, disgusting, hilarious, strange, and kooky all at once. If you enjoy a good creature-feature with dark humor, Machine Head is definitely for you! It is a little slow paced, but well worth the watch.