Bad Hair

"Terror takes root."

2021 1h 42m EN

😐

5.6

MID

★5.6TMDB · 97

HorrorComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1989, an ambitious young woman gets a weave in order to succeed in the image-obsessed world of music television. However, her flourishing career may come at a great cost when she realizes that her new hair may have a mind of its own.

“Terror takes root.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Elle Lorraine
Anna Bludso
Jay Pharoah
Julius
Lena Waithe
Brook-Lynne
Kelly Rowland
Sandra
Vanessa Williams
Zora
Laverne Cox
Virgie
Chanté Adams
Linda Bludso
Blair Underwood
Amos Bludso

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Justin Simien
Writers: Justin Simien
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 5 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Justin Simien, shot by Topher Osborn. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Kris Bowers. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Phillip J. Bartell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Elle Lorraine and Jay Pharoah and Lena Waithe carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Terror takes root.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt4798836 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 97 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Justin Simien directs. Topher Osborn behind the camera. Kris Bowers scores. Phillip J. Bartell cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 5 years ago.
2Directed by Justin Simien, shot by Topher Osborn. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Kris Bowers. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Phillip J. Bartell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Elle Lorraine and Jay Pharoah and Lena Waithe carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Terror takes root.".
7IMDB entry: tt4798836 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 97 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Topher Osborn
Original score: Kris Bowers
Editing: Phillip J. Bartell
Production design: Scott Kuzio
Costume design: Ceci
Makeup / hair: Nikki Wright
VFX supervisor: Dan Schmit
Sound: Greg P. Russell
Stunt coordinator: Tracy Keehn-Dashnaw
Runtime: 102 min · 1h 42m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Bad Hair (2021)

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Justin Simien

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots2020-03-27
★ 6/10
While audiences are thankfully seeing more female-driven horror films in the movie world, black female horror is even more of an anomaly. That’s why writer / director Justin Simien‘s “Bad Hair” is so damn interesting. The story of one woman’s ambition and her (literal) killer weave is an absurd yet astute satire of popular culture with a meaningful message. This is one you’ll be talking about long after the final credits roll. Set in Los Angeles circa 1989, Anna (Elle Lorraine) prefers the au naturel look after a traumatic childhood hair accident left her with a burned scalp. She’s a hardworking assistant on a music video show for the Culture television network, but struggles to get a promotion due to the way she looks. When Anna’s supportive boss is fired and a former supermodel (Vanessa Williams) is brought in as a replacement, Anna is scared of being let go and decides to do something about her appearance. She gets a gorgeous new weave and learns her flowing locks may just be the key to success that she was missing — until her hair gets a taste for blood. The hair-raising (snort!) story is cleverly based on fictitious slave myths and superstitions that weave in (pun intended) the idea of mystical African folklore in relation to what the horror of everyday life feels like (including the pain some endure in pursuit of beauty) for black women in America. “Bad Hair” is a nontraditional horror film that’s presented in a traditional way. There are jump scares and a silly finale, but Simien blends humor with horror in this campy thriller. It’s also a pensive style of social horror that will likely be more meaningful to women as well as people of color. The film tackles the absurdity in everyday life and in particular, the system of oppression that preys on African-American women the most. The women in the film are tricked into becoming their own oppressors, all in the name of fitting in with what society defines as beautiful. This movie is super smart, brutally honest, sometimes scathing, and highly uncomfortable, but it’s also really funny.

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