The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrimwas originally released in 2011 to an overwhelmingly positive reception from critics and players alike. The open-world action role-playing game has since been re-released, remastered, and updated numerous times and continues to be one of Bethesda’s most popular games.
The sprawling medieval setting, magic, and dragons are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to reasons for its enduring popularity, but apart fromGame of Thronesother media set in that kind of world has been rare in the last few years. However, there is a hidden gem of a film from 2018 calledThe Head Hunterthat couldscratch the itch ofSkyrimfanslooking for a big-screen adventure.
RELATED:Dragon’s Dogma 2 Can Pick Up Where Skyrim Left Off
The Head Hunteris a 2018 dark fantasy movie written and directed by Jordan Downey. Norwegian actor Christopher Rygh stars as a bounty hunter known only as The Father, who is a warrior that hunts monsters for coin. His home is filled with the trophy heads of the creatures he has killed and all the while he mourns his young daughter who was killed by a monster he was unable to slay. The movie is sparse, with almost the entirety of the film carried on Rygh’s shoulders. It’s a lonely affair and dripping with a dark and grim atmosphere.
The Father lives a solitary life, his only companion is his horse Jakke. Whenever a horn sounds from the Kingdom it signifies a new bounty has been posted and he rides off to face whichever beast is newly terrorizing the land. He always returns with a new trophy to pin to his wall and with new injuries that heheals through the elixirs and potionshe creates from monster blood and organs. These mixtures can heal wounds at a rapid rate but not without side effects. He seems to painfully excrete a dark, sludgy substance when urinating and there is an implication that these tinctures may be making him more monster than man.
Over the course of the film, The Father goes on several bounties, but the only showdown the audience is shown is when a bounty is finally posted for the monster he has been looking for, the monster that killed his daughter. He travels far to find the beast, called The Head and manages toend it through decapitation. However, he leaves his elixirs near his window and the breeze causes the flapping shutter to knock over a jar that spills on The Head and reanimates it.
In a particularly creepy sequence, The Head drags its way around the forest surrounding The Father’s cabin whispering “Body” over and over again as it searches for a suitable new host. A final showdown between The Father and The Head plays out once the creature finds a new body to coopt. The question is will the vengeance The Father seeks be his, and if it is, is it worth it?
Set in a wintery and isolated location,The Head Huntershares many aesthetic similarities withSkyrim. The snowy landscape and distant walled city on the horizon could be anywhere in Tamriel. Similarly, the cabin The Father lives in shares much design-wise with dwellings inSkyrim.The simple wooden structure is furnished with only the basics like a fireplace and numerous jars with the pelts and heads of monsters lining the interior. The armor and costume design of the film is also reminiscent of the game, with a brutalist medieval edge to the clothing and a mixture of furs, leather, and metal as materials.
Outside the cabin, The Father does much of his daily business, only entering the cabin to eat, sleep, create elixirs, and mount his trophies. He keeps his horse Jakke tied up outside, lives near a stream for fresh water, and has a burial mound for his lost daughter near his dwelling. It’s a sparse and simple life, with no allies in sight.
In another similarity to the groundbreaking game, the world ofThe Head Hunteris also clearly filled with magic and monsters. The Father has based his life around hunting the monsters and beasts of the world.Skyrimfeatures several races like the Kahjiit and Orsimer who are beast/monster humanoids and while a lot ofThe Head Hunterremains unknown to the audience due to its short runtime of 75 minutes, the similarities between it andSkyrimare striking. Of course, the presence of magic is also presumed inThe Head Hunterdue to the healing properties of the elixirs and poultices The Father crafts. With a few tweaks,The Head Huntercould be anin-universe Skyrimfilm.
The movie is currently available on several platforms to stream. It can be seen free with ads on VUDU or bought or rented on Redbox, AppleTV, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, and the Microsoft Store.
