By the time Adam Wingard's directorial debut, “Home Sick,” finally emerged from looking-for-a-distributor limbo, he was already hard at work on his second movie. Clearly, the long-winded post-production of “Home Sick” did not discourage the filmmaker any. His follow-up, “Pop Skull” would be filmed for very little money. Some reports say the budget was as low as two thousand dollars. Despite its micro-budget, “Pop Skull” would not remain unreleased for quite so long. The film would garner positive reviews on the festival circuit and arrive on home video shortly afterwards. It is generally regarded as Wingard's first breakthrough.
Daniel is having a hard time. His girlfriend, Natalie, recently dumped him for another guy. Heart-broken, he's fallen into a deep depression. Not even frequent visit from best friend Jeff can perk him up. He's begun to self-medicate with various pills in hopes of killing the pain he feels every day. That's when Daniel begins to see things. He's increasingly haunted by visions, possible ghosts of the violent killers and the brutalized victims of the people who used to live in his home. As he continues to fixate on Natalie and her new lover, these spirits seem to be driving Daniel towards drastic measures.
It seems Adam Wingard was very aware of what did and didn't work about “Home Sick.” “Pop Skull” capitalizes on the best elements of its filmmaker's debut. The film takes place entirely within the brain of a small-town burn-out. Daniel always has heavy bags under his eyes, his face looking sickly and pale. His few friends are similarly seen frequently drinking. There's nothing much to do in this small Alabama town, boredom and depression colliding frequently. “Pop Skull” goes even further, taking place entirely in the mind of its drug-addled protagonist. The film takes place in a town and a mental space where dreams are dead, with less and less effective highs being the only respite.
In some ways, these kind of intrusive visual quirks are not dissimilar to what Wingard did on “Home Sick.” The same can be said of the sound design, where screeching noise will occasionally irrupt. The difference is intent. “Home Sick” just wanted to be as in-your-face and abrasive as possible. “Pop Skull” is attempting to replicate the mind of a sick, pill abusing young man. The viewer never knows when the constant undercurrent of nervous sound will explode into sudden noise. Much the same way that Daniel knows not to trust his own mind. It creates a constant sense of unease, Daniel's perpetual dark cloud spreading over the viewer's head too.
Despite his addiction, Daniel is likable. When his best friend's girlfriend hits on him, he rebuffs her. In the flashbacks we get of his relationship with Natalie, they seem happy. When he revisits her, to retrieve some past possessions, they have an easy-going energy that seems natural and relaxed. The loss of that relationship, of that love, is causing him to fall apart. This is most beautifully depicted in a scene where he breaks down into tears, blubbering about what a hard time he's had recently. Anyone who has grappled with depression knows that feeling, of never being at peace with your own thoughts. Of feeling perpetually overwhelmed by boiling-over feelings of sadness and frustration you can't begin to contain.
Of course, that is not the only thing haunting Daniel. Early on, he begins to feel an otherworldly presence in his home. Soon, freaky shit that can't quite be explained by his drug use starts to happen. Compared to the extreme breed of horror seen in “Home Sick,” “Pop Skull” goes about revealing its haunting in a very subtle fashion. We catch a ghostly glimpse in the background. Strange sounds mount as a barely visible figure appears to Daniel. The loudest scare occurs when a white sheet leaps to life, which is a very effective shock. Even in these scenes, the ghosts are more suggested than shown. Considering his state of mind, “Pop Skull” flirts with the idea that anything supernatural is entirely in Daniel's head. Regardless of the reality of the ghost, the disquieting sense that something unusual is happening is palatable throughout the film.
Yet, from its opening minutes, there's little doubt that “Pop Skull's” haunting is genuinely supernatural. In the very first scene, Daniel talks about how a gruesome act of violence happened in his home before his family moved in. The aftereffect of this murderous act lingers in the air all throughout “Pop Skull.” We see brief flashes of the bloody past, of a bound girl in danger. The true loss of this senseless killing is truly felt. During a scene, which we're dropped into without explanation, Daniel is seen talking with the spirit of the dead girl as she discusses the mundane details of her life. Smartly, Wingard never reveals too much. Is Daniel being possessed by the spirits of these killers? Or is his susceptible mind simply being influenced by their depraved actions?
As with his debut, Wingard casts “Pop Skull” largely with first-timers and amateurs. Unlike in “Home Sick,” where the cast intentionally played exaggerated characters, naturalism is the goal here. Lane Hughes, in his feature debut, stars as Daniel. Hughes walks a fine line. He accurately depicts Daniel as someone falling apart, at the mercy of his drug habit and his own shaky grasp on sanity. You believe he can be dangerous, when that time comes. At the same time, he's also deeply sympathetic. His sad-sack face and soulful eyes help convey the idea of a basically decent man who has fallen on some especially hard times.
Brandon Carroll re-appears from “Home Sick,” here as Daniel's best friend Jeff. Carroll gives a much better performance here. Jeff is a slightly ridiculous character, very much a classical redneck who drinks too much, but he still seems like a likable guy anyone could be friends with. Maggie Henry plays Natalie, also giving a naturalistic and laid-back performance. There's a certain charm to her, to help you understand why a guy could get so hung-up on her. Hannah Hughes is also really charismatic as Jeff's not-entirely loyal girlfriend. I don't know if I'd behave myself as well as Daniel does in that moment, given the circumstances.
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