Review: Uncle Peckerhead

Uncle Peckerhead (Matthew John Lawrence, 2020) tells the story of the about-to-be up-and-coming, fictional indie rock band Duh. Duh consists of three members. Judy (Chet Siegel) on bass/vox, Max (Jeff Riddle) on guitar/vox, and Mel (Ruby McCollister) on drums. The film begins with the members of Duh finishing up their plans for their first ever tour. They are hitting the road for a week, and they are hoping to conclude the tour with a primo spot, opening for The Queef Queens at an upcoming showcase in their own neighborhood. Opening for The Queef Queens is a big deal, for their drummer is Jen Jennings, proprietor of Alliteration Records. Duh hopes to acquire the gig in order to impress Jen Jennings, and hopefully pique her interest in a way that might lead to a record deal.

“Life without music would be a mistake.” -Nietzsche

Immediately prior to their departure, the van they plan to tour in is repossessed, leaving them in the lurch, without transportation. Enter, Uncle Peckerhead (David Littleton)! The band inadvertently runs into a hobo-esque figure, bearing a slight resemblance to J.K. Simmons, apparently living in his van, who goes by the name of Peckerhead. You can call him Peck. His friends call him Peck. The band asks if they can borrow his van. An offer Peck counters with an offer to allow the band use of the van as long as he can go with them. An offer the band accepts, although not without slight trepidation.

Eventually it comes out that Peck is actually some kind of monstrous ghoul who, when the clock strikes midnight, feats upon the flesh of unsuspecting victims. Trouble is, he is really cool. As the tour continues, Duh finds themselves in a perpetually deepening emotional quagmire, stuck between loving Peck, and living in fear of his next grizzly feast, and if and when they might become the main course themselves.

“Give them pleasure. The same pleasure they have when they wake up from a nightmare.” -Hitchcock

While I’ve got a few gripes about this flick, let’s talk about what’s good first. Right off the bat, Uncle Peckerhead is FUN! It represents a bit of a confluence of genres. It’s a comedy, it’s a road trip film, it’s a horror flick, it’s a satire, but more than all of these, it is fun. The three members of Duh are all likable characters, and along their journey they meet a host of supporting characters that each add their own spice to the story of Duh. Siegel’s Judy is realistically neurotic, yet has an indomitable spirit. Max (Riddle) is light and goofy, while Mel (McCollister) is snarky and cynical. Together the three of them have a believable chemistry, and it is fun to be in the van, on the road with these guys.

The real center of the film however, is the titular Peck. David Littleton does a very good job of imbuing Peck with genuine warmth and touching humanity, making you love him in spite of his unquenchable thirst for blood. Even Judy, who is at first quite skeptical of Peck, eventually falls for him. He exudes an almost parental charm, and is incurably optimistic. Two qualities any struggling young band on the road could use. When the truth about Peck is revealed, the moral center of the film somehow remains with him, despite the hideous atrocities he commits upon his victims.

A lot of the band stuff is relatable as well, if you’ve ever played, or do play in bands. By no means does Uncle Peckerhead achieve the kind of transcendent, truth-bomb status of a film like This Is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984). However there are experiences that all bands have had at some point in their career, no matter how brief nor how lengthy. Uncle Peckerhead recreates these ubiquitous occurrences with the kind of veracity that is likely the result of personal experience.

“Some music really does suck.” -Hank Rollins

As mentioned, I had a couple beefs with Uncle Peckerhead. Chief among these beefs was that for a movie about a band on the road, the music seemed to take a bit of a backseat. I wasn’t exactly looking for a musical, but the music did feel like a bit of an afterthought. Duh performs a couple of songs, which were originals. At east according to the credits, they seemed to be. However the way the performances are shot makes Duh feel like a fake band. Like they don’t really know how to play. And maybe they don’t. As a viewer though, I don’t want to think this. I want the artifice to feel as real as possible.

I’m not sure if the performances were shot to intentionally cover up an inability of the actors to pretend to play their instruments convincingly, or if this is just the way things went in the editing room. By no means am I suggesting an actor must know how to play their instrument. But it can be effectively faked via a means other then simply avoiding showing it. Whether or not Siegel or McCollister can play will have to be left a mystery for the ages I suppose, but apparently Riddle has his own thing going. You can find him on Bandcamp! So I know at least he can play. This may be a petty gripe, but as a music snob, this stuff means something to me.

Additionally, I wasn’t totally pleased with the ending of the film. Obviously I won’t reveal any details about what happens. However, I felt like the tone of the ending, and the way it plays out kind of flies in the face of everything the rest of the film has established. It just didn’t really make sense to me. I mean, I understood what happened, but just felt like it was an odd choice for their to be this kind of a swerve at the end.

“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” -Hubbard

In my reviews I don’t get too much into the metaphor or subtext of a film. I’m way too stupid to try and pontificate on what lies beneath the surface of any given film. All I can do is offer you a brief synopsis, and tell you what I liked and didn’t. However, up front, Uncle Peckerhead is a story of a band and a monster on the road. Underneath that is a story about friendship, trust, and acceptance. No, it doesn’t go all SJW on you. And no, it isn’t an exercise in some kind of virtue-signaling, trying to shame you for some sort of presumed, antiquated mindset. What it does do, is engage the viewer in a way that promotes reflection on the meaning of friendship, and making space in one’s worldview for folks that might be different than you in some ways, but that have much more in common with you than you might realize at first.

While it wasn’t a perfect film, Uncle Peckerhead ultimately succeeds because it is funny, charming, and has a shitload of heart. Horror purists might turn up their noses at this film being considered a horror-comedy, as the horror elements play second fiddle to the comedy. But then again, most horror purists have probably turned their noses permanently up at horror-comedies long ago. So fuck the purists. Uncle Peckerhead is a feel-good film that will keep you guessing, while it has you laughing, and occasionally jamming.

P.S. You should know that there was a real band named DUH. Hailing from the Bay Area, they were a bit of a supergroup. They featured a bunch of cool dudes from a bunch of cool bands, and they were really fuckin’ cool.