Baghead
A young woman inherits a run-down pub and discovers a dark secret within its basement - Baghead - a shape-shifting creature that will let you speak to lost loved ones, but not without consequence.
The film earned $6.7M at the global box office.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Baghead (2023) exemplifies strategically placed plot construction, characteristic of Alberto Corredor's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 35 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Iris Lark
Neil
Owen
Katie
Baghead
Main Cast & Characters
Iris Lark
Played by Freya Allan
A young woman who inherits a mysterious pub with a dark secret in the basement
Neil
Played by Peter Mullan
Iris's conniving estranged father who reveals the inheritance and its sinister purpose
Owen
Played by Jeremy Irvine
The previous caretaker of the pub who knows the truth about the creature
Katie
Played by Ruby Barker
A grieving woman who pays to see her deceased husband through Baghead
Baghead
Played by Anne Müller
A mysterious supernatural creature that can channel the dead for two minutes at a time
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Iris is shown living her ordinary life in Berlin, working as a bartender, emotionally distant and struggling financially. Her estrangement from her father Owen is established through her indifference when receiving news about him.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Iris arrives at the decrepit pub and discovers the locked basement. She finds cryptic notes and warnings from her father, and eventually encounters Baghead - a horrifying creature chained in the cellar who can assume the form of the dead.. At 13% through the film, this Disruption is delayed, allowing extended setup of the story world. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 24 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Iris makes the fateful decision to stay and run the "service" her father operated - charging grieving people to speak with their dead loved ones through Baghead. She chooses profit and curiosity over safety., moving from reaction to action.
At 48 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat Baghead manipulates Neil during a session, staying in his wife's form past the two-minute limit. The creature begins breaking free of its constraints, and Iris realizes she has gravely underestimated the danger - this is no simple transaction but a trap., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 71 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Baghead escapes its chains and kills, revealing its true monstrous nature. Iris's friend Katie is put in mortal danger. Everything Iris built collapses as the creature she thought she could control proves far more powerful and malevolent than imagined., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 77 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Iris discovers the key to defeating Baghead lies in her father's research - the creature feeds on grief and unresolved connections. She must finally process her feelings about her father and use that emotional closure as a weapon., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Baghead's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Baghead against these established plot points, we can identify how Alberto Corredor utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Baghead within the horror genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional horror films include Thinner, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Mary Reilly.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Iris is shown living her ordinary life in Berlin, working as a bartender, emotionally distant and struggling financially. Her estrangement from her father Owen is established through her indifference when receiving news about him.
Theme
The solicitor tells Iris about her father's death and the inheritance, hinting at the theme: "Some things are better left buried." This foreshadows the danger of trying to reconnect with the dead and the cost of unresolved grief.
Worldbuilding
The film establishes Iris's broken relationship with her deceased father Owen, her financial struggles, and introduces her best friend Katie. The grim, isolated English pub she inherits is presented as both an opportunity and a burden.
Disruption
Iris arrives at the decrepit pub and discovers the locked basement. She finds cryptic notes and warnings from her father, and eventually encounters Baghead - a horrifying creature chained in the cellar who can assume the form of the dead.
Resistance
Iris explores her father's journal and learns the rules: Baghead can channel the dead for only two minutes, must be kept chained, and becomes increasingly dangerous. She debates whether to flee or stay and exploit this supernatural asset.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Iris makes the fateful decision to stay and run the "service" her father operated - charging grieving people to speak with their dead loved ones through Baghead. She chooses profit and curiosity over safety.
Mirror World
Neil, a grieving man desperate to contact his recently deceased wife, arrives seeking Baghead's services. His raw grief mirrors and challenges Iris's emotional detachment, forcing her to confront her own unprocessed feelings about her father.
Premise
Iris conducts sessions with Baghead, witnessing emotional reunions between the living and the dead. The horror premise delivers as we see Baghead's unsettling transformations and learn more about its sinister nature and desire for freedom.
Midpoint
Baghead manipulates Neil during a session, staying in his wife's form past the two-minute limit. The creature begins breaking free of its constraints, and Iris realizes she has gravely underestimated the danger - this is no simple transaction but a trap.
Opposition
Baghead grows stronger, manipulating grief-stricken visitors and attempting to break free. Iris discovers her father's dark history with the creature and the terrible price he paid. Neil becomes increasingly obsessed and unstable.
Collapse
Baghead escapes its chains and kills, revealing its true monstrous nature. Iris's friend Katie is put in mortal danger. Everything Iris built collapses as the creature she thought she could control proves far more powerful and malevolent than imagined.
Crisis
Iris faces the horror of what she's unleashed. She must confront her emotional walls and her complicated grief for her father as she desperately searches for a way to stop Baghead before it claims more victims.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Iris discovers the key to defeating Baghead lies in her father's research - the creature feeds on grief and unresolved connections. She must finally process her feelings about her father and use that emotional closure as a weapon.
Synthesis
Iris confronts Baghead in a final showdown, using what she's learned about grief, letting go, and the two-minute rule. She must save Katie and Neil while facing the creature that has fed on human sorrow for generations.
Transformation
Iris emerges from the ordeal transformed - no longer emotionally closed off but having processed her grief for her father. The pub's fate is sealed as she chooses to end the cycle of exploitation, finally at peace with her father's memory.