Bad Haircut is the feature debut of Kyle Misak, and despite the film’s indie roots, it proves to be a film filled with high production, style, and fun and wacky performances.

The film’s premise sounds simple enough, with the story following a college student with low self-esteem, Billy Crumpus (Spencer H. Levin) getting convinced by his best friends Sonny and Dee to visit their favorite barber, Mick (Frankie Ray). The film starts off like your typical teenage/young adult film set at a party, but once you’re in that barbershop, you’re in for a wild ride.

As soon as you meet Mick, you know something is off. He instantly loves everyone that he meets, he’s quick to make Hollywood references, and not to mention he has old French “nudey” videos playing on the shop’s television. Ray’s performance as Mick is definitely one of my favorite parts of the film. He plays such a weird and wacky character that creeps you out but also pulls you in. Mick is the type of character that you can’t look away from. On the other hand, Levin as Spencer plays almost the opposite type of character. He’s awkward and shy, but this awkwardness really lends itself to the film’s comedy.

Speaking of the comedy, Bad Haircut really succeeds in this respect. It has an off-beat sort of humor that will catch you off guard. While it is billed as a horror-comedy, the film is definitely comedy first. However, there are aspects of horror when it comes to the absolute weirdness of Mick, which just like the comedy, catches you off guard.

Another thing I really appreciate from Bad Haircut, is that despite its indie roots, the level of production is really impressive. The film is shot really well, has great color grading, stunts and effects, and even features a score from an orchestra. You can tell that everyone involved has a passion and drive that resulted in a great film. I was also surprised by the amount of music in the film, but this really does add to the film’s 2000s world and atmosphere.

Overall, I really enjoyed Bad Haircut and I hope that it will find distribution so more people can enjoy the film!