A disheveled, chain-smoking loner stares blankly at the wallpaper in his rundown hotel room, seemingly oblivious to the world outside. Yet someone knows he's there and has slipped an envelope under his door. When the loner - Noble - opens that letter, the cryptic note asks only WHO ARE YOU? Prepare to find out on a sleazy journey of discovery in the underground world of extreme porn in the indie thriller SHOCKHEADED.

After receiving his mysterious note, Noble checks the corridor, only to find no one in sight. Returning to his hovel, the phone suddenly rings...but no one's on the line. After sleeping off a nip of the hair of the dog, Noble finds two 'concerned citizens' - Riegert and Munch - in his room. Apparently, the woman who rented this place before him got into some serious money trouble, and their employer wants his scrilla. Noble admits he's never seen the girl, but the boys get in his face. Noble, however, won't be so easily intimidated, so they back down and leave. Riegert warns Noble they'll be around...The phone rings again, and this time the caller reveals details about Noble no one should know - specifically, the dreams Noble has been having about an empty mask in a castle courtyard. Before Noble can learn more, the call is ended. The next morning, a strange encounter on the streets leaves Noble in a foul mood, so he retreats to his room and watches TV. Ah, but the show has changed - instead of a noxious talk show, there's a hardcore S&M video. Noble finds himself mesmerized by the show. Suddenly, he sees a hand stretching out from under his bed - but when he looks, there's nothing there. A new note arrives - now Noble is told he has "things to do." A hit from the bottle brings Noble sweet oblivion.

Until the phone rings - the mysterious caller wants to meet Noble. He agrees, if only to find some answers. The caller is a strange man who doesn't give his name, but he knows a lot about Noble. He's also interested in the whereabouts of the girl Riegert & Munch were after, but he claims he wants to save her from the clutches of the pirate network pornographers -the same outfit responsible for the S&M show Noble viewed the previous night. Still needing answers, Noble agrees to find her. He starts by going off to the red light district (after blowing off Riegert and Munch). There, he finds a seller of the same type of hardcore videos the girl has appeared in. Noble waits for the seller's contact to take a new order, then trails the courier to the library of all places. Seems this is just the contact point for the courier and the underground producers - Noble beats up the schmuck and replaces him at the actual meeting place. Through flattery, bribery and a lot of bullshit, Noble weasels a meeting with the girl from the paranoid porno producer, an animated loony known as Normal. Normal makes arraignments for Noble to join him at his 'studio', and there he'll meet the girl. But Noble forgot theat sometimes you must be careful what you wish for, because you might just get it. Noble begins a descent on the downward spiral, and on the path he's chosen, there's no going back.

SHOCKHEADED can be summed up in two words - brutal and intense. The story has a very Tarantino feel; the viewer is dropped into the story and learns the truth along with the protagonist. This does lead to initial confusion, but ultimately writer/director Eric Thornett manages to pull most of it together. While most of the film is an action/thriller (with Noble's dreams adding a psychic touch), the end gets way metaphysical. I'm not convinced it meshes with the rest of the movies, but it certainly gets points for originality. The acting is overall well done by a very talented and energetic cast. There are only a handful of characters in SHOCKHEADED, but each appearance is given it's due. Kudos to Jason Wauer as Noble and Eric Thornett (him again!) as Normal - the duo have great screen chemistry. The picture quality is variable; parts were shot on film and parts on video. There are also the TV show scenes; these were deliberately shot grainy for effect. For the most part the lighting is very good and images are clear. The editing is solid, keeping the film moving along at a good pace. Sound is good (there's some buzz and hiss, but once again, it's for effect). The industrial music soundtrack adds a nice extra dimension to the film.

While I perused SHOCKHEADED on VHS tape, I would recommend those of you with computer access to check out www.piranha-pictures.com. Cruise through until you get to the SHOCKHEADED page, then you'll be able to read another story synopsis (with pictures) as well as an interesting shooting journal by that Thornett guy on the making of the film. If we can't have a DVD, at least we've got the Internet.

From a flowery wallpapered hotel room to the depths of depravity the twists and turns of SHOCKHEADED are a wild ride that even Mr. Toad would get into. Dedicated acting, great soundtrack, interesting characters and a script peppered with many original touches make SHOCKHEADED a thrilling journey into the underground. As the Cat said, "We're all mad here..."