Through a collaboration of Dark Horse Comics, the Sci-Fi Channel and Mike Mignola, the creator of the single issue comic book, comes an animated adaptation of The Amazing Screw-On Head (2006). Directed by Chris Prynocki, this short 22-minute animated trip into the bizarre and darkly humorous mind of Mignola (creator of Hellboy) is pure enjoyment.

The story takes place in America during the Civil War, whereas President Abraham Lincoln enlists his trusty super-secret special agent, the Amazing Screw-On Head, to stop Emperor Zombie from succeeding in his plans to unleash an ancient evil to attain world domination. The Amazing Screw-On Head (Paul Giamatti) must battle against Emperor Zombie (David Hyde Pierce), his former protege, his former lover, Patience the Vampire (Molly Shannon), a mini-gun toting monkey, Emperor Zombie’s evil foot soldiers and old lady werewolves and ultimately the “unstoppable” demi-God that Zombie unleashes. Screw-On’s only assistance is his robotic body, his manservant Mr. Groin (Patton Oswalt) and his undead dog, Mr. Dog.

The animation is great, similar to that of the Hellboy animated features. Honestly, I would love to see this as a feature-length production, but I wouldn’t go getting my heart set on it. Corey Burton also deserves some credit for taking on multiple character voices, including President Lincoln, the demi-God and Professor Faust. I’m not sure how readily accessible this DVD is to the average viewer, but I managed to find it through Netflix. The DVD includes a Storyboard Comparison and a featurette called From Comic to Cartoon: Making The Amazing Screw-On Head.

Tags | mike mignola, molly shannon, patton oswalt, paul giamatti, the amazing screw-on head