Film Review: Stitch Head

Stitch Head
Director: Steve Hudson
Aniventure, Gringo Films, Fabrique d’Images
In Theaters: 10.29.2025

I know that a lot of people are looking for horror this week, but for me, Halloween is a kid’s holiday  — and relax, I don’t mean this as an insult, nor to imply that you have to have them to enjoy it. I love a good family Halloween movie, and we get precious few new ones apart from being inundated with Hotel Transylvania sequels, and I always welcome them with open arms. It is in this spirit that I approached Stitch Head with hope. Still, the limited amount of marketing and lack of major studio backing told me that I was trick-or-treating at an unfamiliar house, and I was fully prepared to get dollar store candy or worse.

In the eerie castle of Grotteskew, perched above the town of Grubbers Nubbin, a Mad Professor (Rob Brydon, Blinded by the Light, Green Eggs and Ham) spends his days creating strange, stitched-together creatures and bringing them to “Almost Life” (registered trademark, patent pending). Serving as his assistant is a little fellow known as Stitch Head (Asa Butterfield, Hugo, Ender’s Game, Sex Education), the Professor’s very first experiment, long forgotten and quietly devoted to keeping the castle’s monsters safe from the fearful townspeople below. The newest arrival, a three-armed, furry lug who is dubbed with the creative moniker “Creature” (Joel Fry, Our Flag Means Death, Yesterday) takes an immediate liking to Stitch Head. “You’re my bestest ever best friend ever — I knew that as soon as you said you weren’t going to burn me to the ground!” Creature follows him everywhere like a loyal dog, and is overjoyed to meet his new family of fellow experiments who stay in the castle, locked away from the townspeople and ignored by their creator. When a traveling sideshow led by the scheming, P.T. Barnum-esque showman Fulbert Freakfinder (Seth Usdenov) arrives in search of new attractions, he sees Stitch Head and offers him a chance at a new life, full of appreciation, recognition and adoration, and for the first time ever, Stitch Head leaves the castle. But as he steps into the spotlight and becomes a star, Stitch Head begins to question what truly matters — recognition from the outside world or loyalty to the odd, lovable misfits he left behind. In choosing between the two, Stitch Head must come to terms with his past and discover where he truly belongs.

Stitch Head is a fast-paced, visually delightful, creative and warm-hearted little gem that came in well above my expectations. This whimsical mash-up of Frankenstein and Pinocchio, based on the book by Guy Bass, is a terrific piece of seasonal family entertainment that will delight your children, and you won’t be struggling to sit through it. Writer-director Steve Hudson (True North, Cranford), in his animated feature debut, proved to be a gifted and enthusiastic storyteller, and his love for both the monster movie genre and classic kids movies is very apparent here. Stitch Head is a sweet and engaging story about loneliness, purpose and self discovery, and it plays with enough fresh elements that I found myself swept up on the journey and never quite sure exactly where it was headed until it reaches its satisfying conclusion. The supercharged Keystone Cops meet Indiana Jones style action sequences fare better than the musical numbers, yet even then, the songs really aren’t bad — they’re just too forgettable to be worthy of much attention. The characters are the biggest selling point here, and Butterfield brings an endearing relatability to the title role. Fry’s portrayal of Creature is beyond lovable, and he’s easily going to be the favorite of both children and adults, and young Tia Bannon (The Midnight Sky) is a charmer as an inquisitive little girl named Arabella who befriends Stitch Head and helps him find his way.

I don’t want to oversell this one and make anyone rush out expecting a “Pixar in its prime” level masterpiece by any means, because Stitch Head certainly isn’t on that level — but does it really have to be? Check your snobbery at the door and enjoy this utterly joyful little monster piece. If you’re looking for an alternative to Frankenstein and The Black Phone 2 that the whole family can enjoy together, there’s no need to dig all through the bag: Stitch Head easily stands out as the king-sized Halloween treat you’re waiting to find. —Patrick Gibbs

Read more film reviews from Patrick Gibbs:
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