I do love a reminder every once in a while that there are still functional companies that ignore accessibility. one of those, AMC Plus, is the home to Shudder and IFC Films, two entities that send originals to theatres with audio description, VOD services, and often later to Hulu. yet, with all of that, AMC Plus dodges the hell out of being accessible as a streaming service. Why? Do you honestly and truthfully believe that if the streaming wars lead to the deaths of streamers, like most recently Noggin, that the ones without accessibility will rise to the top? Today’s offense, is Baghead. I saw a review that recommended the film, so i checked it out. or, I tried to.
It’s a lot like Talk To Me. Except instead of a hand, there’s this creepy demon/ghost thing in the basement of a bar. Instead of having a soul enter you, it will show you someone who died recently, so you can say goodbye I suppose, but just like in Talk To Me, there’s a time limit. Stay too long, you die. A young girl inherits the bar, and this hell, and people coming there to get answers. She was unaware of the presence, but people just keep going down there.
Horror movies are notorious for being unwatchable or pointless without audio description. Nothing is scary, because nothing is defined. That thing in the basement, I have no idea what it looks like. When people come back, again, no idea. It has a really limited location list, and a small cast. Still, I have no description of the bar, or anyone who ever walks into it, including the lead. I got the basic plot, but that was about it. IMDB can give me that. If AMC Plus considers understanding the logline for a film as being a win in terms of me not needing accessibility, remember that I also watched a review on this before I checked it out. I had prior knowledge, and I was still very lost.
I swear, if some of these streamers realized they were sitting on gold mines for the blind community, they’d double down. The two biggest streamers that really should reconsider their lack of accessibility are AMC Plus/Shudder, which would have a ton of horror fans signing up, and one of the anime streamers, because blind people still love anime, when it has audio description.
We are just like you. Within the blind community, there are still comic book nerds, horror buffs, and people obsessed with Japanese culture. Not realizing that, is just leaving money on the table. or possibly, in the basement.
Final Grade: Unwatchable
