We’ve seen ancient deities transplanted to modern times before, but it’s rarely been as well-executed as in Headache. The characterizations strike a perfect balance between the figures of myth and modern America. Zeus is a philandering deadbeat dad, Apollo is a universally-beloved movie star, and poor Hephaestus has to watch his wife (Aphrodite) cheat on him over and over again. Persephone is a girl who’s only to happy to spend six months out of every year in the underworld, because it means she gets time away from her mother. There are some really funny jokes that come from the portrayal of the gods, yet there’s real danger, too. Scenes with Sarah’s mortal friend, Twigs, under the mental control of Zeus are seriously creepy and unsettling. And Headache provides some really powerful emotional moments – Hephaestus stars in a couple of moving scenes, and Sarah’s infatuation with Hades works so much better than you’d expect.
