Cast: David Bramwell Review by Colin Dibben
As a teenager, David inherited a moustache in a display box from his recently deceased aunt. As he grows up and then moves to Brighton in the 1990s, this odd gift comes to anchor and colour his formative experiences. After a series of strange, preternatural and spiritual incidents, David starts to wonder if the moustache has occult powers. He realises that he will have to uncover the gift’s hidden history if he wants to understand his life.
Based on an award-winning stage play, radio show and book, The Hidden Moustache is visually simple: throughout, Bramwell speaks to the camera from behind a rather grand, dark-grained wooden desk in a rather grand, dark wood-panelled room. Sometimes we get a side shot when he is impersonating another character, but the whole thing is essentially an immediate monologue. Yet, the effect is totally gripping, even though the narrative sometimes stretches itself a bit thin, thematically; and Bramwell’s performative attitudes sometimes look a teensy bit mannered or stunned.
There is something inherently interesting in the story he has to tell. Plus, you also have to admire and wonder at the concepts peeking out from behind it all.
As David says at one point: “Invest anything with meaning and it becomes a powerful totem imbued with magic.” This is a lovely attempt to transfigure life, to give it an almost magical meaning, in the simple telling of a life’s events.
It would be very nice indeed if The Haunted Moustache initiated a resurgence of memoir-inspired monologues exploring hidden histories and weirder theories about reality. I suspect, however, that it will remain a one off, throwing those who hanker for more of the same – or similar – back to YouTube videos of the great Ken Campbell, who was surely the epitome of this approach.
The special features in this limited edition Blu-ray set include:
- Audio CD of original soundtrack by Oddfellows Casino
- The Ballard of Oddfellow – Toby Amies’ short film featuring Bramwell & Drako Oho Zarhazar, one of the main characters in The Haunted Moustache
- Unseen interview footage with Drako Oho Zarhazar
- Limited edition exclusive 8-panel digipak packaging featuring new artwork created by Stewart Armstrong and Shardcore
If you are lucky enough to order in time, there is a ‘special bundle’ available which includes the Blu-ray, the CD and a copy of the new edition of the The Haunted Moustache book, signed by author David Bramwell. This is a new printing film tie-in edition with a new layout and a new chapter.
The Haunted Moustache is out on limited edition Blu-ray from Anti-Worlds on 24 August 2026.
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