Like everything I've ever loved in my life; family, friends, lovers, or the ability to acquire discount prescription medication, The Amazing Screw-On Head was taken away from me all too soon. Removed from my life without any explanation whatsoever, The  Amazing Screw-On Head left me to wonder if it was truly destiny, or just another cosmic joke that I would never be able to comprehend.
Hyperbole? Oh, definitely.
Treated like a bastard child while the Sci-Fi Channel continued to pump funds into the latest Pumpkinhead sequel, The Amazing Screw-On Head never made it to air. Instead, it was “innovatively” plopped down onto the Internet, where viewers could rate the pilot, and from there the network would decide if they would pick up the series. It's no surprise that Screw-On Head was received enthusiastically - but the Internet is full of losers and what do they know? Sci-Fi didn't even bother saying that they didn't pick it up for series.
Originally conceived as a commercial toy project resembling the Johnny Long-Torso sketch on Mystery Science Theater 3000, The Amazing Screw-On Head is just that: a mechanical head (Played by Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti) who can not only be attached to all sorts of awesome body parts ranging from standard human to giant robo-spider, but he also fights the forces of evil with the help of president Abraham Lincoln.
The episode gets going instantly. When the scroll of Gung is stolen from The Museum of Dangerous Books and Papers, Screw-On Head is called upon to track down the artifact, which leads Head to Emperor Zombie - a dapper old cadaver with plans to take over the world along with Screw-On Head's ex-lover-turned-vengeful-vampire,  Patience, a few old women and a gun-toting monkey.
After literally smoking The Museum of Dangerous Books and Papers' translator to gain the knowledge to translate the Scroll of Gung, Emperor Zombie gains access to Gung's temple. And with that, Emperor Zombie releases a demigod from the inside of a parallel universe contained in… A turnip.
You should probably know by now The Amazing Screw-On Head is absolutely insane. The distinct look of original creator Mike Mingnola's artwork (which transfers beautifully to animation) and the anachronistic setting are inspired, while the lack of pop culture-driven humor that seems to dominate “adult” animation is a breath of fresh air. But what trumps everything is the amazing cast; Paul Giamatti isn't known for his voice, but sells it here very well. But even better is David Hyde Pierce, who steals the entire show.  Every line out of Pierce's character is absolute gold, and the fact that nothing more will come out of the character is just wrong.
If this description grabbed you, buy this DVD immediately.
Presentation
Light and dark is horribly important to this show, and The Amazing Screw-On Head pulls it off just fine. The show can get enveloped in shadows frequently, so the colors look especially nice. And for those who want the option, the DVD features both the original widescreen presentation, along with a cropped (not open matte) full screen presentation. 
The audio comes in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and the standard television stereo track. Since I'm watching this on a portable DVD player, I'm listening to the stereo track under headphones, and the mix is acceptable. The musical soundtrack plays subtly (go, theremin!) most of the time, but it knows it's time to gear up when the demigod starts to attack the mechanical spider-being.
Extras
Included in the DVD is a nice limited edition collectors album - packed in the little DVD case gripper, this little mini-mag features design work from both Mike Mignola and frequent collaborator Guy Davis.
Moving onto the actual DVD features, we have:
Audio commentary with director Chris Prynoski and writer/executive producer Bryan Fuller
Engagingly silly but informative, Prynoski and Fuller sometimes lapse into “this is what that guy did” dryness, but know when to stick to the subject of the show itself-detailing little changes, what shots were taken directly from the comic, and what-have-you. They cover a lot of ground in 22 minutes, and it's worth a listen.
Storyboard Comparison
Not only covering the storyboards, this feature breaks up the screen into three sections - the storyboard, the animatic and the finished product. It would have been nice to feature a multi-angle feature, but it ain't there.
 From Comic to Cartoon: Making The Amazing Screw-On Head
Running short of 14 minutes, this making of features interviews with the crew, character designs, and behind the scenes footage, though it sadly lacks perspective from the cast, who shows up in recording session footage, and nothing else.
Also from Lionsgate
Apparently unable to pinpoint the exact target demographic of the show, Lions Gate throws the trailer for Happily N'ever After onto the front of the DVD, along with The Invincible Iron Man, and a promo for the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. Feh.
 Overall
In the liner notes, creator Mike Mignola still poses the possibility of the show being picked up, while in the making of featurette, he suggests that every single gag he could think of regarding the character had been done in the single one-shot comic he penned. Could The Amazing Screw-On Head have continued on for an entire season and kept the creativity displayed in this pilot? Probably not. But hey, at least we got one amazing episode out of the deal.
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