Pumpkinhead

Film: Pumpkinhead

Year: 1988

Director: Stan Winston

Writer: Mark Patrick Carducci and Gary Gerani

Starring: Lance Henriksen, Jeff East and John D’Aquino

Review:

This is a movie that I know I saw back when I was in high school. To be honest, I didn’t remember a lot aside from how cool the monster is and looks. This is part of the Summer Challenge Series so I was watching this in preparation. I also was curious to give it a rewatch after all these years.

Synopsis: after a tragic accident, a man conjures up a towering, vengeful demon called Pumpkinhead to destroy a group of unsuspecting teenagers.

We start this story back in 1957. Tom Harley (Lee de Broux) is a stern man. He lives with wife and two children. There is a knock at the door. Clayton Heller (Dick Warlock) is asking to be let in, but he’s being ignored. This confuses Eddie (Chance Michael Corbitt). He wants to help. This boy looks out the window and sees the silhouette of a giant creature killing Clayton.

It then shifts to the present. Ed (Lance Henriksen) lives out in the middle of nowhere with his son, Billy (Matthew Hurley). We learn later that his wife and the boy’s mother passed away. Ed runs a little grocery store nearby. They seem to have a good existence.

That is until a group of teens head to the area. They look to have a cabin and are bringing out dirt bikes. In this group there is Chris (Jeff East) and his brother Joel (John D’Aquino). The latter is a bad boy. He is drinking on their drive up and he also might have gotten in trouble with this previously. There is also Kim (Kimberly Ross), Steve (Joel Hoffman), Tracy (Cynthia Bain) and Maggie (Kerry Remsen).

They arrive at the store as well as Mr. Wallace (George ‘Buck’ Flower) with his grandchildren. Ed forgot the feed that he ordered so he has to run home to get it. Joel decides to ride his dirt bike around the area by the store. This ends in tragedy when Billy runs out after his dog and he’s hit by him. Once Ed discovers what happened, he’s devastated. So much so that he goes to Mr. Wallace, asking about a witch who lives in the woods. He refuses to tell him, but Bunt (Brian Bremer) will for a price. This is one of the grandchildren.

Ed seeks out Haggis (Florence Schauffler). There is a heavy price to pay for revenge, one that will also take a toll on Ed. Pumpkinhead, once summoned, isn’t easily sent away. Ed needs to figure out if he’s ready to pay that price or finish what was started.

That is where I’m going to leave my recap and introduction to the characters. This is a take on a story that we’ve seen before. It is a revenge story. I forgot that this is based on a poem originally or at least the basic idea behind this entity. I’m intrigued to check that out. What I also remembered when starting this up was that Stan Winston, the great effects expert, was the director. That makes sense for actors and people that are behind the screen for sure.

Where I want to start is with our lead, Ed. Henriksen is great as this small town guy. He knew tragedy with what happened to his wife. It seems to me that he’s living a good life with his son. That is until Billy is struck while he’s away. This is heartbreaking in the sense that it is a perfect storm of events. Ed blames himself, which I probably would do as well. Joel is a jerk. He’s been busted for drinking and driving, but still hasn’t learned his lesson. He’s afraid that if take the boy to a hospital, it will end his life. To be honest, if you are that callous of a human, then you deserve to go to prison. I also can’t blame Ed for his decision to go to Haggis.

That is where I want to shift over to. This is a cautionary tale of revenge. In his snap judgement, Ed wants them punished. I like the idea that the pain Pumpkinhead inflicts is also felt by Ed. He also cannot just kill the creature to stop it, since they’re connected. I love the allegory here about what revenge does to people. Again, it isn’t a new idea or something that we haven’t seen before. I like what they do with it.

Pumpkinhead is also a great character. I can see why that is the name that this entity is given. The head does look similar to a pumpkin. I’m glad that someone like Winston is the director here since it does seem like he focused on making sure this creature looks great. The practical effects used are great. Probably the strongest part of the movie to be honest. I’ll pull in another filmmaking aspect which would be the cinematography. They do well in framing it to hide any seams as well. I like the surreal feel we get when Ed is experiencing the killing. They do things with colored lights. It is also edited well. I wanted to give credit to all these aspects.

The last thing then to go into would be the acting. I’ve already said that Henriksen is good. I thought that D’Aquino played the jerk well. My issue with his performance is the change of character they have him make as the climax ramps up. It just feels a bit out of place for what they were working toward. East, Ross, Hoffman, Bain and Remsen are all solid as the group that gets the revenge visited upon. Schauffler was good as the witch. I liked seeing cameos by Bremer, Flower, Warlock and even a young Mayim Bialik. The acting here is solid across the board.

In conclusion, this is one that I’m glad I finally got to watch and fully take in. We are getting a story we’ve seen before of someone being wronged and then wanting revenge. What I like though is that it shows the heavy price this has on the one who is seeking it. Henriksen is good as our lead. The rest of the cast push him to where he ends up. The true stars are the effects that bring Pumpkinhead to life. I’d say that this is one of the better creature features out there. It has a bit more on the bone that I appreciate. I’d recommend watching this one for sure or give it a rewatch if it’s been some time.

My Rating: 8 out of 10