OCTOBER HORROR 2018 - Pumpkinhead 1988 by EyeOfSemicolon on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

“Keep away from Pumpkinhead,

Unless you’re tired of living.

His enemies are mostly dead,

He’s mean and unforgiving.

Laugh at him and your undone,

But in some dreadful fashion.

Vengeance he considers fun,

And plans it with a passion.

Bolted doors and windows barred.

Guard dogs prowling in your yard.

Won’t protect you in your bed.

Nothing will, from Pumpkinhead.”

So I’m going to once again continue a theme for this review, though the connection to the previous one is a bit loose. “Pumpkinhead”, at least the monster, is largely unknown to me. I recall seeing one movie under the franchise myself, however that was just the one-time viewing during an early morning watch of the Sci-Fi Channel. Back when the Sci-Fi Channel was good, and wasn’t poorly misnamed, I’d often watch a horror movie in the morning before the bus for school came. Most of the times I’d catch the end or beginning of the movie, though would be lucky enough to see the whole thing if it was a cheap sequel or one of the channel’s original movies. So really, there’s a good chance that any “Pumpkinhead” movie I did see would’ve only been partially watched. Though, that’s not the only way I know about this monster.

Like “Howling”, I first came across “Pumpkinhead” thanks to watching an old Spoony review (back when he actually did reviews). It was for an old FMV game that relied on knowledge of the films to get by; and I don’t mean lore knowledge, but characters, locations, and stuff anyone who’d be a fan of the movies would know. With all that said, I’m basically revealing that I have little if any substantial knowledge of these movies outside that they were somewhat popular and I barely cared to really go into them until now. So, I’m just as blind as you all are. With my initial thoughts finished, it’s time I actually get into the first ever “Pumpkinhead”

In the remote countryside there is a local legend of a creature called “Pumpkinhead”, a spirit that is called for revenge and won’t stop till it kills its man. While just a legend, one man aims to summon it when his son is killed in a motor-bike accident involving a group of teenagers. With only revenge in his mind, he asks a witch to bring Pumpkinhead alive, and for it to kill the teens who killed his boy. With Pumpkinhead released, now the teens must survive against a murderous spirit of vengeance who will stop at nothing till the price has been paid.

This movie is thankfully not like your typical late 90’s-2000’s horror movie. Despite how I made the plot sound, not all of the teenagers are assholes. One is a momentarily a terrible person, and the one who instigated the whole mess. Everyone else are either scared into following him, or are actively trying to do the right thing. I wanted to make a note here as I’m sure some horror fans are sick and tired of movies where the protagonists are a bunch of hateful, obnoxious teenagers meant only to rack up a body count. So, I want to make clear that this is not that kind of movie.
The story is well paced, and it spends almost half the movie trying to build up Pumpkinhead before finally summoning him. Till then you get some good character drama with both the father and the teenagers; the father spiraling downward into wanting revenge for his son’s death, and the teens in battling with the reality of what they’ve done. It’s also a well told story, as the drama is quite effective, and it builds up a very nice story of a man’s revenge killing those he hated and even himself; it’s basically a story of how hatred poisons even the person doing the hating. There’s a lot of tragedy surrounding the father, and it’s very well done in its execution. Especially considering how something called “Pumpkinhead” could’ve been handled worse quite easily. The time that Pumpkin head is around is also great, though some horror bits are just jumpscares. The horror is basic, and I don’t think it would really scare most horror fans. Still, it’s a great story, and the ending really cements the theme nicely.

The acting here is actually pretty good, with everyone putting some great effort behind their roles. For as silly sounding a monster as “Pumpkinhead” is, there’s some genuine drama and seriousness in the acting; a lot of characters treat the legend of Pumpkinhead with respect, and they come off as scared of even talking about it. The father, played incredibly by Lance Henrikson, is sympathetic even as he has to do something terrible by summoning the monster; you feel sorry for him, especially as he’s tormented by the realization of his actions. The teens meanwhile are also great, and the characters have some variety in how they act. While one acts terrible, he slowly realizes how bad he acted and decides, though too late, to try and do the right thing. The teens act like actual people, and do care for each other when things start going wrong. Just as much as you care for the father, you also care for the teens. The remaining extras do a great job with the environment they are acting in, and give the country setting a genuine feel. They’re not stereotypes, though I’m sure are exaggerated in some degree.

The monster is also pretty great. The design of “Pumpkinhead” is amazing, and the puppetry for it is impressive. It not only moves its body, but it even has facial animation that gives it personality. The shots that show off the monster are great too. A lot keep its whole body out of view, giving some terror as you sometimes can’t get a good look of it. Any times when it’s on full display is great too, as the movements are both alien and sadistic.

Continuing on from the monster, the effects in general are also great. It’s not something that would rise over any other work, but it’s impressive nonetheless. The scenery is well built and feels genuine; the gore isn’t ridiculously over-the-top, but feels quite real; and some of the cinematography is nicely done. Outside the creature effects, there’s not much that stands out.

I feel that this is a surprisingly good movie. It sounds like a lot of bad films that came out in later years, but this movie shows that it can do what later horror movies couldn’t: tell an emotional story with well-written characters. I definitely recommend seeing this movie if you get the chance. Don’t let the name fool you into thinking it’s a wacky monster film, as it definitely is not.