When teenage dirt bikers kill his only son by accident, Ed Harley seeks a person who practices black magic to bring him back to life. But when she tells Ed the child’s death is irreversible, he agrees to invoke an evil pumpkin demon to avenge those teenagers for killing his son. This one took me by surprise. I went in expecting simple goofy low-budget 80s film (Rawhead Rex came to mind) but it has more emotion than I anticipated. A morality tale with great creature design, practical effects, and use of atmosphere. It deserves so much praise for that alone. The way they shoot the creature is super impressive. On top of that, the backstory for the creature is very interesting. The performances from the teenagers are pretty awful but everything else make up for it. Lance Henriksen is definitely the right man to play his role as he brings a lot of depth to his character. His decisions in his time of grief cost him disturbing results but he's still willing to take responsibility for his action. Also, pick your friends wisely so you don't get stuck in a situation like this.
.5 / 2 directing & technical aspect
.5 / 1 story
0 / 1 act I
.5 / 1 act II
1 / 1 act III
.5 / 1 acting
0 / 1 writing
.5 / 1 originality
0 / 1 lasting ability to make you think
1 / 1 misc (great practical effects)
4.5 / 10
Nice little 80s creature feature with folklore mixed in. The father son stuff was quite heartwarming and I didn't see the early twist coming. After that twist it became very predictable though but what kept me interested was the creature, it looks freakin' amazing. It looks like one big beautiful puppet and the movements are fluid. I love the design, a mix of Xenomorph, the aliens in Independence Day and the face of an ugly witch. Everyone looks so dirty it made me want to take a shower. The forest looks amazing with the mist and the lighting. Some weird acting, atmospheric, a very simple story and beautiful orange and blue color palette.
last 20 minutes are great before that it's a little slow
If you're a fan of Stan Winston, this is a must see. If you're a fan of anything else related to this movie then maybe not.
It took the vengeance story told in horrors and gave it a twist, however it felt like a poorly execute B-movie.
this was a pretty good movie. I had always heard of it but never watched it only cuz I thought it was going to be really cheesy but I have to admit the special effects were great as was the story.
Review by whitsbrainVIP 6BlockedParent2022-01-15T16:05:34Z
A great looking monster is the only thing great, or even good, about "Pumpkinhead". This is a movie written around an awesome looking beast that someone created in Stan Winston's effects shop. The monster is a very cool creation. It spends its time stalking some young adults who accidentally kill a little boy.
About the monster, it looks fantastic. The fangs, clawed hands and drooling mouth show amazing detail. There are times when closeups of its face make it hard to tell that it's not real. Unfortunately, that can't be said for almost anytime it moves, lifts or pulls something. During creature attacks, things are timed so that they happen off-screen or only a portion of the monster is seen when it has to do something, like say...walk.
Another problem is the claustrophobic feel this movie has. The characters are being chased by the creature but it's like they're running in place. The sound stage must have been the size of my living room.
Lance Henriksen is his usual glum self but those are the roles he plays well, so here's your paycheck, Lance. The rest of the actors and actresses are awful.
"Pumpkinhead" is about a demon who mercilessly kills people who don't deserve to die for what they've done. Most are innocent bystanders who aren't able to plead their case to the ruthless beast. You'd think that would set things up for a scary flick. You'd be wrong.