Pumpkinhead

Pumpkinhead (1988)

Runtime: 86 minutes

Directed by: The great Stan Winston

Starring: The great Lance Henriksen, Jeff East, John D'Aquino, Kimberly Ross, Joel Hoffman

From: United Artists

Last night I decided to watch something from Amazon Prime that would actually be good, and I did make the correct selection there. This is a ghoulish tale which isn't about being gory (as it isn't) and instead it's about being creepy and unsettling while having some great shots and moments and a few sets which were perfect for setting an unnerving and spooky mood.

The plot doesn't sound complicated on the surface: Lance Henriksen is a backwoods guy (Ed Harley, a name you won't forget as you hear it so often in the film) who has a bodega in the middle of nowhere. He has a young son-Bobby-he loves a lot; unfortunately, some young “city folk” are around and well, due to an accident Bobby passes away. Ed Harley gets real upset so he visits some folks that are even more backwoods and he is directed to a scary-looking old woman, who resurrects the titular character, a character that is memorable-looking for sure. Thankfully the movie is more complicated than it sounds; for example, only one of the city folk is a D-bag. There are other things but I dare not spoil them; I'll just say it's not a paper-thin story. I also won't spoil some of the people who unexpectedly appear, except for Buck Flower, as hey it's Buck Flower and he was pretty rad.

I wish that Stan Winston would have directed more than just one horror feature-length film, as he did a fine job here. I think of him pretty highly anyway due to his awesome effects work on such things as the first two Terminator pictures, Aliens, , Predator, etc.... and his effects studio on films like Jurassic Park. Things are shot well and when it comes to mood & atmosphere, that is where the movie excels the most. Whether it's deep in the woods and there's plenty of moonlight & fog or the shack emblazoned with candles and various eerie bric-a-brac. Such things do make up for any deficiencies in the story, which there are some. I don't want to nitpick as even with that I still think this is very good.


I am glad this film is different from the 80's horror norm, filled with slasher and over the top bloody moments. It's a cult film where OF COURSE there is talk of it being remade. I may be cynical here but I will guess it will be different from the original and thus lose much of its appeal.