Pumpkinhead (1988)

Director:

Stan Winston

Writers:

Ed Justin (poem)
Mark Patrick Carducci (story) ...

Release Date:

13 January 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

Cruel, devious, pure as venom. All hell's broken loose.

Plot:

A man conjures up a gigantic vengeance demon called Pumpkinhead to destroy the teenagers who accidentally killed his son.

Plot Keywords:

Demon | Storekeeper | Vengeance | Witch | Death

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Lance Henriksen	...	Ed Harley
Jeff East	...	Chris
John D'Aquino	...	Joel
Kimberly Ross	...	Kim
Joel Hoffman	...	Steve
Cynthia Bain	...	Tracy
Kerry Remsen	...	Maggie
Florence Schauffler	...	Haggis
Brian Bremer	...	Bunt
George 'Buck' Flower	...	Mr. Wallace (as Buck Flower)
Matthew Hurley	...	Billy Harley
Lee de Broux	...	Tom Harley (as Lee DeBroux)
Peggy Walton-Walker	...	Ellie Harley (as Peggy Walton Walker)
Chance Corbitt Jr.	...	Eddie Harley
Dick Warlock	...	Clayton Heller (as Richard Warlock)

Also Known As:

Vengeance: The Demon

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (cut) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) | Netherlands:16 | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2007) | Australia:M | Canada:R | Norway:18 (video premiere) | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG)

Trivia:

Because of Stan Winston's request, the screenwriters made both Pumpkinhead and Haggis (the old woman), much darker than in the original script.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Steve is lying dead on the cabin floor just before he is covered up by his brother Joel you can see his eyes moving.

Quotes:

Ed Harley: God damn you! God damn you!
Haggis: He already has, son. He already has.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Serial Mom (1994)

Stay away from Pumpkinhead, unless you're tired of living...

Most critics (who actually get PAID to critique films, unlike me, HA!) really hated this movie, dismissing it as yet another "brainless teen" slaughterfest and slamming it with either one star or a big fat turkey. I've never really understood this. Okay, it's not ever going to win an Academy Award, some of the acting is atrocious and much of the incidental music was cheesy and had me rolling my eyes, but the basic story is quite good. Six city teens on a vacation in either the Appalachians or the Ozarks, make the mistake of running over a little hillbilly boy with a motorcycle. 5 of them want to do the right thing and call the police, but the 6th, a hulking moron with a police record, takes his friends hostage. By the time he comes to his senses, it's too late. The dead boys father has been to see the local Witch, who in turn has summoned the Demon of Vengeance: Pumpkinhead.

There's really not a lot of gore here, and no sex whatsoever. The "typical teens" here actually appear to be in their early twenties, and are hardly the faceless victims you usually find in these kinds of films. The real menace lies with the hill folk, many of whom look like the genuine article; inbred and dangerous. Lance Henriksen turns in a great performance as the dead boys father, blinded (most understandably) by grief and anger, yet still compassionate enough at last to try and reverse what he has done. The monster, Pumpkinhead, is really cool looking, created as it was by special effects man Stan Winston, who also directed. The atmosphere and mood of this movie are constantly menacing, even in the bright light of day, and Pumpkinhead seems to bring an aura of electrical storms with him wherever he goes, the sound of cicadas and the flashing of heat lightening most unsettling. The Witches cabin in particular is a magnificent set piece. Worth seeing at least once. The "professional" critics are NOT always right.

PS - Don't bother watching "Pumpkinhead 2: Blood Wings." I've never seen a more horrible sequel with a more annoying cast of arrogant teenagers who deserved to be killed. Banal, moronic waste of film.