Pumpkinhead - Asche zu Asche

OK....I'm having a Halloween party, everyone is dressed to the max, having fun and I say,"Guess what? There's a NEW Pumpkinhead movie and it's on tonight! Not only is Lance Henriksen in it, but Doug Bradley from Hellraiser!" (oohs and ahhhs follow) I have NEVER been so embarrassed in my life. I was a complete fan of the original. It was a classic that I've watched time and time again. The first sequel (Bloodwings) didn't have the mood of the original, and turned into another "monster kills the idiotic teens" movie. This one appeared to have an interesting beginning and premise...oops, my bad! When I saw the first CGI Pumpkinhead sequence I was almost too embarrassed to laugh. Almost. All my pals gawked at the cartoon images that made Jimmy Neutron look as real as yer next door neighbor. Needless to say, this spoiled the whole movie for me, and if they have indeed made another sequel...I hope they can look back on this as a serious mistake. Dudes, go talk to the guys that made Jurassic Park. I'm sure they can give you a few low budget pointers.

Yes, the first 'Pumpkinhead' film was actually pretty cool - largely helped by Lance Henriksen in the leading role. Then came the sequels - horror sequels. And, true to form, each one seemed to get progressively worse. This one, although by no means horrendous, is simply just trying to cash in on the first film's success.

Yes, Lance Henriksen comes back, but his scenes are fleeting and you really get the feel he's only doing it for an easy paycheque.

However, you do have Doug Brady (or 'Pinhead' if you've seen 'Hellraiser') and he does his best to lift this film out of the doldrums. However, no matter how good the cast is, you just can't escape the fact that it's a retread of the original which isn't as good.

Yes, there are some decent 'monster moments.' The monster himself has always been pretty cool, but then there are also equally some pretty ropey CGI moments, too. It's just a pity they seemed to use all their budget up on the cast and a few good effects and left little room to pay a good writer to come up with something a little more fresh.

I watched this last night and it is practically a remake of the original. However, I will give the filmmakers credit for actually retaining several characters from the original (the siblings are all the kids of George "Buck" Flower's Wallace character in the first film). Director Jake West - who made the absolutely inept EVIL ALIENS - handles the filming well. Sadly, he doesn't capture Pumpkinhead's towering stance well though, shooting it mostly in close up. On the downside, the actors seem to have never stepped foot in the South. We're talking Gomer Pyle hysterics here. If you look closely, you can actually see Lance Henriksen cashing his check for this one. And there are a few wonky CGI bits.

I saw this for the first time recently.

Inspite of this one being made in the early 2k, this one looks way too shoddy.

The effects r bad, the acting terrible n the screenplay abysmal.

This one, like part two, has zero atmosphere n zero tension. It has some gory kills but zero nudity.

Lance Henriksen's presence cudnt save this terrible movie. He did this purely to pay his alimony or bills

Now wot kinda church/building has only one exit/entrance?

No concern for fire safety.

Pumkinhead(1988) is considered to be a minor classic by most horror fans.It was generally well-received during its limited run that year and remains a video favorite.Naturaly a schlock-sequel,Blood wings,was conceived in 1993 that met such universal scorn,it was dumped on video with no theater run whatsoever.

After rumors and false starts Pumkinhead has finally returned in a Romanian-shot sequel that aired on the Sci Fi channel October 28th.

A corrupt town Doctor(Doug Bradley)and his grave-robbing family are the cause of the Demon's revival this time around by vengeful family members.As the body count rises they start to learn that revenge has its price to pay.

Doug Bradley is does a great job as the real "Heavy" of the movie and its a Shame he does not get more high-profile gigs.Wise choice by the producers to get Lance Henricksen to play Ed Harley again.The rest of the cast over-acts or under-acts.Another wise choice for the continuity to the first movie,and the ignoring of the 2nd.

What bugged me the most the the cinematography in this one which did not have that eerie feel of the first and cheapens the movie more than it truly is.Pumkinhead is just one step away from being another generic monster of the week.They should have him reacting and interacting more.Don't get me wrong he looked very cool.They just handled him wrong.Most of the characters were just redneck-clichés.One after another.

Is this the sequel that fans have been asking for over a decade?

Yes and No.

But if I were going to bring s well-loved monster out of the mothballs like Pumkinhead,it would have been in a much better movie than this was.

5.5/10