Pumpkinhead : Le Démon d'Halloween

The Good: I remember visiting the Canadian side of Niagara Falls as a kid, and going through Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, and every single time, being utterly terrified of the "horror section" of the museum. Of all the wax figures, Pumpkinhead always scared me the most.

Since then, I guess childhood fear and literally thousands of other options meant I never ended up watching Pumpkinhead. Now that I have, I can say this movie really surprised me. I really liked the folksy, dark fantasy aesthetic, I think it begs for the movie's universe and lore to be expanded on. I left the movie wondering about how many other human dramas Pumpkinhead intervened in. I wonder about where he came from and how the townsfolk knew about him. That's the sign of a great horror concept.

Lance Eriksson is phenomenal here; he grounds the movie in a sort of realism and pathos that you don't often get with these types of movies. The relationship between his character, Ed, and his son, Billy is sweet and effective; you understand the man from the first 5 minutes, and can immediately understand the depth of his pain. Which, makes his summoning of the demonic avenger Pumpkinhead at least seem...understandable.

I also liked the tension generated by the tragic incident, where a group of (mostly) insufferable teens accidentally kill Billy. I like how there's another layer of the story, namely, how these people are going to figure it out and what they're going to do to fix the situation. Maybe I expected them to be a bunch of bodies for Pumpkinhead to kill or something, but I found the film way more interesting because of how their story develops.

But of course, Pumpkinhead himself. He has such screen presence, viewed so terrifying by everyone around him, there's no way you don't buy into him and get a little spooked yourself. He's treated as all powerful, unstoppable, and I can totally see why he's a key figure in the horror pantheon.

The Bad: Stan Winston's weaknesses as a director do kind of show here. There's some truly baffling acting at times, a lot of bad editing, and the first portion of this movie just feels...off. There are moments that end unexpectedly, where the music is too loud and inappropriate...just little aesthetic things that annoyed me throughout the movie. It definitely gets better as the movie goes on though.

I also felt the music needed a more ethereal and fantastical than it ultimately was. I couldn't help but feel the Hellraiser music would work super well here.

I also hate to say this, but as cool as Pumpkinhead is, the technical limitations the filmmakers had in 1988 means that we often can't or don't see Pumpkinhead kill anyone. He often seems like he's standing above or around people, but clearly not interacting with them, if that makes sense? I know it's not really fair, but being so used to contemporary CG, where you see fantastical creatures interact with regular people all the time, it's just kind of distracting.

This movie has the longest opening credit sequence I've seen in a long time. It's not only long, but it's really bad too.

The Ugly: Pumpkinhead, as I mentioned before, should've been a bigger and better franchise than it ended up being. The studio, MPCA, did not have confidence in the film and literally released it the same weekend as another film THEY PRODUCED, called...Child's Play. One became a major horror franchise that continues today, and the other never really got a chance to be.

Instead, Pumpkinhead has a direct-to-video sequel and two TV movies. All, i have been told, are pretty trash. It sucks because there's a lot of potential with this franchise and I wish there was more to it, honestly.

But it's also a testament to this film's quality that despite having ONE good (if imperfect) film to its name, Pumpkinhead is still considered by horror nerds to be one of the most iconic movie monsters ever.

I will be the first person to stand up and admit that Pumpkinhead is, in some ways, as silly as it's name, but there's something there. It's just enough to elevate this above much of the other "Dead Teenager" dreck that was thrown at us in the glorious eighties.

First off, the monster is a doozy. Stan Winston was up to his usual standard of excelence and creativity, and he created a creature that, while not actually convincing, is alot scarier and easier to enjoy than most. Pumpkinhead is no Freddy or Michael Meyers, but he delivers.

Second of all, the plot is more intelligent than I have come to expect from slasher flicks. The "Kids" are more thought out than most disposable teens, and their motives are more understandable. They accidently take the life of a child, but most want to do the right thing and go to the authorities. Even the Jerk who doesn't is eventually persuaded. And Harley, the father who is the real hero AND villian of the film is much more human than his actions would suggest.

There is also a good twist at the end which I will not reveal here, only say that surprised me with it's subtlety, which is something you rarely see in a horror film that is more than 2/3 done.

Bottom line, I was pleasently surprised with Pumpkinhead. People who don't like horror films are unlikely to be impressed with it, except on a technical level because the effects and atmosphere are superb, but horror fans looking for a harmless new thrill may find it better than expected. It's smarter, wittier and deeper than the norm.

Pumpkinhead gets 6 out of 10 for technical expertise, great atmosphere and an above average story.

In the countryside, the quiet hick Ed Harley (Lance Henriksen) raises his beloved son Billy alone, working in his grocery on the side of the road. When three couples from the big city stop off at his store to buy some supplies, their leader Joel (John D'Aquino) accidentally kills Billy with his motorcycle and he does not allow his friends to call for assistance. In his hatred, Ed visits the evil witch Haggis (Florence Schauffler) that conjures the demon avenger Pumpkinhead to destroy the teenagers. Later Ed regrets and tries to call off the deal but he finds the price to be paid.

"Pumpkinhead" is a great slash movie of a demon called Pumpkinhead that is summoned by someone to revenge the death of another person. It is interesting to note that the boy is accidentally killed and five teenagers try to do the right thing, but the question is not to be fair or not: the boy's father is blind by his feeling of revenge, and only after calming down, he unsuccessfully tries to call off the deal, but it is too late. Therefore there is a good message about the danger of a revenge in the end. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Sangue Demoníaco" ("Demoniac Blood")

Ed Harley lives with his young son in the country, where they live a simple life and run a small store. Some city teens stop by at the store and get on their bikes for some fun. While this is happening Ed leaves his son to look after the shop as he delivers a item to a customer. When Ed arrives back he finds out his boy has been accidentally killed by one the careless riders. In fist of anger he seeks out an old lady who can summon up a demon which shall exact revenge on those involved in the death of his son. However, Ed starts to realise it was a bad idea and he eventually finds out that conjuring up this demon comes at a price.

Oh hail, B-legend Lance Henriksen! It's Henriksen's burning conviction and special effects whiz Stan Winston's masterful monster design that lifts this B-grade monster feature out of the very ordinary mould. I can see why those factors get highly praised. Pretty much it's typical 80s horror fodder, but on that point I found this minor piece be an enthralling backwoods shocker that's effectively creepy and ominous in its set-up. The atmospheric air just has that feel of the old style monster flicks. I found it to be a vivid treasure in that department with the empty woodlands being so chillingly, foreboding in presence. The dread of it all just swallows you up! Especially the glum conclusion. The night scenes are sensationally staged with very classy touches with the moon's rays shinning through, swirling mists and the shades of blues flood the screen with great impact. Director Stan Winston (making his debut) utilizes the scenery with skillful execution by giving the film such an organic feel and producing some blinding images within some eerie and thrilling set-pieces (the transformation scene being one). Chiming in also is that of the score which creaks an unsteady terror with it's alienating chords. I thought the dark feel and slick look of the film is perfect and that's rightfully so.

Though, it's not without its flaws. The main one being the scratchy writing with it being riddled with clichés, loose characters and repetition. The premise and feeble script could have done with a polish up, because the urban legend of this rural demon does make for an interesting viewing. Thrown up in the story are some thoughtful questions and a emotional edge, but still it was kinda lacking. The stock characters are reasonably an unlikeable bunch, but thank goodness Lance Henriksen gives out a powerful and hypnotic performance that you totally feel his hurt. While, the rest of the cast were modest even if their characters are vague as can be and had very little to work with. Now the other star of the film was the magnificent, but horrific looking demon that's simply grand in stature and hands out punishment with such ease by toying around with it's victims in such a cruel manner. Death scenes might be brutal, but if you want some gore out of those moments… there is some bad news. There ain't any. Some blood, but no gore. But if you're looking for some suspense leading up to the kills it seems to mishandle those moments by being very foreseeable. Pacing wise the film is solid even though after the intense beginning it seems to stall for a while, well that's until Pumpkinhead reappears and things really do get going with it's quest for relentless horror.

A solid and creative effort overall that relishes from it's visually brooding direction, superior lead performance and convincing monster design.

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.