The Pumpkin Karver

This film was very hard to rate. For a low budget horror flick, it wasn't bad, but it could have been so much better.

First, it spent entirely too much time with the actors just acing stupid. Lots of hot girls running around, but the guys were just plain dumb. It wasted a lot of time that could have been spent on horror. After all, it is a Halloween slasher film.

The old man was one of the best parts of the film. Now, he was really creepy. Lance (David Austin) and his buds were just like Draco Malfoy and his crew. You just wanted them to get their due.

The pissing on the head bit was certainly original - and funny.

Less silliness and more slashing.

I saw this movie in the theater on it's opening night (a preview). I've got to say, it has a very creative plot twist right out of the gate which I think sets it aside from most of the low budget, predictable horror flicks. There are a lot of fun, weird kill scenes (my favorite killing is the guy who gets it at the pumpkin patch). Okay, so we're not seeing any big movie stars running around in this movie, but you can't gage a horror movie on it's star power. It's a low budget hack and slasher but it's right up there with all the other low budget hack and slashers. I believe this movie has the potential to become one of those popular, underground horror flicks. A nice rental...

This was not a bad movie. Some of it was predictable but so what. I liked the idea and for Halloween it's a good offer. Teen slashers are always produced with the same thought. Good looking young actors, girls in skimpy outfits, screaming, and blood and guts. This one doesn't let you down. However, there were some victims I could hardly wait for their demise, they were that annoying. Won't go into the story as that has been reviewed enough. I did like the old man who was stalking and making himself menacing. I also liked Michael Zara. Sort of reminded me of the guy who plays superman on TV. He had a hard part to play and did a fairly good job. Plus he's a good looker on top. The sister annoyed me. Also the girl friend who screams very well. And that's about it. I give it a 2 for the old man and Zara.

This movie begins with a teenager by the name of "Jonathan Starks" (Michael Zara) sitting at the dining room table on Halloween night carving a pumpkin. Also at home with him is his older sister "Lynn Starks" (Amy Weber) who is waiting for her boyfriend "Alec" (David J. Wright). Upon getting there he essentially acts like a jerk and is told by Lynn to come back later. Sometime later, a man wearing a pumpkin mask, sneaks into the house and attacks Lynn with a knife. Jonathan hears her screams and kills the intruder with the knife he was using to make a jack-o-lantern. However, it's only after stabbing him multiple times that both Lynn and Jonathan realize that the intruder was Alec playing a prank. The scene then shifts to one year later with Jonathan having undergone counseling and now moving with his sister to another town to start a new life. Upon arriving they are greeted by several people including one older man named "Ben Wicket" (Terrence Evans) who appears to have some emotional issues of his own. Likewise, another young man by the name of "Lance" (David Austin) also quickly develops a disliking to Jonathan due to his former girlfriend, "Tammy" (Minka Kelly) showing a romantic interest in him-and trouble soon starts not long afterward. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film started off pretty well and showed some good potential. Unfortunately, the director (Robert Mann) seemed to lose control after the first 30 minutes or so and the plot went seriously off the rails after that. Along with that, I didn't especially care for the acting on the part of Michael Zara who seemed totally inadequate for the task at hand. On the other hand, I thought both Amy Webber and Minka Kelly performed reasonably well as did Charity Shea (as "Rachel") to a lesser degree. Even so, it wasn't enough to overcome the flaws just mentioned and I have rated this film accordingly. Below average.

In the Halloween in West Minister, the teenager Lynn Starks (Amy Weber) is attacked by a man wearing a pumpkin face mask in the basement of her house. Her younger brother Jonathan Starks (Michael Zara) is carving a pumpkin in his room and hears her sister crying for help. He uses the knife to protect his sister, stabbing the assaulter. When they take the mask off his face, they realize that the man is Lynn's boyfriend Alec (David J. Wright) playing a prank on Lynn.

One year later, the siblings are living in Carver, and they are invited to a Halloween party in the field. Lynn introduces her friend Tammy (Minka Kelly) to her brother, who is haunted by Alec, and Jonathan stays with Tammy. However, her former boyfriend Lance (David Austin) bullies Jonathan along the night. Meanwhile several youngsters are attacked by the Pumpkin Face that carves their faces.

"The Pumpkin Karver" is a film with terrible story, characters, direction and acting. The plot is unoriginal and full of clichés; there are several slashers very similar to "The Pumpkin Karver", but the conclusion is awful. The characters are stupid and non-charismatic and the two guys dressed in white are annoying and unbearable. The direction and the acting are bad, and Michael Zara is very weak in the lead role. My vote is two.

Title (Brazil): "Pumpkin Karver, a Nova Face do Terror" ("Pumpkin Karver, the New Face of Terror")