1988’s Pumpkinhead: Vengeance, a Witch, and Teens
Ed: God damn you! God damn you!
Haggis: He already has, son. He already has.
Photo credit: DEG
Pumpkinhead is a 1988 monster flick that asks(and answers) what price would a father pay to exact vengeance. Directed by master monster maker Stan Winston, this film’s monster is unlike any other(Mostly. Stan and his studio also co-created the Alien Queen, and you can see elements of the xenomorph in the demon).
The Premise
The movie begins with a man frantically pounding on his neighbors’ doors. It is dark, foggy, and 1957. No one lets him in, and we see him taken and killed by a monster.
But we aren’t the only ones; young Ed Harley(The Lost Boys’s Chance Michael Corbitt) sees the carnage from his bedroom window, unknown to his parents.
Cute little Billy.
Photo credit: DEG
Time jumps to the present(the 1988 present), and widower Ed(Lance Henrikson) has a young child, Billy(Matthew Hurley), of his own. The boy is his world, and his world is soon shattered when a group of vacationing teens are involved in accidentally hitting and killing the boy while riding dirt bikes(A young Mayim Bialik has a brief cameo as a young girl from the small town).
Photo credit: DEG
Haggis-the even less non edible kind.
Photo credit: DEG
Ed remembers the demon he saw, and knows who can summon him. He finds the witch, Haggis(Florence Schauffler), and pays more than he bargains to get revenge on the teens.
Never trust a demon raiser.
Photo credit: DEG
Rich Backstory and Lore
Photo credit: DEG
The beauty of this film(ignore the sequels) is that it quickly establishes the rules:
- Pumpkinhead is a vengeance demon.
- He only goes after those targeted or those that try to shelter them.
- There are only two specific ways to stop him
Lance Henrikson is brilliant as Ed, a man struggling between the desire for vengeance and guilt when he realizes what he has unleashed. Rash decisions can have harsh consequences, and lessons in slasher films that deviate from the “sex gets you killed” trope are few and far between.
Bigger price to pay than you thought, Ed.
Photo credit: DEG
I also love little Billy. He acts like a child, not the typical overly precocious child Hollywood loves to inject into films.
Monster Design-No CGI
Incredible design.
Photo credit: DEG
Apart from the aforementioned slight similarity to a xenomorph, Pumpkinhead really is in a class all his own. Bones jut out from odd angles, digitigrade legs with a long tail make him just inhuman enough to be considered demonic, just human enough to put a man inside a suit to play him. Y’all know how much I love practical effects. The design is so good, we get a look at his whole body. Pumpkinhead’s face and head actually change throughout the film, and I won’t spoil why here.
Draw me like one of your French vengeance demons, Jack.
Photo credit: DEG
Head is NOT a Pumpkin
Just an FYI. He is, however, buried in a pumpkin patch. At the start, he does have a pumpkin-ish shaped head, though.
Also, Pumpkinhead has no idea how to use a rifle. I mean, he is pretty effective in the way he uses it, but he does not use it in the manner intended.
A demon with a rifle. I never thought I would ever type those words together.
Photo credit: DEG
Give Pumpkinhead a watch and let me know how you liked it!
