PUMPKINHEAD is the directorial debut of Special Effects super-talent Stan Winston. Though this impressively smart horror fable is Mr. Winston’s first time up with the directorial bat, he knocks it out of the park. In less capable hands it might have been just another creature on the rampage flick that you end up forgetting about a week later. Instead, it’s a memorably imaginative nightmare fantasy containing both depth and wisdom. Not only was PUMPKINHEAD a truly solid monster movie, it also gave us a movie monster that was difficult to forget.
Ed Harley (Lance Henriksen) is a good and simple man of the hills who lives quite peacefully with his son Billy (Matthew Hurley). The two of them seem to be friendly with everybody and Ed does all right for himself running Harley Grocery. Things just aren’t all that bad for Ed and Billy (and their dog Gypsy); unfortunately, trouble’s on its way in the guise of some partying city kids heading up to a cabin getaway. Making their final stop at Ed’s store to load up on some last-minute provisions, a couple of the more antsy among the group decide that now would be a good time to grind some dust under the wheels of their dirt-bikes. It’s not the best idea they ever had, not by a long shot. Gypsy runs off into the hills where the bikers are tearing it up with high speeds and higher jumps. Billy chases after her only to be crushed under the wheels of one of the bikes as it lands. This accident results in his death. Joel (John D’Aquino), the A-hole responsible, runs to his car and takes off, nice guy. Seems Joel was in another, very similar, accident a few months back and this one could mean big trouble for him. One person does stay behind to explain but when Ed gets there, it’s distinctly clear that he doesn’t give a damn who stayed behind, who left, or who was at fault.
There’s a woman who lives higher up in the mountains known as Haggis (brilliantly personified by Florence Schauffler); it’s said that she has powers. Ed wants to see her, pretty badly. He finds out where she is and takes Billy’s body to her. Haggis makes for a genuinely fearful part of the surrounding atmosphere all by herself. She’s a witch that looks like she’s about two hundred years old, she speaks in a throaty and unnervingly raspy voice, and she has the power to summon demons. Ed knew that already, as a child he saw Pumpkinhead for himself. Now, Ed wants Haggis to call it up again, in his name, to take revenge for what’s been done to his son. The witch, she warns that there is a very high price to pay for doing such a thing, but it makes no difference, Billy Harley is dead and vengeance is what’s called for… no matter what the cost. Things need to be taken care of before any of this can be set in motion and Ed does all that is asked of him. There, high in the mountains, in the home of a witch and in the dead of night, Pumpkinhead rises once more. The outsiders have committed murder, and the demon lives again with a singular, macabre purpose… to return the favor. The young boy’s death may have been an accident, but that’s not going to make any sort of difference now.
Steve (Joel Hoffman) is the first of the demon’s victims and it isn’t something I’d refer to as a quick and painless death either. During that murder, while burying his son, Ed discovers a little more about the price that needs to be paid. It isn’t something he gets to just put out of his mind; Ed has to share in it, see everything that’s happening and feel it for himself. Turning back to the witch for help accomplishes very little; she explains that there is nothing she can do, "its gotta run its course now." Haggis explains that if Ed does try to interfere, not only will he fail, he’ll die and pay the final price just that much sooner. Ed comes to the painful realization that the decision he made was the wrong one. Unable to bear the guilt, it’s time to help those that are left alive, but it won’t be easy. After all, the demon came from him, it was brought back with his blood and his anger; they share more than just visions…
PUMPKINHEAD is technically brilliant and it’s obvious that Stan Winston had a very clear image of what he wanted to accomplish from the outset. You may think that a movie made by one of Hollywood’s top F/X guys would be heavy on set-pieces and light on everything else. In some cases maybe that’s true, but not here. PUMPKINHEAD has a lot of character and is well defined. It takes its time to get to the titular beast, but is never boring. Aside from the excellent pacing there are the equally impressive performances. Lance Henricksen is, in my mind, one of the greatest character actors of our time. The man has undeniable charisma on screen and he seems to play every role to perfection; his intensity here makes this no exception. It’s great to see George "Buck" Flower again and the rest of the supporting cast performs admirably. The cinematography is creative and the hills and woods seen throughout are used to maximize the mood. The creature itself is as impressive now as it was back in ’88, and although I would never refer to this as a gory film, it does have it’s inspired moments of violent, interpersonal mayhem. I’m especially fond of the scene where one character is impaled with a rifle and shaken up and down like a toy. The part where the survivors hide in an old church, figuring that a demon wouldn’t care to walk on holy ground (they‘re wrong and he does), is very stylish and worth mentioning. The soundtrack is dead-on; strings and harmonicas are featured and definitely accentuate the backwoods flavor of the picture.
I’m the furthest thing there is from an expert on mountain folklore but it’s a nice, unfamiliar way to get to the events of the story. The way things play out brought to mind some of the old stories I used to read in EC Comics or Creepy Magazine, that’s not to say it wasn’t original, because it was, though it definitely has a similar attitude to those great old tales of monsters and morality. It’s tragic, it’s creepy, it’s got a fantastic creature (And fantastic creature effects!), it’s exciting, it’s fun and it’s imaginative… Man, I just can’t seem to find anything negative to say about PUMPKINHEAD.