Pumpkinhead

Plot synopsis:
The story begins a long time ago, out in the country when a mother, and father try to protect their son from seeing what is about to happen. The relentless revenge demon, Pumpkin is perusing his victim. The man tries to get into the home but the father will not allow it. Pumpkinhead finishes what he started and the little boy, Ed Harley (Lance Henriksen) got out of bed to watch it all from his window. Now Ed is a grown man who has a young son. After six out of town kids arrive at Ed Harley's store, Pumkinhead's story is told by some local children. Shortly after,one of the six out of towners, Joel a criminal, starts to race his dirt bike. He jumps over a mound of dirt and hits Ed's young son. Because he is on probation and has been drinking, the punk gets his bike and flees the scene. He fights with his friends about going to get help and the little boy dies. When the father, Ed finds his dead son, he can think of nothing but revenge. His thoughts turn to the demon that he saw take revenge when he was a boy. He seeks the old witch that can conjure Pumpkinhead. Ed Harley follows her instructions and the huge, evil demon awakens. After Joel has taken his friends hostage to keep his wrong doings a secret, one of the girls, Maggie starts to lose her mind. She runs off and as Steve, Joel's younger brother tries to stop her. Pumpkinhead hides in the trees and strikes. As it rips Steve to shreds, Maggie runs back to the cabin for help. Joe and Jeff go looking for Steve with guns. Just then, the evil vengeance demon appears at the window. It hangs Steve's bloody body in front of the door, and as Maggie screams, Pumpkinhead grabs her and runs off. It soon returns and grabs another girl and chokes her in the top of a tree and then drops her onto a boulder and claims victim number three. The remaining three victims run looking for help. The hillbillies that live in that area know that if they help, Pumpkinhead will come for them as well. Ed Harley feels something awful every time his demon kills. He decides to help stop it and he meets the three remaining survivors. Soon, Pumpkinhead arrives and Joel and Harley unload their guns into the beast. Then, when they think it is dead, it rises and shoves Joel's rifle through his chest. Ed is bitten by a dog and Pumpkinhead feels the pain, but Ed did not notice it. Kim and Jeff run for their lives until a young hillbilly, Jimmy Joe decides to help them. Pumpkinhead pursues them through an old burned down church and grabs Jeff, wounding him badly. Wanting to stop this, Ed Harley drives around until he finds Kim and Jimmy Joe, and then takes them into his home. Soon the evil one appears, drops Jeff's body and enters the house. In a terrifying scene it goes for Jimmy Joe first. Then they all escape outside where Ed gets stuck by a pitch fork and sees that is hurting Pumpkinhead. Ed figures out that he can only kill the beast by killing himself. Jeff who is still alive, helps Kim buy some time. Just as the monster is about to kill jackass Ed shoots himself. But Ed Harley still lives. Kim shoots him and ends this forever and Pumpkinhead goes up in flames, never to be seen again. Well, until the old witch buried the remains back in it's resting place until the next time it is called upon.

Tags: revenge, cult, murder, flashback

Review:
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 monster, Pumpkinhead, is really cool looking, created as it was by special effects man Stan Winston, who also directed.
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).
However, calling up Pumpkinhead comes at a cost to Ed as much as it does to the teenagers it now seeks.Tho in essence it is just a creature on the loose killing the teens movie, so a stalk and slash piece if you like, Pumpkinhead is more appealing than most of its ilk.
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.
With his blood thrown into the mix of an evil spell, the demon is soon resurrected and goes about his usual mission of killing people who deserve it.And so begins a series of scenes you've seen many times in numerous Friday the 13th films and the subsequent rip-offs.
Driven by grief, Ed goes to a witch for help raising a demonic creature known as Pumpkinhead to wreak vengeance upon his son's killers.
Directed by special effects wizard Stan Winston, Pumpkinhead is one of the most original and underrated horror films of the last thirty years.
And, of course, praise should go to Winston and his special effects crew for creating a unique creature like Pumpkinhead to begin with.
This is such a great horror movie with quality sets, good acting, and a creepy demon.
I think that is one of the main reasons I like the movie so much because it's not just some monster killing pretty people, it's also about this man struggling with his own inner demons.
All is fine and dandy until a group of city kids, a motor bike accident, a creepy witch, and a demon that is resurrected and called "PUMPKINHEAD" changes all that, ED and the teens find out the hard way that "WHAT COMES AROUND GOES AROUND".Great Monster...I remember the design for Pumpkinhead gave me the creeps..especially the far shots of it hiding in trees, the first opening chase scene is creepy because you don't understand what is going on.
How many horror movies do you know that do that?...The blue and orange filters really give the film a nice look.
The soundtrack hits all the right notes and elevates the movie to more creepy level.Some minor complaints would have to be the teens don't get enough screen time..I liked the majority of them but they get killed way too soon (you'll see)...more range and development would have been nice...but on a whole..this movie is all good...nice direction..and themes.
This is like those stories, and is probably a direct descendant.At the very beginning of the film, we see a flashback of a country lad looking through the edges of a window at a Creature who's on some sort of rampage.Shift to the present.
Pumpkinhead is a complete and total 80s horror flick all the way through, and if you're tired of modernized torture horror and dumb ripoff slashers, throw this on as a reminder of why you loved the horror genre in the first place.I think the best thing about this is that it isn't just for fans of one specific type of horror.
There was slasher horror and there were monster movies, and maybe a few odd-man-out occult flicks, but Pumpkinhead doesn't really fall into any of those, rather settling to sit on the divider between them.
The kills are brutal yet not overdone (learn a lesson here, Mr. Eli Roth!), and the characters are generally enjoyable and not too shallow (at least not compared to the random teens in Friday the 13th flicks).This might not be the best film from a critical standpoint, but as a horror fan, I can't give this anything but a perfect score.
With a great setting, a healthy helping of mozzarella cheese, some classic 80s blood and guts, a monster that is as much cheesy as it is cool, and a certain spark that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the whole demonic thrill ride of the movie, Pumpkinhead will fit right in on your shelf next to Friday the 13th, Halloween and Sleepaway Camp.
Lance Henriksen plays the father of a boy accidentally killed by travelling teens and seeks revenge for the unnecessary death of his young son.
It's an atmospheric suspenseful horror film about a man seeking revenge for his boy's death by bikers.
Pumpkinhead is not a great horror film, but I suppose it is acceptable considering that Stan Winston was not a director.
He does a good job of giving the movie archetypal rural Halloween atmosphere, but his overall lack of experience also results in bad acting, silly story telling, and a lack of suspense.
Despite a fearsome set of teeth, the demon is better at killing people by throwing them around in hilarious ways rather than doing something more horror worthy like biting heads or limbs off.This creature will not go down as one of Stan Winston's best creations, and the movie will certainly not go down as one of the best indie horrors, but it might be worth a look at for horror geeks.
The story was good, the scenes with Pumpkinhead were good, and the acting wasn't even that bad for a horror film.
After accidentally killing his son, a group of teens find themselves subject to a series of attacks by a demonic creature summoned to take revenge on their actions by the father and must try to stop it from completing its rampage.This here is one of the more impressive and enjoyable creature features out there.
The idea of letting loose a horrible creature of revenge to right perceived wrongs is a fairly new twist to the typical monster-on-the-loose style films and the way this element is woven into the story makes for some pretty exciting times.
It needs a plausible scenario to set events in motion which is done here with the fine scene early on that kills of the son in what looks genuinely like a true accident so there's a logical reason for the demon conjuring, a fine set-up that gives the kids something resembling a conscience and finally brings the actual point home with a practically-chilling exhumation sequence in the appropriately long-dead cemetery that not only meets the functions of the story but also gives off the feeling of appropriate unease required for such scenes.
There's also some good times here with this one featuring some really enjoyable stalking here with this one featuring some rather intense chases here with the creature going after the gang through the woods which results in great moments at the cabin and the abandoned church which provide this one with some thrilling action, nice suspense and a series of chilling encounters all packed with great gore and bloody kills.
Inspired by a poem by Ed Justin, it has a story co-authored by makeup effects maestro Stan Winston, making a creditable directing debut.Lance Henriksen, delivering a typically strong performance, is rural grocer Ed Harley, who loses his adorable young son Billy (Matthew Hurley) when the boy is accidentally run down by reckless "city folk".
Ed becomes consumed with the thought of vengeance, and calls upon a local character, frightening crone Haggis (Florence Schauffler) to call upon a demon named Pumpkinhead - a demon Ed had glimpsed as a child.The short running time (87 minutes) is indicative of how well the story flows and how Winston and company are able to refrain from indulging in any sort of filler.
Granted, the young victims are not fleshed out very much, but neither are they treated as purely one-dimensional individuals, and it is possible to feel some sympathy as they are stalked and brutalized by Pumpkinhead, a cool monster played with great physical menace by effects expert Tom Woodruff, Jr. Also, for a horror film this does have a certain amount of emotional resonance; it's genuinely sad when the little boy dies.The cast is above average for this sort of thing; supporting Henriksen quite capably are people like Jeff East ("Superman: The Movie") and John DiAquino ('SeaQuest DSV'), while others such as stuntman Dick Warlock, George "Buck" Flower (in one of his more substantial roles and most enjoyable performances), Brian Bremer, and Lee de Broux also make solid contributions in supporting and bit parts.
Pumpkinhead is wonderfully played by Lance Henrikssen, the monster does look good and moves methodically while having that sense of dread.
A kid gets killed by a group of no good bikers and it just so happens that the kids old man knows a wicked witch who can unleash his own demon in the form of pumpkin head.
Better-than-usual direction, cinematography, and production values lift this movie above the complete craplitude which is normal for the slasher genre.Unfortunately, poor acting, atrocious dialogue, a derivative and silly-looking creature, and the hackneyed monster-kills-teenage-jerks-in-the-woods plot don't permit it to rise any higher than sub-mediocrity..
"Pumpkinhead" is first movie directed by Stan Winston(won 4 Oscars for best effects, visual effects in movies like "Aliens", "Terminator 2", "Jurassic Park",...,also worked on "Predator", "Edward Scissorhands", "Artificial Intelligence", "The Thing").What I really like about this movie is story.
Considering the relatively modest budget this movie had, compared to mainline monster flicks like 'Aliens', they did a colossal job of making the creature look real and believable.
When Henriksen finally realizes what his actions are causing he tries to call off the demon, but discovers it's too late.Uneven directioral debut from make-up master Stan Winston features a complicated, fasicnating, original, and sometimes heartfelt premise with some standout scenes, but eventually it decides to be a run of the mill stalk and slash film.
Watching this one is like getting all the 80's horror cliches you need to make witty observations on the cliches of 80's horror flicks.Directed by holier-than-KNB FX wizard Stan Winston, Lance "Just Forget About Man's Best Friend" Henrickson is a scorned daddy who after his autistic son is murdered by a bunch of dirtbike-riding hooligans, enlists the services of Pumpkinhead, a demon who also dabbles in the professional hitman trade.
Pumpkinhead ( The original ,made in 1988 with Lance Henriksen rates as The Top Horror film made since Dracula with Bela Lugosi ..
Pumpkinhead is a pretty damn good horror movie.
Easily one of the best horror / monster movies of the 1980's, PUMPKINHEAD is also about the cost of taking revenge, even when it appears to be fully justified.
Recently watched it again and it still holds the test of time in my opinion.If you want a really good 80s horror film then you need to watch pumpkinhead.
He summons a demon called Pumpkinhead who stops at nothing to fulfil its promise.Stan Winston does an excellent job creating the eerie horror of a classic horror tale of revenge gone horribly wrong.
The old farm setting makes it feel like a classic horror film and separates it from the other slasher movies of the time.What's most impressive about the film is the creature itself.
When a bunch of kids from the city accidentally kill his son, he goes to a local witch to invoke the demon Pumpkinhead for revenge.
After his son is killed in a tragic accident, grief stricken Ed Harley (Lance Henriksen) visits an old woman with magical powers who summons a demon to avenge the boy's death.To be honest, the story to Pumpkinhead is no great shakes, a fairly routine horror tale of supernatural revenge with a group of cookie cutter teenagers as the victims, but sometimes all you need is a bloody good monster to carry a film and this one has a doozy, not all that surprising considering that the man behind the wheel is none other than special effects genius Stan Winston.Winston actually does a pretty good job overall considering this is his directorial debut, conjuring up a fair amount of creepy atmosphere and delivering quite a few striking visuals.
Country bumpkin gets his revenge in "Pumpkinhead." In creature/special-effects wizard Stan Winston's directorial debut, Lance Henriksen ("Aliens," "The Terminator") plays a loving father in the backwoods of rural America.
He is natural and emotional and he makes you feel sadness and regret and things you don't normally get out of B horror.Of course, Stan Winston, who was a genius in special effects and creature design and did not disappoint with the Pumpkinhead creature.
Nothing brings us atmosphere like an 80's horror flick, and unlike the genre movies of today, they still stand as testaments to quality, effects, hard work and pure passion for bringing a grotesque story like this to life..
Plus the movie is directed by Stan Winston (better know for his special effects).
A man conjures up a gigantic vengeance demon called Pumpkinhead to destroy the teenagers who accidentally killed his son.
Stan Winston, among many professionals going into the film business of creature effects look at his works for guidance.
If anything, it is a well made guilty pleasure horror film for most.The story is about widower countryman Ed Harley (Lance Henriksen), a loving father who's son Billy, means everything to him.
It's still a good movie but it's not scary like it could've been.Even with creature effects master, Stan Winston directing, Pumpkinhead rarely scares.
I found the whole movie every enjoyable and I thought Pumpkinhead was really good creature and I really liked how it's looked.
Released in 1988, "Pumpkinhead" stars Lance Henriksen as Ed Harley, a California backwoodsman whose son is accidentally killed by some vacationing city kids on dirt bikes.
Havoc ensues.The best thing "Pumpkinhead" has going for it is an outstanding monster that towers over its powerless victims, created by special effects artist Stan Winston in his directorial debut.
Really, the creature is as good or better than the Alien/Aliens monsters.Another strong point is the link between the creature and one of the characters and what has to be done to possibly end its reign of terror: The spirit of revenge can only be terminated by the spirit of selfless sacrifice, which is the Christ spirit.Other positives include a solid cast, a totally serious & creepy vibe throughout and quality backwoods locations (California).The only real negative is that, soon after the monster is released and starts its rampage (at around the 50-minute mark), the film clearly loses its footing and tempts the viewer to tune out, but it thankfully gets back on track.Although the creature is great and the way it functions is original, the basic plot is, of course, old hat, i.e. youths chased by some boogeyman in the deep woods.
I don't know what I might do.The star of this movie from a horror point of view therefore isn't the redneck father, the kid or even the pumpkinheaded creature but the creepy old bint in the hut.
Now, although the film was somewhat lacking originality in the plot department (it was similar to any slasher flick, and the Pumpkinhead looks a lot like a movie alien you will surely recognize...), and also in the talent department (as far as acting...); I was never bored.
In the film Lance Henriksen plays a country man whose young son is accidentally killed by some city folks when he runs out in front of their dirt bikes.
PUMPKINHEAD isn't a very good movie but at the same time there are some interesting moments and some nice direction by the newcomer.
I thought Henriksen was very effective as the father and especially in the scenes where he's carrying around his dead son's body just looking for a way to get revenge.
Lance Henrickson gives one of his best performances as a father out for revenge on a group of teenagers who accidentally killed his son.
In "Pumpkinhead," we meet a backwoods grocer named Ed Harley (finely portrayed by Lance Henriksen), who makes a deal with a witch woman called Haggis after his young son is killed in a hit-and-run accident.
He also gets good efforts from his cast especially Lance Henrickson as the father and the performances are not wooden and hollow like in a lot of these type of movies.
Pumpkinhead is a cute horror fairytale directed by special effects genius Stan Winston.
However, special effects aficionados and fans of quirky horror will have a great time watching this film.Pumpkinhead is like a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale on acid.
This movie has a big, realistic monster and works as a great horror movie, meaning that it would freak any kid out who doesn't have any interest in these films.
A grieving father avenges the accidental death of his son by asking an old witch to conjure the demon Pumpkinhead to kill those responsible for his grief.
I think this movie is sweet, because their's a demonic creature out killing people, and Stan Winston directed this movie, and Lance Henriksen is in the movie.
A monster, a revenge plot, a couple of teenagers, some other odd creepy looking folks, dark settings and whatever more you can expect from a genre movie such as this one.
Pumpkinhead looks like an ALIEN from the movie ALIEN and is conjured up by an old lady per Lance's request.