'Pumpkinhead' was directed by Stan Winston, who designed some of the world's most famous movie creatures, including the T-Rex from 'Jurassic Park', the Predator, the Aliens, and The Terminator. Here, he provided both the creature and the film itself and it's a doozy of a film. Lance Henrickson stars as a farmer whose young boy is tragically killed by a gang of biker teenagers. Enraged and seeking harsh vengeance, the man seeks the help of an ancient witch in the woods and unleashes the creature known as 'Pumpkinhead' who will not stop until his vengeance is fulfilled.
First off, I'd like to say the acting in the film is really good for a monster movie and I think this may be my favorite role that Henrickson has played (sorry Bishop fans). Even the teenage victims do their jobs well, and they have character to them rather than being a body count. The creature itself is really impressive as well, though it does look a little too similar to other Stan Winston creatures. Seeing it in action throughout the film, thanks to great lighting and set design really does impress, seeing this tall dark creature entering your house making the noises it makes really will leave you awake at night.
The film's titular creature does unfortunately take away some of the deeper moments however. You begin to lose focus as to why Henrickson's character awoke Pumpkinhead in the first place. These moments with his character feeling the sadness, anger, and just strong emotion at the loss of his only child are forgotten in favor of cheap gore scenes and it is what really holds 'Pumpkinhead' back. However, it's still worth seeing if for the annual Halloween marathon just don't expect a masterpiece or anything, and whatever you do DO NOT see the sequels.
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