Pumpkinhead (Collector's Edition)

Though horror FX meister Stan Winston's directorial debut, PUMPKINHEAD (1998), didn't attract much attention upon its initial release, it has since gained respectability and cult-status popularity, and deservedly so. Winston's background in visual FX ensures that, as a director, he is sensitive to the importance of visuals for an effective horror film, and consequently nothing that appears on screen is unimportant or unnecessary in creating the right mood and atmosphere for PUMPKINHEAD's plot and story. Indeed, nearly every frame of the film is a rich visual feast. And, of course, the titular demon, produced by Winston's FX studio, is one of the most visually powerful and convincing creatures put on celluloid. Another factor that makes PUMPKINHEAD an outstanding entry in horror cinema is the performance of star Lance Henriksen. Himself a horror and SF icon, Henriksen is a stalwart method actor who "becomes" the various characters that he portrays, and under the guidance of director Winston, the actor molds himself into a wholly believable inhabitant of the spooky world of this film. The rest of the cast is also excellent, especially newcomer Cynthia Bain (as the film's "final girl") and Florence Schauffler (as the old witch that resurrects the titular demon), but it is Henriksen that sets the tone and leads the way. In his book CREATURE FEATURES, author and film critic John Stanley calls PUMPKINHEAD an old-school horror morality tale in the EC Comics vein, and that's a fairly accurate interpretation. PUMPKINHEAD tells the story of backwoods denizen Ed Harley (Henriksen) who, with the help of a haggish southern witch, resurrects an evil demon to exact revenge on the urban teens whose negligence resulted in the death of his son. But in classic EC fashion, Harley soon learns that this method of vengeance exacts too high a price, and he eventually must make the ultimate sacrifice to set things right. MGM's new Collector's Edition DVD marks the first time that PUMPKINHEAD has been released on home video in the film's original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 (anamorphic for widescreen TVs). In addition to a beautifully pristine digital transfer of the film, the DVD offers several excellent featurettes that include behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with several of the film's stars (including Henriksen), FX secrets, and a tribute to the late, great Stan Winston. All in all, the new DVD is well worth the price of admission, and true horror aficionados should quickly add this one to their collections.

This is a sleeper of a horror movie. I can't go into the details, that would be pointless, but if you want to be scared out of your pants or panties, this movie will do it. It has the same level of scareworthyness as the original Alien, though without the serious dread that Alien tends to produce. This is the first Pumpkinhead movie converted to Blu-ray as far as I am aware and it's well worth the upgrade if you already have the DVD. I bought it for Halloween viewing, but it's a great thriller anytime of the year. There is some gore in this so be aware of that and make sure you're not exposing any youngins to the movie. Just be prepared to scream or have someone next to you you can grab onto.

Pumpkinhead is a film brimming with all the typical horror tropes. But what truly sets it apart is their elegant delivery in the form of good storytelling--the kind of good writing and well-staged events we seldom encounter in horror. Oh, and EXCELLENT pacing, special effects and set design!!! Makeup special effects wizard turned one-time horror director, Stan Winston (Constantine, Galaxy Quest) demonstrates a greater handle on storytelling and general filmmaking than most would on even their fifth turn helming a horror movie…and he does it just right his first time. He did an admirable job and I'm baffled (and quite disappointed) that he did not continue to direct more horror films. The 90s certainly would have benefited from more of his work. Pumpkinhead is a film brimming with all the typical horror tropes. But what truly sets it apart is their elegant delivery in the form of good storytelling--the kind of good writing and well-staged events we seldom encounter in horror. The scenes stitch together seamlessly and imbue a finer level of synthesis than horror typically finds. In the opening scene, Ed's father protects his family from a desperate man pursued by a most pernicious demonic entity during a rather dire flashback that links our main character's childhood to the monster. Now grown and a father of a young boy himself, Ed (Lance Henriksen; Harbinger Down, Aliens, AVP, The Pit and the Pendulum) finds his son in his last living moments after some intoxicated twenty-something runs him over with his dirt bike. Much to my relief, what we don't find are a bunch of young adults who keep talking about beer and smoking weed and getting drunk and getting laid. Their upcoming plight is not prefaced by drunk lap dances or cabin stripteases (e.g., Julianna Guill in Friday the 13th). What we witness instead is what we might expect of a young group (incl. Kerry Remsen; A Nightmare on Elm Street 2, Ghoulies 2) on vacation--mild drinking and driving but no one seems sloshed, typical fun behavior that's just a little bit dangerous, and a somewhat understandable (though not at all forgivable) reaction to a big screw up while one of them was on probation. Even more rare for a horror film is that although we have a clear singular protagonist in our recently bereft father, the soon-to-be victims are effectively humanized when we witness that only the proby screw-up acts immorally after the accident. Like I said, the tropes are all here, but they don't feel like the same old over-played tropes when handled so well. Ed seeks out a witch--a piece of local hillbilly folklore--to exact his revenge. What's funny is that Ed is the local middle-of-nowhere store owner in the mountain woods. Normally HE would be the harbinger warning the younger city folks of bad things to come. Instead it's Ed's fellow poverty-stricken neighbor (with five kids wearing filthy rags singing rhymes about the monstrous Pumpkinhead) who warns Ed away from pursuing the witch. How's that for a badass turn of troped-up events? The witch is great! The translucently thin-haired hag lives in a fetid cabin in the swamp. The set designers really outdid themselves. She's creepy and says all the typical lines like "you'll know when you find it." But she's just soooo creepy that it doesn't feel corny. Then the pumpkin-patched grave site, the exhumation, the alien-looking transformation…this film truly has a lot to offer. The pacing is excellent. We consistently build towards the reason to seek the witch (i.e., the tragedy), the impetus of vengeance, the necessary ritual, some blood and black magic, and the mysterious discovery that Ed is now somehow "connected" to the Pumpkinhead demon. Once it comes time to start picking off twenty-somethings the movie becomes a bit more typical, but remaining on the higher quality end in terms of execution. Get it…execution? See what I did there? But for real, it's pretty fun. There are various "horror drags" and a grabs-from-above that reminds me of Alien 3…or, I suppose, Alien 3 (1992) reminds me of this. Which brings us to the monster, which is undoubtedly reminiscent of the Alien Xenomorph, but with its own style. It's slimy skin, protruding bones, gaunt body, huge head and long tail make this fiend super-creepy and I love the way it lumbers around and makes interesting facial expressions! And while its appearance reminds me of Aliens, its behavior is more like Jason Voorhees as it lurks around the isolated cabin in the woods (yes, all the tropes are here), occasionally dropping a dead body in front of a future victim (for no other reason than a good jump scare for us viewers). I'm also quite fond of the scene when it "stabs" a guy with a rifle. Cheeky! This film offers much worthy screen time to its well-crafted monster and the action is pretty cool, especially at the end. The conflict is resolved properly with an ending that "matters" (unlike a lot of horror that just sort of "ends"). What's more is that the 80s loved horror endings that all but flagged down the obvious sequel. That happens here, but in a most tasteful, thoughtful, and appreciative manner that will put a smile of understanding satisfaction on your face the moment you catch it. I don't simply recommend this be watched, but that you just go buy it. This movie contributed to making the 80s a special era for horror.

DVD Pumpkinhead Horror ab 18 nur für starke Nerven aber nicht in deutsch

Lo cercavo da molto. Uno dei miei preferiti da visionare durante il periodo di Halloween. DVD buono, classico MGM del periodo.

The only good Pumpkinhead movie. Happy to finally have it on 4k and blu-ray. It of course looks fantastic on 4k and even the blu-ray looks great. I love the artwork. Screamfactory always knocks it out of the park with their artwork.

Una pena q no este doblada al castellano, pero por lo menos esta subtitulada en español. Una pequeña joya q merece la pena.

Great 4K of a classic horror film directed by a fantastic film effects man.