Pumpkinhead

1988 "A grim fairy tale."
6.2| 1h26m| R| en| More Info
Released: 14 October 1988 Released
Producted By: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

When a group of teenagers inadvertently kill his only son, Ed Harley seeks the powers of a backwoods witch to bring the child back to life.

Genre

Fantasy, Horror

Watch Online

Pumpkinhead (1988) is now streaming with subscription on Prime Video

Director

Stan Winston

Production Companies

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

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Pumpkinhead Audience Reviews

Titreenp SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?
Dartherer I really don't get the hype.
IncaWelCar In truth, any opportunity to see the film on the big screen is welcome.
Usamah Harvey The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
paulclaassen One of the true teen-horror classics, with a good story and where the evil is justified. The visual and creature effects are amazingly realistic and scary. The cast is very good, especially Lance Henrikssen in a very demanding role, which he does brilliantly. The film is tense, thrilling and offers loads of great scares. This is one of my all-time horror favorites.
Thomas This movie reminds me of The Hollow Watcher episode from the old Thriller TV series, only more fleshed out. The story contains moralistic elements as well as a clear beginning, middle and end. I call it a classic because it isn't easy to date, for example having no tell-tale sound effects or clothing (that I could distinguish at least). Can't really see why it received an 'R' rating.The spoiler part of this review is this, child of widowed man is killed by careless outsiders. Man seeks out a witch for revenge. Witch uses man's blood to resurrect Pumpkinhead, so Pumpkinhead is linked to the man and the only way to destroy Pumpkinhead is to kill the man. I'd like to have seen more of the witch, and though I like the atmospheric quality generally, Pumpkinhead's graveyard looks like a movie set. Also, to earn that 'R' rating there really should have been some gratuitous nudity.
Fella_shibby I first saw this on a VHS in the early 90s. Revisited this recently on a blu ray. Plot - Lance Henriksen is a country man who owns a small grocery and is raising his small boy on his own. As a kid, he had witnessed Pumpkinhead (demon/monster) in action. City kids come into town with their motorbikes, and cause an accident killing Henriksen's small kid.... The movie is shot in the remote backwoods (myself a fan of backwoods, badlands n road movies). This film is the directorial debut of the FX genius Stan Winston. Pumpkinhead easily ranks among the best monster movie. It is one of my fav monster movie. The design of the demon/creature is astounding. The movie also features some good cinematography. The swamp scenes are bathed in an eerie blue light. The murky, foggy woods where the witch lives is just fantastic. The hill where the creature is dug up is spooky. The design of the witch's cottage is the true visual highlight. Its an old and dilapidated one, full of old relics and even some living animals. The flickering candle create heavy shadows n make the witch herself much scarier. Henriksens character and performance r excellent.
Jensen1998 I first found out about this movie in my local blockbuster. It was on the end of the horror movies section, full of dust and its cover was really messed up. When i saw the cover art, i was completely compelled to rent that creepy movie! So i came home, made some popcorn, got some beers and baaam...started watching Pumpkinhead. When i saw the setting, that is, a desert surrounded by some creepy woods, i knew the film would be good. I'm not going to spoil it, but a man who lusts for vengeance can do crazy things, just like Ed Harley did. This movie had a quite huge budget for a horror movie from the 80s, and that is well shown in the special effects and the devil's costume. The designers really spent a lot of time perfecting Pumpkinhead, and that deed will definitely leave you impressed. Ethical and moral issues are also debated throughout the movie : The characters start thinking about what is the right thing to do, and they all build a sense of community in times of danger. Horror movies are definitely lacking this nowadays. There's a group on facebook ''Pumpkinhead Fans'' full of horror maniacs, so you should check it out once you are done watching this flick! I'd also recommend Pumpkinhead two.