The 2022-2023 Film Journal Entry #56: "Pumpkinhead"

The 2022-2023 Film Journal Entry #56: "Pumpkinhead"

The 2022-2023 Film Journal Entry #56

By Xavier E. Palacios

"Pumpkinhead"

3.5 out of 5

Directed by Stan Winston

Rated R

When humble Ed Harley loses his beloved son through a motorcycle accident caused by foolish yet not malevolent young adults, he seeks help from a witch to summon the demon, "Pumpkinhead", to take murderous vengeance on those who wronged him; yet Ed soon realizes he has made a grave mistake he must take back.

Continuing this Halloween season, Pumpkinhead, directed by the Stan Winston, one of cinema's finest special effect magicians on both sides of the silver screen, proves to be a solid new entry into the 2022-2023 Film Journal.

My only disappointment is the titular creature. The thing's name is fricking "Pumpkinhead". Yet the design, movement, and attitude of the beastie is nothing like the name suggests; tis more like a generic UFO slasher. Otherwise, in researching this film's reputation, I strongly disagree with the idea that the flick has a mediocre script, lackluster acting, and unprofessional directing. No, there is nothing supremely special about Pumpkinhead, but the picture, well-made to begin with, is remarkably effective.

Some of the chills and kills are spooky; I have never seen a shotgun used in that way. Lance Henriksen, an actor I have long admired, (and, in my greatest daydreams, who I wish to cast in a minor but significant voice acting role in my Cosmos project), as Ed Harley is predictably terrific. The loss of Ed's son, a plot point I did not expect as I knew nothing going into the story, is honestly a bit heart-wrenching to me. To this end, the tale's compelling examination of the passionate need for vengeance, the horrible consequences of revenge, the definitions of innocence and guilt, and Ed's quest to right his wrongs, leading to an inevitable conclusion, is done so well that I am reminded of why the horror genre is so special and powerful.

Indeed, I feel that Pumpkinhead successfully discusses these themes in eighty-minutes far better than the video game, The Last of Us Part II, failed to do in about twenty to thirty-hours of gameplay. Short and sweet, Pumpkinhead is a film that terrifically has a bigger heart, and is more entertaining, than I expected.

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