Review of Pumpkinhead (1988) by Todd S — 30 Sep 2005

[font=Times][color=#000000]The basic set up for this film seems very familiar and well used. A group of young people going out into the woods and wilds for a party weekend and end up in deadly peril. We?ve seen that in many horror films. There are some interesting twists here. The group itself is the first twist to the old set up.[/color][/font].

[font=Times][color=#000000] In other films they are just a group of kids who get killed off one by one as they shower, make out, skinny dip, or what ever. They just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The problem with that kind of a set up is if I don?t know the character, why do I care if someone is coming to get them? This film is a little different. We still don?t know much about the group but we do know that most of them are dying for something only one of them did. Even the guy who killed the kid isn?t necessarily deserving of death. He truly never wanted to kill the little boy, it was an accident, it was how he reacted to that accident that made him an a**hole, but deserving of death?[/color][/font].

[font=Times][color=#000000] I also like the fact that Pumpkinhead and the person who called on him share visions of the revenge and also a life force. A price to be paid for revenge is a very good plot point. The actors did pretty well and the sound track is all right. The Pumpkinhead effects are nice too. This film stands better because it gives us more than a parade of half naked young people being killed for very little reason other than the shock value.[/color][/font].