Pumpkinhead is a bit of a strange entry into films. Directed by Stan Winston, who is best known for his special effects (Jurassic Park, Predator, the Terminator), Pumpkinhead tells the story of Ed Harley(played by Lance Henriksen), a man who seeks revenge on a group of young adults for accidentally killing his only son. But once the killing starts, he has a change of heart, and tries to undo the mistake he's made. What follows is a film that is certainly solid enough in its' base, but not quite stronger than the sum of its' parts.
Stan Winston didn't really go on to be a big name director, and as far as I could tell he only directed a Michael Jackson video and maybe some TV episodes after this film before giving up the ghost. But I feel like Winston's directing is, for the most part, solid. He frames up shots fairly well, and the film DOES have some very atmospheric moments, and even some cool little events happen. The problem is, well, some of the editing is kind of hodge-podge. Of particular note is later in the film, the film will make quick cuts to other characters, which is a bit jarring at times.
But a bigger issue is that, despite the relatively strong story behind the film...a father seeking revenge against those he felt have wronged him, only to realize his mistake in living for vengeance...is marred by some rather poor acting from some of the younger cast. Handfuls of dialogue is delivered in a half-hearted attempt, which makes the film feel a bit hokey.
The lighting in the film can also grow weary on the eyes, with much of the film painted a kind of glowing, dark orange color. Which I think was intentional to have that 'pumpkin' look to the film, but it makes it difficult to look at it for long, or even see finer details.
Not that there's always finer details to look at, though. The film presents this tale as being in kind of the Ozarks, the back woods, complete with a father who has a den of offspring all covered in filth, bare-footed and living in a small, muddy farm. Frankly, it comes off as a bit patronizing, and maybe a smidge insensitive.
On the plus side, the monster effects of Pumpkinhead himself are top notch, he's quite a creature to look at, with water dripping off his fangs and jaw, and they were really creative in places to put him. At one point, he's climbed up into a tree, holding a girl by her head. It's a bit silly, but I was pretty impressed with just how high they got him up there. Unfortunately, the downside is that whatever Pumpkinhead is doing to these kids...it comes off as a bit silly. The first victim he takes forever to do anything with, and when we finally get a look at his handiwork it mostly looks like Pumpkinhead just scratched him a few times and that was it.
Which is unfortunate, because the film does have genuinely good and moving moments in it. I overall found the film to be enjoyable, if not exactly a horror classic. Lance Henriksen is as fun as he ever was to watch, and the creature looks great. I thought the story was fairly decent, but some of the acting is just overall incredibly poor, and the stuff with the creature is disappointing.
It's clear that the film has it's heart in the right place, it just wasn't quite able to pull it off. A bit of a pity, but it's still an overall enjoyable experience. It's certainly worth watching, if just for the one time to get a good look at the creature. 3 out of 5.
