Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes
I still remember seeing the original Pumpkinhead when I was a kid. I rented it from the local mom and pop video store. They even had the classic poster up of Pumpkinhead standing in a field with the moon shining behind him. Needless to say, I loved the original and it still holds a special place in my collection. The sequels? Not so much. Pumpkinhead 2 was a gigantic let down, that’s why I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this version took place in the same place with some of the same characters. Someone finally decided to take Pumpkinhead back to his roots.
I was even more pleasantly surprised to find out that it actually had some true star power… for horror fans at least. This film stars Lance Henriksen and Doug Bradley, two cult icons that manage to pull their weight. Doug Bradley plays Doc Fraser, a nefarious doctor that funds his pro-bono medical care by harvesting prize organs from the town’s dead. Henriksen reprises his role as Ed Harley, the tragically Shakespearean character from the original movie. Both stars bring their A-game and keep what could be a truly terrible movie floating on top of the direct to video pond. Henriksen manages to capture some of his old charisma and creepiness that has been missing from some of his more recent movie appearances and it’s nice to see Bradley in something other than a bondage outfit. The rest of the actors are your typical B-movie fare.
The plot of this movie is fairly simple. People find out what the good doc has been up to and they call on Pumpkinhead to bring the revenge. What follows is your typical tale of revenge and repentance.
Jake West, who is not a newcomer to the horror industry, directs this low-budget film. Sadly, much of what West wanted to do with the film is ruined with bad acting and even worse CGI. At certain moments in the film, you can see some of the genius behind the director’s eye. Many scenes have the potential to be beautiful and memorable if they were executed with the money and skill that is available to your average Hollywood director. I can’t help but wonder how good this movie would have looked if Jake West had some chedda’ and a competent crew around him. The potential is definitely there.
The other drawback to not having any money is the monster itself. The original Pumpkinhead was creepy and dynamic looking. In this film, Pumpkinhead is clearly nothing more than a guy in a suit doing a shuffling zombie walk. To make matters worse they didn’t even manage to capture the coloring of Pumpkinhead correctly. The CGI version of the monster was laughable at best. I saw better looking monsters on my old Nintendo Entertainment System.
The practical effects are ok, except for the Pumpkinhead suit itself. The dummy corpses in the film look cool and realistic and the gore is captured serviceably.
Overall, I’m glad to see that Jake West had the balls to take this frnachise back to its roots. It was good to visit the depressing environments of the original Pumpkinhead film. My only advice? Maybe ditch the medium-priced actors and bring in Stan Winston to recreate his monster. Or better yet, get enough money to afford Stan Winston and the actors.
Final Synopsis: This movie is much more of a fitting sequel to the original Pumpkinhead. It’s not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it is enjoyable to watch… and I wasn’t even drunk. If you like Henriksen or Bradley, definitely check it out. If you’re just looking for a reliable horror movie that will entertain, this could be a good bet. If you can’t stand cheesy CGI, then stay away or you’ll be laughing your beer through your nose at times.
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