By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
Vengeance be thy name
Cinema is filled with monsters and creatures of all shapes and sizes but in 1988 came a movie that has become a classic yet not everyone knows about it. Like many monsters that seem to reappear despite being killed off, this monster can return again and again thanks to the darker side of the human soul. When the laws of man fail to deliver justice, you call on Pumpkinhead.
Pumpkinhead stars Aliens legendary Lance Henriksen. The movie is a simple take of vengeance and the price that comes with it. Man’s law exists for a reason and the reason is that you get to live hopefully a long life even with the pain. The Pumpkinhead creature itself was built by the great Stan Winston and is a simple and evocative creation. When it is on screen your attention is held because it has a life of its own. This is especially noticeable in the church scene when it looks at the crucifix and smirks evilly before smashing it aside.
Henriksen plays store owner Ed Harley, a single father rearing his son Billy. While Ed is out delivering feed to a local farmer, Billy is killed by a drunk teenager on a dirt bike, Joel played by SeaQuest’s John D’Aquino. Joel is a bully already in trouble with the law and forces the others with him to flee the scene without calling for help leaving Billy lying in the dirt. Sadly for them, it’s terminal guilt by association in Pumpkinhead’s eyes. When Ed returns and finds his dead son along with one of the teenagers, Ed loses it. As a child he himself saw Pumpkinhead kill a man who had wronged someone. Despite being warned not to do it, Ed bribes a kid to show take him to a local witch who lives in a swamp.
She can’t help him. All she can do is take you straight to hell.
Haggis is simply one of the best and creepiest witches ever to grace the silver screen. Her deep raspy Southern accent and home filled with mysterious jars and animals doesn’t exactly spell hygiene. Her appearance is that of a classic fairytale witch; wrinkled, long thinning hair and walks with a slight stoop. I’m happy to say I can do a great Haggis impersonation. If we ever meet I’ll do it for you.
Haggis warns Ed that there will be a price to pay if he summons Pumpkinhead but Ed is too gripped by grief to listen, even when Billy pops up alive in a jump scare moment. Ed’s digs up the foetus-like body of Pumpkinhead from a creepy old graveyard deep within Razorback Hollow. It is a graveyard where people buried family members they were ashamed of so it lies forgotten and unspoken of. It is also the perfect place to store a demon. Using Ed’s blood, Haggis brings the demon to life and the hunt is now on. Even though Joel killed Billy, everyone in his party is marked for death.
What Ed doesn’t realise is that he is telepathically linked to the demon so he sees and feels the death of anyone it kills. Ed wants it to stop but Haggis cannot stop it. It takes on Ed’s face and ultimately there is only one way to stop Pumpkinhead from killing innocent people. Ed must die.
“God damn you! God damn you”
“He already has, Ed Harley. He already has.”
He comes to realise that one man’s justice is a death sentence for an innocent. They say the greatest monster is the one you never knew existed and when Pumpkinhead kills the first victim, they assume it is the Devil. He is not gentle in how he kills people either. The weird rattlesnake and cicada sound effect heralding the demon’s presence burns into your mind as each victim falls. Pumpkinhead is not evil by nature. It is simply obeying its nature; to avenge those who have been wronged. It will not stop until it has completed its task. Whatever dark forces created it, deny it free will. It is simply reflecting the smug satisfaction the we all feel when we see someone get their comeuppance whether it be playing with Joel’s dead body or smirking as a girlfriend watches her lover being dragged off. Pumpkinhead stands for the dark vengeful impulses we all have when it comes to justice. We hate to see sex offenders or murderers get off from some legal technicality or walk free because of lack of evidence. Many people live with no justice for their loved ones so the church scene where Pumpkinhead berates the cross and smashes it to pieces is a reaction to the lack of God’s intervention. We all curse God for letting injustice and bad things happen in the world but Pumpkinhead is not bound by any such feelings. He will avenge those who cannot avenge themselves. When it does it simply returns to its embryo form nd reburied in the graveyard waiting until it is summoned once more. All of the locals stay in their homes and ignore the cries for help. No one will stand with you against Pumpkinhead. In their eyes you are getting what you deserve.
Pumpkinhead is a classic movie that spawned several dismal sequels, a couple of which saw Lance Henriksen return as the ghost of Ed Harley warning the foolish about Pumpkinhead. The wonderful thing about the first one is that it truly shows Stan Winston’s great gift; later movies used a half-arsed suit and even CGI. Pumpkinhead is not scary at all when created in a computer. There was even a comic book spin-off and there are several action figures and statuettes that are stunning and really reflect the character at its best. With CGI these days it is possible that a Pumpkinhead reboot could happen and I would welcome it as long as it’s the quality of the original and the best.
The Time Warriors and Beyond 