By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
Photos copyright MGM
Introduced to horror fans in the classic 1988 Lance Henriksen movie, Pumpkinhead, Haggis is well versed in dark magic and all things unholy. Her appearance is that of an old crone but this may be the effect of the dark forces she channels. Her age is unknown and she lives far along Black Ridge. Ed Harley seeks her out to summon Pumpkinhead to kill those who murdered his son.
She lives in a cabin seemingly in or near a swamp. From the outside her cabin is a typical witch’s home; gnarled wood, surrounded by mist. Within the house is filled with potions and ingredients that would turn your stomach. Vermin and insects crawl freely about her home. A lone owl is perched just opposite her front door but not because she is a Harry Potter.
When we first see her she is almost desiccated looking with thinning wispy white hair sitting in a chair. Barely looking at Ed, she sees the dead body of his son in his arms and tells him that raising the dead is not within her power. The late Florence Schauffler imbues Haggis with such a dark presence with her low raspy voice and limited movement. Her elderly exterior does not reflect her sharp wits and intellect. She knows what makes people tick especially those grieving an injustice.
She manipulates Ed into revealing what he really wants as his sparse material wealth is useless to her. When he cracks and speaks of Pumpkinhead, she is eager for it as if her words alone cannot be part of this deal. The wish for Pumpkinhead must come the pain of the one seeking him. She warns him that this would come at a powerful price but like any good demon neglects to give the specifics. It is as if the universe has spun a black web that traps and ensnares the souls of those torn by injustice.
She knows of the places that are not spoken of. She sends him to Razorback Holler. It contains a graveyard filed with the bodies of family members their families were ashamed of. In the entire scene she doesn’t move from the chair of turn her head once making her much more impactful for it. It is almost as if she is the spider at the centre of the web.
When he returns with the Pumpkinhead embryo, she reveals that for each of man’s sins there is a specific demon and this one is vengeance. She describes it as cruel, devious, sure as venom, vengeance but it could be she is speaking of herself. With being so close to a graveyard of the unwanted and banished, could it be she is among that number? Did her family wipe her from their lives due to her dabbling in the black arts? Indeed was that darkness in her deepened by living in the wake of such darkness like the graveyard?
She is the very embodiment of what a classic fairytale witch looks and lives like. There is no doubt she is terrifying and you will find her on scariest movie witches lists everywhere.
She has no pity or remorse for Ed or his sorrow. Given she has access to a dark world of which Pumpkinhead only shows us a glimpse of, Haggis may well be the soul collector for something darker. Or her curse may be to trick people into summoning the demon and when they realise too late that the price is actually their soul, Haggis takes their body and leaves it in the graveyard to become the new embodiment of Pumpkinhead. In the end she has to bury Ed’s body and perch once again waiting for the next soul ready to summon the demon.
What makes her so scary and memorable is that she isn’t a cackling stereotype flying on a broom. She sits waiting for souls to damn in a quiet voice that on the surface tries to discourage them when in fact she is manipulating them is far more of a threat than any blasts of magic could ever be. Her scenes with Lance Henriksen are disturbing and electric as he succumbs to vengeance. Her gentle manipulation works wonders for her cause as she stares ahead and sits in her chair. Stan Winston’s direction and lighting makes her ethereal and unworldly at the same time as the camera pans her.
If you want to see scary witches done right then Haggis is the bar the rest need to reach for.
The Time Warriors and Beyond 