Pumpkinhead

An enjoyable revenge horror movie directed by prosthetic makeup wizard Stan Winston – four-time Academy Award winner over a long career punctuated with compelling titles such as “Aliens” (1986) and “Predator” (1987) -, “Pumpkinhead” skillfully exploits the raw potential of a plot that’s both linear and engaging, one in which a man shattered by a boundless injustice finds himself consumed by a desire for vengeance, triggering a cycle of violence that not only fails to alleviate his suffering, but ends up leading to utter horror.

With an eye to the cast, comprised mainly of nondescript teens, the clear standout is the great Lance Henriksen with his harrowing performance as a father consumed with despair. With noteworthy practical special effects along with somber, highly atmospheric cinematography by Bojan Bazelli. Among the scenes delivering major visual impact, it would be impossible to overlook the shadowy sequence when the demon is summoned.

Semi-flop at the box office: In limited release in the US, the film grossed only about 4.3 million dollars against an estimated budget of around 3.5 million. Those numbers are hard to reconcile with a movie of such unquestioned artistic quality.