The October Project 2: Day 24

 

"Keep away from Pumpkinhead,
Unless you're tired of living.
His enemies are mostly dead,
He's mean and unforgiving."

 

Pumpkinhead  (1988)
Directed by Stan Winston

 Terrific atmospheric monster movie from the great Stan Winston. If you didn't know, he's one of the all time giants of special effects and make-up technology with credits including The Terminator, Terminator 2, Aliens, Predator, Monster Squad and A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, and he does not disappoint here, with his directorial debut.
One could wish that the script had a stronger third act. It begins promisingly, steeped in folklore and rural atmosphere but it degenerates into a body count movie pretty quickly. Never fear though, Pumpkinhead has three very strong elements working in it's favour, the excellent moody cinematography by Bojan Bazelli, a strong central performance from  Lance Henrikson as a grieving father whose despair releases a demon and, of course, the title character, one of the great screen monsters.
Pumpkinhead (the demon) is a great Stan Winston design, achieved entirely  with puppetry and animatronics and it's a testament to the value of these pre-cgi techniques. Pumpkinhead is a genuine character in the film, oozing with gleeful malice as he wreaks havoc in the name of revenge.

If you've never seen it, see it soon, if it's been awhile see it again. It's worth an October revisit.