Shout! Factory released Pumpkinhead as a Limited Edition Steelbook Blu-ray on October 20, 2020. Order via Amazon.com
New 4K Film Transfer
Audio Commentary By Co-Screenwriter Gary Gerani And Creature & FX Creators Tom Woodruff, Jr. And Alec Gillis
Featurettes: “Evolution Of A Demon,” “The Cursed And The Damned,” “The Tortured Soul Of Ed Harley,” “Constructing Vengeance,” “Razorback Holler,” And “Demonic Toys”
“Night Of The Demon” Interview With Co-Writer Richard Weinman
“The Redemption Of Joel” Interview With Actor John D’Aquino
“The Boy With The Glasses” Interview With Actor Matthew Hurley
“Remembering The Monster Kid: A Tribute To Stan Winston”
Behind-The-Scenes Footage
Still Gallery
Theatrical Trailer
Here’s our overview of the movie itself:
‘Cruel, devious, pure as venom. All hell’s broken loose.’
Pumpkinhead is a 1988 American supernatural horror film and the directorial debut of special effects artist Stan Winston. The movie stars genre regular Lance Henriksen, Jeff East and John D’Acquino. A victim of Dino De Laurentiis’ bankrupt DEG production company, Pumpkinhead lingered on the shelves for two years before it got distribution. It has also been released as Vengeance: The Demon
Plot:
When a group of rambunctious teenagers inadvertently kill his only son, Ed Harley (Henriksen) seeks the magic of a backwoods witch to bring the child back. But when she tells him the child’s death is irrevocable, his grief develops into an all-consuming desire… for revenge!
Defying superstition, he and the witch invoke ‘the pumpkinhead a monstrously clawed and fanged demon which, once reborn, answers only to Ed’s bloodlust. But as the invincible creature wreaks its slow, unspeakable tortures on the teens, Ed confronts a horrifying secret about his connection to the beast and realises that he must find a way to stop its deadly mission before he becomes one with it forever!
A sequel entitled Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings, directed by Jeff Burr (Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III) went straight to video in 1994. Two additional sequels, Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes and Pumpkinhead: Blood Feud, were filmed in 2006 as made for television movies and aired on the Sci-Fi channel. A reboot of the franchise has been announced several times.
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Reviews:
“The death scenes aren’t all that gruesome but the big treat here is the creature Pumpkinhead; it looks absolutely incredible! This has to be one of the most realistic looking monsters that I’ve ever seen and it is quite frightening. It really does steal the show from the rest of the cast.” Horror Digital
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If you’re in the mood for undemanding horror, with slight irony, mild mythology, an interesting killer and one of the coolest actors ever (Mr Henriksen, take a bow) then go for it. Don’t expect anything groundbreaking or memorable.” Eye For Film
” … once the conflicts are being engaged, Winston gives the story a serious twist, refusing to take the easy, unexpected path. Throughout, his direction is sure-handed; just notice the way he uses light and smoke. In Henriksen‘s long career, this is one of his most complex roles and the whole film is one of the unrecognized greats.” Mike Mayo, The Horror Show Guide
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“Despite its bleak material, it’s a fun little revenge tale with a cool monster and jerk @ss teenagers meeting their gory doom, the type of forbidden fruit you’d pluck from a VHS shelf in your youth but one that holds up well into adulthood because it’s a remarkably well-made and performed horror movie delivered by genre heavyweight Stan Winston in his directorial debut.” Oh, the Horror!
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