Welcome to The Attic, no I am not your normal host, the Dark Princess shall return soon.

However for this weeks installment I your guest host will take you on a tour of a classic horror film not many people have seen, 1988’s Pumpkinhead.

Horror and suspense doesn’t even begin to describe this movie. What begins as a same old same old slasher flick turns into something epic thanks in no small part to lead actor Lance Henriksen. The movie starts out about kids, well teenagers, visiting a small town in the sticks.

Things go bad when one of the kids runs over a little boy with his motorcycle. This leads to the kids freaking out and deciding the only thing to do is to run away. This leads to Lance, who plays the boys father, to go to a witch in the mountain looking for revenge. She sends him on a mission to dig up a would be avenger.

At first he is pleased that his will is done, however as the body count begins to climb Lance feels more and more guilt returning to the witch and begging her to stop the beast. She tells him that what is done can’t be undone and that if he attempts to stop Pumpkinhead he’ll die in the attempt.

This leads to the main question of the film. How far are we willing to go to achieve revenge. Lance our main character goes through a host of emotions over the course of his journey and by the end which I will not give away. He comes to grips with his own answer. But what I like best about this movie is it never really says which answer is correct. It leaves it up to the viewer to decide who is right and who is wrong.

Pumpkinhead goes far beyond the typical slasher flick and adds just a little bit of thought into what had been a very brainless genre. Now when the film was released it meet mixed reviews from critics. However it found an audience in people desperate for something new.

It is actually based on a poem by Ed Justin

Keep away from Pumpkinhead,
Unless you’re tired of living,
His enemies are mostly dead,
He’s mean and unforgiving,
Laugh at him and you’re undone,
But in some dreadful fashion,
Vengeance, he considers fun,
And plans it with a passion,
Time will not erase or blot,
A plot that he has brewing,

It’s when you think that he’s forgot,
He’ll conjure your undoing,
Bolted doors and windows barred,
Guard dogs prowling in the yard,
Won’t protect you in your bed,
Nothing will, from Pumpkinhead.

You wouldn’t think such an interesting film would arise from something this simple would you?

Pumpkinhead would go on to spawn three sequels (none of them as good as the original) and even a comic book series from Dark Horse the same people that brought us The Goon, 300, and the Hellboy series.

Too sum up this is a film I would highly advice you give a viewing as it does a lot of things even modern horror films don’t seem to be able to.

Until next week I have been your guest host and I hope you have enjoyed yourself

Stay scared,
Vega Goose