Produced in association with the Sci-fi Channel and shot back to back with the apparently superior PUMPKINHEAD 4 BLOOD FEUD, this is a belated revamp of a franchise last seen in the early 90’s in the form of Jeff Burr’s acceptable BLOOD WINGS, which had a curious cast including Linnea Quigley and Bill Clinton’s less talented brother Roger. This second sequel marks the entrance into American straight to DVD horror for co-writer/director Jake West, following two cheap but stylish British splatter movies, RAZORBLADE SMILE and EVIL ALIENS, both of which have their fans and defenders.
In ASHES TO ASHES “Pumpkinhead” is now a figure firmly rooted in urban legend, and even has his own ominous nursery rhyme mothers can use to scare / warn their kids. Lance Henriksen, doomed but sympathetic hero of the original PUMPKINHEAD 20 years ago, pops up intermittently as the ghost of that character, now acting as a Dire Warning figure trying to steer this film’s characters on the right course. Among the ensemble is (Gratuitous Sequel Link coming up!) the now grown-up kid from the 1987 film, whose presence allows for a myriad of unnecessary flashback footage reminding us how much better the original was.
In a small unspecified US town, creepy local doctor Doug Bradley has a fetish for fresh skin and is up to no good from the start, selling organs for meth and somehow keeping his dark secrets from ruining his esteemed reputation among the populace. The uncovering of a mass grave inspires a grieving mom to visit the old crone who knows how to resurrect the vengeance-bringing demon Pumpkinhead. Guess who’s in trouble when the towering figure of retribution is revived…?
West displayed considerable visual confidence with strained material during his first two films, and here he lends a saggy script (weighed down with dull characters) a surprising sense of style and professionalism : this is an unusually good-looking made-for-DVD horror threequel. Sadly, it really sags whenever Pumpkinhead is off-screen and the film’s decent old-school gore make up effects by Gary J Tunicliffe sit very awkwardly with some ill-advised hokey CGI embellishments. In abysmal rooftop CG shots and brief “jumping” moments, Pumpkinhead becomes a cruddy low-budget ALIEN-like creature rather than the retro, fun man-in-a-suit monster we know and love. As in most films of this kind, the CG sticks out like a sore thumb and just looks cheap.
This third go-round for a memorable 80’s monster also, inevitably, over-exposes a creature who was most effective in the Stan Winston original when used sporadically and largely confined to the shadows. Still, for Pumpkinhead’s scenes – including the destruction of a church – and for the always fun chance to see Bradley sans pins, this is just about watchable.
-Steven West
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
