That's pretty much the premise of one of my favorite horror movies of all time.
Pumpkinhead(1988) was the directorial debut of Mr. Stan Winston. You might've heard of him before seeing as how he was the "go-to" special effects man of Hollywood for the past 30 years or so. Seriously, though. Stan Winston was behind everything from the Terminator series to Edward Scissorhands. He died last June, but his influence on film will forever be remembered.
Of all the neat toys and tricks that Winston came up with, Pumpkinhead is, in my opinion, the best!
During a time in horror film history that was dominated by Slasher killers, Pumpkinhead was refreshingly different. This was a monster in every sense of the word based on local Appalachian folklore and used as a tool to exact revenge on wrongdoers.
I remember seeing the poster for this at my local video store in Rotan, Tx and getting super creeped out. I walked out of said video store with a vhs copy stuffed in my backpack.
I remember watching it alone in the dark while my brother was out with friends. This was usually the way I spent Saturday nights. This was also my introduction to Lance Henriksen of "Near Dark" and "Millennium" fame. He plays the part of a country store manager named Ed Harley. Harley's son Billy is struck down accidentally by an idiot fratboy on a dirt bike. This, of course, pisses ol' Ed off enough to make him consult the help of a local witch. She tells Ed to go dig up a rotten corpse in the pumpkin patch located on her property. She then uses a combination of blood from Ed and his dead son to revive Pumpkinhead and send him on his vengeful way.
What happens next is a total bloodbath that shouldn't be ruined in my silly little blog.
If you like monsters, witches, fog, and seeing people get what's coming to them, then Pumpkinhead won't disappoint. I say check it out.
well said, sir.
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