Pumpkinhead (1988)
So, there are a lot of horror films that I haven't seen. It's one of my favourite genres, but I'm always playing a game of catch-up. Pumpkinhead is one of those crazy monster movies from the '80s - I tend to find them a little bit cheesy, and not necessarily scary, but some of them still tell a good story.
This is one of the ones that tells a good story.
I thought it was going to be really ridiculous - I mean, a monster named "Pumpkinhead"? Really? The monster itself doesn't look scary, either, which is partly due to the effects of the time, but partly due to other, more important reasons, such as the way it's filmed.
One of the film's major shortcomings is the fact that we see too much of the monster. It's the kind of monster that is a lot more frightening when you don't see it, when it isn't in full view. Part of why the idea of Pumpkinhead is so scary is because it's coming for you, and it's relentless, and you might not even know what's attacking you until it gets you. So, if you see it on screen, full-bodied and brightly-lit, well... it loses some of its effect.
But the reason I actually liked this movie a lot has very little to do with the monster itself. It's because the film is a pretty decently-executed revenge tragedy.
One of the things that struck me about Pumpkinhead is that when you cut past the cheesy effects, it's a terribly, terribly sad movie.
Ed Harley lost so many things. While it isn't outright stated, there are scenes that imply that his son, who he loves so much, is his last living relative. So, when his son is killed due to the recklessness of a bunch of tourists, his grief and anger and desire for revenge is, I think, very understandable. It's really easy to be sympathetic toward him, or at least to understand his motivations.
One thing that gets me is that when Harley realizes just what this "revenge" consists of, he tells the Witch that he didn't mean for it to be this way. But we know that he knows what Pumpkinhead is like when it's chasing someone down, because he's seen that before. He saw it as a child. So, he was so blinded by rage and a desire for revenge that he summoned something to act on those desires, even though he knew just how horrible it would be. Realizing that he actually doesn't want this is the first step to trying to set things right - and that's followed by him not just being sad about it, but going out and actively trying to stop the monster on his own, even though he knows exactly what it can do.
The ending is kind of a mixed bag, because, like I mentioned earlier, we see too much of the monster, and it becomes less visually terrifying the more visible it is. But Harley's realization that he needs to sacrifice himself in order to end this - that to make it go away, he needs to die, too - I just find it so horrifyingly sad. The only possible end to the demon's rampage, as well as Harley's personal anguish and grief, is an absolute end. And then, at the very end, the implication that because he acted out of revenge, even though he redeemed himself by saving the people he could save, he will regardless become this demon after death when it's summoned to take revenge again - that makes it even more horrifying.
The fact that Harley is such a sympathetic character, one who loses everything and gains absolutely nothing, just makes it so - well, I'll repeat: it's tragic. It's a sad, tragic story. But it isn't melodramatic. This film hurts, but to me, it didn't feel manipulative or cheap. Harley's actions seem... understandable, and realistic, or at least as realistic as they can be for a movie like this. I found it really interesting. And I'd gladly watch this again.
So. Yes. A really underrated film, I think. I mean, it isn't perfect, of course. And I might be calling it a revenge tragedy, but I ain't saying it's Shakespeare. ...Then again, I felt more for Ed Harley than I've ever felt for Hamlet, so - take that as you will.
This entry was originally posted at http://yuuago.dreamwidth.org/3506270.html. You can comment here or at the original entry.
This is one of the ones that tells a good story.
I thought it was going to be really ridiculous - I mean, a monster named "Pumpkinhead"? Really? The monster itself doesn't look scary, either, which is partly due to the effects of the time, but partly due to other, more important reasons, such as the way it's filmed.
One of the film's major shortcomings is the fact that we see too much of the monster. It's the kind of monster that is a lot more frightening when you don't see it, when it isn't in full view. Part of why the idea of Pumpkinhead is so scary is because it's coming for you, and it's relentless, and you might not even know what's attacking you until it gets you. So, if you see it on screen, full-bodied and brightly-lit, well... it loses some of its effect.
But the reason I actually liked this movie a lot has very little to do with the monster itself. It's because the film is a pretty decently-executed revenge tragedy.
One of the things that struck me about Pumpkinhead is that when you cut past the cheesy effects, it's a terribly, terribly sad movie.
Ed Harley lost so many things. While it isn't outright stated, there are scenes that imply that his son, who he loves so much, is his last living relative. So, when his son is killed due to the recklessness of a bunch of tourists, his grief and anger and desire for revenge is, I think, very understandable. It's really easy to be sympathetic toward him, or at least to understand his motivations.
One thing that gets me is that when Harley realizes just what this "revenge" consists of, he tells the Witch that he didn't mean for it to be this way. But we know that he knows what Pumpkinhead is like when it's chasing someone down, because he's seen that before. He saw it as a child. So, he was so blinded by rage and a desire for revenge that he summoned something to act on those desires, even though he knew just how horrible it would be. Realizing that he actually doesn't want this is the first step to trying to set things right - and that's followed by him not just being sad about it, but going out and actively trying to stop the monster on his own, even though he knows exactly what it can do.
The ending is kind of a mixed bag, because, like I mentioned earlier, we see too much of the monster, and it becomes less visually terrifying the more visible it is. But Harley's realization that he needs to sacrifice himself in order to end this - that to make it go away, he needs to die, too - I just find it so horrifyingly sad. The only possible end to the demon's rampage, as well as Harley's personal anguish and grief, is an absolute end. And then, at the very end, the implication that because he acted out of revenge, even though he redeemed himself by saving the people he could save, he will regardless become this demon after death when it's summoned to take revenge again - that makes it even more horrifying.
The fact that Harley is such a sympathetic character, one who loses everything and gains absolutely nothing, just makes it so - well, I'll repeat: it's tragic. It's a sad, tragic story. But it isn't melodramatic. This film hurts, but to me, it didn't feel manipulative or cheap. Harley's actions seem... understandable, and realistic, or at least as realistic as they can be for a movie like this. I found it really interesting. And I'd gladly watch this again.
So. Yes. A really underrated film, I think. I mean, it isn't perfect, of course. And I might be calling it a revenge tragedy, but I ain't saying it's Shakespeare. ...Then again, I felt more for Ed Harley than I've ever felt for Hamlet, so - take that as you will.
This entry was originally posted at http://yuuago.dreamwidth.org/3506270.html. You can comment here or at the original entry.