Here are NerdiPop’s top three horror movies from the 1980s!
Next up we have a horror film by Stan Winston and Lance Henriksen, masters of special effects, about a man who struck a pact for vengeance but who learns too late that there is always a cost to pay for anything. It’s Pumpkinhead, a beloved 1980s classic!
Synopsis:
Ed Harley witnessed an evil demon murder a man when he was a child. Many years later, Harley and his young son manage a grocery store in Nevada that is frequented by six city kids on their way to a cabin. While Harley is away on an errand, one of the boys kills Harley’s son by accident with a motorcycle. Remembering what he saw and heard that night years ago, Harley pays a visit to a recluse witch who assists him in summoning the demon known as Pumpkinhead to revenge his son’s death. As he watches the teenagers being slaughtered one by one via the demon’s eyes, Harley realizes that a terrible price must be paid…
8 Fun facts about the movie, Pumpkinhead
(1) Gypsy the dog is also Barney from Gremlins (Gypsy the dog is also known as Gremlins’ Barney (real name: Mushroom).
(2) The sequence in which the murdered Billy sits up and asks his father what he’s done, piqued Lance Henriksen’s interest in the role.
(3) Stan Winston, best known for his special effects work, made his directorial debut with Pumpkin Head.
(4) Lance Henriksen collected all of the silver dollars by visiting several pawn shops. He claimed that the majority of them dropped through the floorboards of Haggis’ shack and may still be there.
(5) Lance Henriksen got dentures made to give him a more rural appearance. He also gathered all of his own props and wardrobe, including a WWII pump-action shotgun, the cap he wore throughout the film, and the suit he wore in the film.
(6) The narrative was inspired by a poem called Pumpkinhead written by Ed Justin.
(7) Despite the fact that the FX crew constructed the titular monster, Stan Winston was so preoccupied with directing that he was unable to directly supervise their work.
(8) Here is the full poem that inspired the movie:
“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!”
