After a Halloween prank goes fatally wrong, disturbed youth Jonathan (Michael Zara) is haunted by the visions of a terrifying murderer in a pumpkin mask. To take his mind off things, his sister Lynn (Amy Weber) invites him along to an all-night Halloween kegger at a pumpkin patch. There, partygoers are killed off one by one in the same viciously brutal way: their faces are carved into Jack-O-Lanterns. Who is behind these murders, and can they be stopped before it's too late for them all?
Just in time for the Halloween season, I received a copy of the much-hated The Pumpkin Karver (2006). Like many modern indie horrors, the plot seemed rather interesting or, at least, entertaining. Unfortunately, from what I heard of the execution, I wasn't looking forward to it too much. So, with my expectations set to the 0 notch, I went ahead with the film. Sadly, even with my expectations all the way down, I was still disappointed. In the positives (yeah, there are a couple), you won't have to think for 90 minutes and we all need a little time off from our brains occasionally. Also, the background story was made fairly cool with the surprising opening scene. But, the opening scene is about where it ends being cool, and the remaining 80 or so minutes had my emotions ranging from annoyed & frustrated to just plain embarrassed for the cast & crew. The acting is absolutely atrocious and some of the worst I've seen in a while. I don't think I've ever seen a cast of actors with worse timing than this film's. The gore, though plentiful, is about as believable as the actors. And it's all brought together by Mann's amateurish writing & direction. Overall, if you're looking for a good way to spend about seven minutes, watch the opening of this film. Then, turn it off, and put on one of the other dozens of superior films that this film tries to be like. There's not enough entertainment to make it fun, quality to make it good, or creativity to make it special. Pass!
Obligatory Slasher Elements:
Final verdict: 2.5/10. Do not see this slasher!
-AP3-
Just in time for the Halloween season, I received a copy of the much-hated The Pumpkin Karver (2006). Like many modern indie horrors, the plot seemed rather interesting or, at least, entertaining. Unfortunately, from what I heard of the execution, I wasn't looking forward to it too much. So, with my expectations set to the 0 notch, I went ahead with the film. Sadly, even with my expectations all the way down, I was still disappointed. In the positives (yeah, there are a couple), you won't have to think for 90 minutes and we all need a little time off from our brains occasionally. Also, the background story was made fairly cool with the surprising opening scene. But, the opening scene is about where it ends being cool, and the remaining 80 or so minutes had my emotions ranging from annoyed & frustrated to just plain embarrassed for the cast & crew. The acting is absolutely atrocious and some of the worst I've seen in a while. I don't think I've ever seen a cast of actors with worse timing than this film's. The gore, though plentiful, is about as believable as the actors. And it's all brought together by Mann's amateurish writing & direction. Overall, if you're looking for a good way to spend about seven minutes, watch the opening of this film. Then, turn it off, and put on one of the other dozens of superior films that this film tries to be like. There's not enough entertainment to make it fun, quality to make it good, or creativity to make it special. Pass!
Obligatory Slasher Elements:
- Violence/Gore: While it's definitely there, it's not very good. I liked the opening attack and thought it was a good start, but it went downhill from there. There's a good bit of gore, but it's terribly done. Also, the fact that there are only two kills in the first forty minutes really hinders any chance of killing boredom.
- Sex/Nudity: You get a couple of pumpkin-painted asses and a brief, clothed (unfortunately) sex scene, but that's all.
- Cool Killer(s): I like the mask, but that's it. The killer isn't scary, or interesting, or entertaining. Just. . . boring and stupid, really.
- Scares/Suspense: Really, none at all. They made a sad attempt at a few jump scares, but they're extremely ineffective.
- Mystery: As you barely see the killer, I suppose that could be counted as mystery. . . unfortunately, the 'secret' is pretty obvious about twelve minutes into the film.
- Awkward Dance Scene: There's a pretty embarrassing 'grind' between a Charlie's Angel and Austin Powers. Seriously.
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Final verdict: 2.5/10. Do not see this slasher!
-AP3-