Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes (2006 TV Movie) User Reviews

Mediocre return for Pumpkinhead.

[argentobuff · 5/10 · 29 October 2006]

Pumkinhead(1988) is considered to be a minor classic by most horror fans.It was generally well-received during its limited run that year and remains a video favorite.Naturaly a schlock-sequel,Blood wings,was conceived in 1993 that met such universal scorn,it was dumped on video with no theater run whatsoever.

After rumors and false starts Pumkinhead has finally returned in a Romanian-shot sequel that aired on the Sci Fi channel October 28th.

A corrupt town Doctor(Doug Bradley)and his grave-robbing family are the cause of the Demon's revival this time around by vengeful family members.As the body count rises they start to learn that revenge has its price to pay.

Doug Bradley is does a great job as the real "Heavy" of the movie and its a Shame he does not get more high-profile gigs.Wise choice by the producers to get Lance Henricksen to play Ed Harley again.The rest of the cast over-acts or under-acts.Another wise choice for the continuity to the first movie,and the ignoring of the 2nd.

What bugged me the most the the cinematography in this one which did not have that eerie feel of the first and cheapens the movie more than it truly is.Pumkinhead is just one step away from being another generic monster of the week.They should have him reacting and interacting more.Don't get me wrong he looked very cool.They just handled him wrong.Most of the characters were just redneck-clichés.One after another.

Is this the sequel that fans have been asking for over a decade?

Yes and No.

But if I were going to bring s well-loved monster out of the mothballs like Pumkinhead,it would have been in a much better movie than this was.

5.5/10

Good but...

[timhayes-1 · 5/10 · 4 February 2007]

For fans of the original Pumpkinhead, it was hoped that this second sequel, which picked up from the first film would be a return to form after the disastrous second film. While director Jake West keeps the tone and mood similar to the first film, he is hampered by things out of his control. First off, this is a TV movie. As such it is low budget. The thing that makes a creature feature like this sink or swim is its monster effects. Our Pumpkinhead is on screen a lot of the time in this film, so why did more money not get put into the suit? Its a pale imitation of Stan Winston's original. Add in some of the worst CGI in a horror film ever and you get a monster that doesn't scare like it should.Next up is the fact that this was filmed in Romania. I'm sorry, I'm sure Romania is a nice place and I know its cheap to shoot there, but it doesn't really look like America like it is so often called upon to do. Doug Bradley is fine as a doctor without a conscience, but Lance Henriksen is wasted in his return to his character from the first film. Could have been a lot better than it is.

Better than "Bloodwings."

[xenobium · 5/10 · 30 October 2006]

I realize that ain't saying much. However, for a johnny-come-lately, direct-to-video (or worse, direct-to-Sci Fi Channel) sequel, it's got moxie. While the story stays true to all the canonical elements set forth in the first film, this sequel offers more than a simple retread of "Pumpkinhead"'s plot. For instance, the demon's quarry this time around is comprised of grave robbers and murders, yet their motives are a benefit to the impoverished town in which in they live. Moreover, of the three who call on the demon, one takes a disturbingly self-destructive and sadistic delight in Pumpkinhead's carnage. So, as in the first, there's some interesting moral ambiguity here.

On the other hand, much of the dialogue is stilted and contrived, and while the cast is game, none but Doug Bradley, as the villainous town doctor, are able to settle comfortably into their roles. Some of the cinematography is dynamic, but it seems as though only Stan Winston and Bojan Bazelli will ever be able to convincingly capture Pumpkinhead on film. (The CGI used for some scenes is downright embarrassing.)

At best, "Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes" is a missed opportunity. It had real potential, and an extra million and a couple more rewrites might have brought it out. As it stands, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but die-hard Pumpkinhead fans that are able to see through the significant flaws might find something of merit here. It'll be one of those films that rests in you memory better than on celluloid.

Basically a remake of the original

[udar55 · 5/10 · 25 October 2007]

I watched this last night and it is practically a remake of the original. However, I will give the filmmakers credit for actually retaining several characters from the original (the siblings are all the kids of George "Buck" Flower's Wallace character in the first film). Director Jake West - who made the absolutely inept EVIL ALIENS - handles the filming well. Sadly, he doesn't capture Pumpkinhead's towering stance well though, shooting it mostly in close up. On the downside, the actors seem to have never stepped foot in the South. We're talking Gomer Pyle hysterics here. If you look closely, you can actually see Lance Henriksen cashing his check for this one. And there are a few wonky CGI bits.

Ruined by crummy creature effects

[lngjon · 4/10 · 3 February 2007]

I saw this on the SciFi Network a few weeks ago, and was highly disappointed. As a big fan of the original Punkinhead, I was looking forward to a return to that story, but where Stan Winston's creature effects in the original were awesome (possibly the only creature effect that has ever scared me) the rubber suit and cgi in this one fell way flat. Hard to believe that a puppet can move more convincingly than an actor, but it's true. Whoever was wearing the crappy rubber suit in this one could have moonlighted as a bad Godzilla impersonator. Combined with an absolute waste of Doug Bradley in his role in this film, instead of the fun cameo one might expect from the man who gave life to pinhead, the result was a purely disappointing production. Save your time and just rent the original.

Now wot kinda stupid doc/illegal organ harvester wud dump bodies in ankle deep water rather than use the incinerator.

[Fella_shibby · 4/10 · 29 April 2022]

I saw this for the first time recently.

Inspite of this one being made in the early 2k, this one looks way too shoddy.

The effects r bad, the acting terrible n the screenplay abysmal.

This one, like part two, has zero atmosphere n zero tension. It has some gory kills but zero nudity.

Lance Henriksen's presence cudnt save this terrible movie. He did this purely to pay his alimony or bills

Now wot kinda church/building has only one exit/entrance?

No concern for fire safety.

Pumpkinhead: ashes to the dustbin!

[skiskey · 3/10 · 29 October 2006]

OK....I'm having a Halloween party, everyone is dressed to the max, having fun and I say,"Guess what? There's a NEW Pumpkinhead movie and it's on tonight! Not only is Lance Henriksen in it, but Doug Bradley from Hellraiser!" (oohs and ahhhs follow) I have NEVER been so embarrassed in my life. I was a complete fan of the original. It was a classic that I've watched time and time again. The first sequel (Bloodwings) didn't have the mood of the original, and turned into another "monster kills the idiotic teens" movie. This one appeared to have an interesting beginning and premise...oops, my bad! When I saw the first CGI Pumpkinhead sequence I was almost too embarrassed to laugh. Almost. All my pals gawked at the cartoon images that made Jimmy Neutron look as real as yer next door neighbor. Needless to say, this spoiled the whole movie for me, and if they have indeed made another sequel...I hope they can look back on this as a serious mistake. Dudes, go talk to the guys that made Jurassic Park. I'm sure they can give you a few low budget pointers.

Let's let sleeping pumpkins lie

[bowmanblue · 4/10 · 29 August 2014]

Yes, the first 'Pumpkinhead' film was actually pretty cool - largely helped by Lance Henriksen in the leading role. Then came the sequels - horror sequels. And, true to form, each one seemed to get progressively worse. This one, although by no means horrendous, is simply just trying to cash in on the first film's success.

Yes, Lance Henriksen comes back, but his scenes are fleeting and you really get the feel he's only doing it for an easy paycheque.

However, you do have Doug Brady (or 'Pinhead' if you've seen 'Hellraiser') and he does his best to lift this film out of the doldrums. However, no matter how good the cast is, you just can't escape the fact that it's a retread of the original which isn't as good.

Yes, there are some decent 'monster moments.' The monster himself has always been pretty cool, but then there are also equally some pretty ropey CGI moments, too. It's just a pity they seemed to use all their budget up on the cast and a few good effects and left little room to pay a good writer to come up with something a little more fresh.

Decent Sequel...

[jmsfan · 7/10 · 30 October 2006]

This sequel does an end-around "Pumpkinhead 2:Bloodwings" and plays as a direct follow-up to the first film. The main connections are Lance Henrikson as Ed Harley (albeit in corpse-turned-Pumpkinhead form and ghost form) and the characters of Bunt (who was a young teen boy helping out the good guys in the first film) and the old witch lady who oversees the manifestations of the title creature. It's good they forgot about the second film, which featured Bill Clinton's brother as Mayor Bubba! It fairly stunk. This one follows the first film's straight-up revenge theme better. Doug Bradley, Pinhead from the "Hellraiser" films, shows up as the town's doctor, who secretly harvests organs from recently-deceased town folk to sell to a local connection. When his cohorts are arrested after the discovery of bodies in and around the local crematorium, the doc does his best to cover his butt. But several of the kin of the dead people go to the old witch lady and ask for a reckoning for their kinfolk in the form of Pumpkinhead.

It's not long before the creature is wrecking havoc on the the bad guys, and even good guys that get in the way. And once again, the message is that, once you let Pumpkinhead out, you have to let him do his work until he's finished. The best scenes feature Henriksen, who is always good, playing a ghostly conscience haunting Bunt, and the scenes with the monster, who in this film seems to be partly full-body suit and partly CGI. It works to pretty good effect. Bradley is not bad as the doctor, who discovers the secret to stopping Pumpkinhead.

I don't remember too clearly, but is this the first time the creature has had a tail? In the first film I know he had huge shoulder spikes, but in this film they're a bit smaller. I've purposely forgotten parts of the second film, but it seemed like the beast was pretty much like it was in the first. And did he actually have wings, hence the "Bloodwings" of the title? Nevertheless, the third film is a not-bad time passer and a lot better than some stuff you'll see on Sci-Fi. I may rent this and see if anything was cut out of the film. I also see here on IMDb that a fourth film is in the works, with Henriksen once again playing Ed Harley and a cast of people playing Hatfields and McCoys. Are we going into the past or are these people the present kin of the old clans? Interesting. Last words-I recommend this film, but mainly if you're a fan of Lance Henriksen or the Pumpkinhead monster, of which I am both.

Third installment that runs flat and has either poor or dubbed actors.

[jhpstrydom · 3/10 · 7 October 2008]

A few years ago when the sci-fi channel still aired in South Africa (it no longer does because of some of the Japanese anime) I watched the first pumpkin head movie and basically thought it wasn't anything major but it was a fun old movie, but I never saw blood wings although I never knew it had a second film I thought ashes to ashes was the second film, until one of my friends told the second movie called blood wings.

Anyway I eventually saw ashes to ashes, but have yet to see blood wings, my first thought of the early part of this film was that it had potential but after a while, the more it carried on the more it fell flat in terms of new ideas, and then as other characters are introduced you notice the actors that play them are not very good, and most of them don't even speak with their natural voices, one of these actors I recognize from the Steven Seagal movie Attack Force, he plays the character Oliver (Emanual Parvu) and does speak English with a french accent, although if you watch Attack Force and this film you'll notice the difference in his voice, because they dubbed it to make him sound like a hillbilly along with other french actors in the film.

I am not gonna go into detail on how poor the creature effects are and trust me films of the same caliber do have better effects, I'll just plainly say they suck compared to the first film who's saving grace was its creature effects.

people ....shut up .....this movie was great ....

[ericxton · 9/10 · 30 March 2007]

OK people ...first off ... this movies was great ... the acting was good ..the story was great and worked perfectly with the first pumpkinhead story its self ...the film quality and over all feel matched up great with the first one.... the effects ....well this ones tricky ... the pumpkinhead suit looked great(minus the short arms , but they explained why he was different so i can deal) but the cgi ....wow ... the first scene on him on the roof was fine i could have delt with that .... the jump down scene ...hhmm well ..if that was as bad as it got im still OK with that ....then ... sweet Jesus the church scene came on .... oh crap ... now the editor could easily have not had any of the cgi scenes in the movie ...in fact the scenes would have been better with out them ... how ever even with that ...im giving the film a 9 .... the people they got to be the wallaces are perfect ..bunt was amazingly perfect ..in fact i thought it was the same guy from the first film(its not).... the old witch was perfect .... the doctor was perfect ... all the acting/actors were perfect ... the story was perfect ... but the cgi ...lol... so to the people that say this sequel sucked ....no it didn't ...pumpkinhead was anything from a "minor" hit in the horror genre ... its a classic ...and as for making a good sequel to it ... they did a good job ... but because of the first movies statis people will always complain about the next one ..and the next one ....and the next one....

"if things stay the same nothing will change"

(4), vocalist - GOD IN A MACHINE

Although better than Pumpkinhead 2: Bloodwings, Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes fails to fully deliver a satisfying and fresh adaptation of the story.

[Havraha · 7/10 · 29 October 2006]

As a fan of the original movie, I've always been attracted to the story and effects associated with Pumpkinhead. However, this movie fails to fulfill every craving a Pumpkinhead fan might have.

The most notable flaw of the movie is its acting. As the original movie depicted a folk-world lost from civilization, this movie's depiction of the southern environment that the story resides in could be considered parody by comparison. The southern accents are so labored and over exaggerated that you may not stand to watch the movie past its opening scenes. Not to mention that certain key actor's presentations are so dull and boring that you may wonder exactly how they got their roles in the first place. The lines are delivered as flat memorization ... no ... rather like they're being read from cue cards instead.

The shining gem of this movie is Lance Hendrikson's small role. His sheer presence on the screen not only mesmerizes but may make you forget you're actually watching a low-grade Sci-Fi Films movie, if only for a split second. It's a shame Hendrikson does not play a larger part in the film than he does, for if the story revolved around him, the presence of so many acting follies could have been forgiven.

The story does take quite a few surprising turns and introduces more than you might have expected, but in the end you may look back and wonder exactly what the logic was behind certain scenes. Although not uncommon, the director should have known his movie was going to be put under the scrutiny of fans, and its utter stupidity in some cases is ultimately its downfall.

And although the writers do show that they're definitely fans of the original movie, they seem to ignore the artistic genius behind Pumpkinhead's presence, portraying him as a quick, ruthless, and indiscriminate killer of anything he comes across, which is in stark contrast to the slow, lumbering, and horrifying sense of dread the original movie gave to the character.

All in all, the movie is still better than the original sequel 10 fold, but will nonetheless disappoint most fans of a groundbreaking cult film.

Not as good as the last one

[lastliberal · 4/10 · 10 February 2008]

I am not hampered by the memory of the original Pumpkinhead, so I have only Pumpkinhead II as comparison. It excels tremendously over this one.

The Doctor (Doug Bradley) and his family are selling body parts and have a barn full of uncremated bodies. It reminds me of the 339 bodies found at Tri-State Crematory in New York.

When the town finds out, and sees that the law will probably not do anything, they go looking for the local Marie Laveau, a witch that lives in the wood and can bring back Pumkinhead. There are serious consequences to doing that, but they have a taste for blood. They must be from Texas because they like killing people so much. Actually, it was filmed in Romania.

There just wasn't as good a story as Pumkinhead II, but the killing were a lot gorier. There was less eye-candy, too.

Better than "Blood Wings", but that can be said about practically any other film ever made

[movieman_kev · 3/10 · 31 March 2007]

Director Jake West, who burst into the horror film lexicon quite nicely with the far above average vampire film "Razor Blade Smile", hits a minor stumbling block with this second sequel to the original Pumpkinhead. Quite wisely pretending that the previous "Blood Wings" travesty never existed, this film is much more akin to the first. (practically a remake in parts). This automatically makes it much better then the supremely awful previous film. A dubious honor indeed, but hey you take what you can get. Doug Bradley (Pinhead from the Hellraiser franchise) is a doctor harvesting organs in a small town, but when the locals find this out three of them visit the old lady to resurrect Pumpkinhead for another bout of vengeance. Lance Henriksen, in need of a quick buck it seems,is back as a completely unnecessary Ed Harley (here in cameo ghost form). Perhaps the fact that it's a TV movie hamstrung it, but Pumphin Head looked like a bastardized version of the legendary Stan Winston's work on the creature. Some of the CGI elements are plain laughably bad (Pumpkinhead scaling a church immediately comes to mind as it was so awful). Furthermore the Old Lady's make-up was off as well, the plot didn't deviate from the original enough to warrant this being made other than money. But as I said it IS better then part 2. And I'd be an idiot to write off West merely because of one clunker of a made for TV sequel, the kid still has talent and I look forward to his next project. I just believe that Pumpkinhead (just as "Children of the corn", and "Lawnmower Man") should've never been a franchise and the original spoke well enough for itself and should have been left well enough alone.

My Grade: D

Not the best introduction to the series

[mentalcritic · 3/10 · 23 May 2007]

You will note that I said this is not the best introduction to the series that began with Pumpkinhead. Being that this was the only episode available on DVD for rental at the time, I started with this episode anyway. I should know, therefore, that Ashes To Ashes is possibly the worst possible sequel to be introduced to the franchise by. The first Nightmare On Elm Street film I saw was the second, and a rather clumsily censored television edit at that, so I am speaking from quite a wealth of experience here. That said, all of the elements for a good horror film are in place here. The cast is strong, the premise is creative, and the special effects help tell the story rather than detract from it as is usually the case with horror films. The problem is that, as one previous commentator has already pointed out, it really needed another rewrite or two in order to excise the fat. Which is ironic when you consider how many films on the market have been brutally murdered by too many rewrites.

Ashes To Ashes is set in a town where the illicit trade in transplant organs is so rife that the local population depends on it in order to be able to afford healthcare. When one of the prospective donors escapes and dies in a local resident's car, a search uncovers a series of hastily-discarded corpses. As bad as that sounds, it gets worse when the aggrieved locals solicit the aid of a local mystic who looks like she last saw water when Hiroshima was free of radioactivity. The twist in Ashes To Ashes is that in contrast to the Nightmares On Elm Street or Hellraisers, there are no good guys in the traditionally understood sense. Everyone in this film is tainted to some degree. Another contrast to other horror films that is set well in Ashes To Ashes is that it gives the characters a credible reason to summon the titular monster, so much so that the summoning ritual as demonstrated in the film might stretch credulity to the limit, but it works in spite of that. Selling a rubber-suit monster is no easy task, after all.

Helping the side is some very credible acting by Lance Henriksen and Doug Bradley, two veterans of the low-budget science fiction and horror genres who have this style of acting down to a fine art. Henriksen only appears as a ghostly portent of doom for the most part, but when he does make his infrequent appearances, he sells the reality of the film in a manner that reminds one of those credit card commercials. Doug Bradley unsuccessfully attempts to sound American and comes off sounding like he is at least mildly drunk. Despite that, he keeps the audience rooted in the film, delivering dialogue stilted enough to have appeared in The Phantom Menace with a gentlemanly authority that only Bradley can wrench out of such dialogue. He even gets to deliver a quick monologue about the nature of pain that leaves one expecting him to sprout nails. His character is pure evil, as is established early in the proceedings. In a total reversal of his better-known character, however, he manages to sell the fact that this particular character believes otherwise.

Pumpkinhead: Ashes To Ashes, is also the kind of film that rewards a second viewing, in spite of its stitled and clumsy script. Little things such as how those who summoned the titular monster react to the things it does become apparent the second time around. The problem is that the characters are so underwritten that without the consummate acting skills of Henriksen or Bradley, the characters are completely flat. Aside from the stereotypically Bible Belt accents, one could mistake the action for taking place in any environment besides the urban. On the other hand, it is nice to see the "ol' country" through eyes that are unflinching in their view that what some will try to tell you does not happen in this kind of environment not only does happen, but at the exact same per-capita rate. It makes for a nice contrast to the way cut-off nowhere lands without adequate healthcare or employment are confused with paradise by the dull travelogues that comprise ninety percent of the Australian film industry.

Unfortunately, the film has no sense of pacing, and aside from the inevitable scare sequences, this is one incredibly talky, slow-moving piece. Sometimes the excess of dialogue works. The sequences with the dessicated old witch are a good example of this. However, when the townsfolk converse for more than a few seconds, the thin characterisations shine through brilliantly. The priest at the sermon in particular would have people knocking down his door to appear in other locations, as people who put that much into their speeches are not exactly easy to find. Ultimately, however, the film is meant to be about vengeance and the price it entails. As we learn that one of the summoners wants to stop the Pumpkinhead from rending the flesh of everything in the town, the question shifts from who is going to get killed to what it will cost for this cessation. And while the answer to that question could have brought a spark of delight in the hands of the right director, Ashes To Ashes shows us the answer in a manner that is so perfunctory it defies all good writing sense.

I gave Pumpkinhead: Ashes To Ashes a three out of ten. It is a step up from watching paint dry, but not by much.

Not too bad

[gtc83 · 5/10 · 29 October 2006]

In a small town, the local funeral home is, shall we say, seriously screwed up. The cremation furnace quit working, and the employees decided that they could make some extra money by teaming up with the local doctor and extracting organs from the bodies, to be sold on the black market. This whole scandal is blown wide open at the beginning of the movie, and a whole shed full of bodies is carried out for the town's residents to see. The worst part is that the sheriff informs everyone that there may not even be a law against what the funeral home employees did. So, a small group of people decide that vengeance must be served, and they make a trip to see the old lady who lives out in the woods.

We see a whole lot of Pumpkinhead in this movie, probably too much. A combination of a guy in a suit and CGI is used. The suit doesn't look especially scary this time, probably because we see so much of it, and the CGI unfortunately looks rather comical at times. This movie follows a different path than the original, as the unscrupulous doctor knows how Pumpkinhead was stopped the first time - with the death of the person who summoned him - so he spends the movie stalking the townsfolk who summoned the beast while Pumpkinhead spends the movie stalking the funeral home employees.

Overall, the story is pretty interesting, though it gets a bit redundant as every time Pumpkinhead is about to kill the doctor, the doctor kills one of the townsfolk who summoned him, giving him just the few moments he needs to escape. The acting is quite good for one of these low budget movies, and the mix of characters is very interesting. For the funeral home employees, we've got a slutty chick who's also a crystal meth addict, and the all-grown-up but still not so bright kid from the original movie who showed Ed Harley where to find the old lady in the woods. The doctor character is especially well done, being played by Doug Bradley, he fools the townsfolk into thinking he's a pillar of the community while at the same time he's dissecting their late family members. Lance Henrickson keeps showing up as the ghost of the guy from the original movie.

I enjoyed this movie. It's not anything great, but it was a lot better than most movies that I've seen premiere on the Sci-Fi Channel. The action keeps moving at a satisfactory pace and the characters are well done and had me at least somewhat interested in their plight. In the end, my only real complaint is that it wasn't nearly as scary as the original, mostly because we see so much of Pumpkinhead that we get pretty used to him and he loses his impact.

Pumpkinhead Returns....

[mattressman_pdl · 4/10 · 20 May 2008]

Several years after Pumpkinhead tore, slashed, and gutted it's way to revenge, it is called to vengeance once more. This time after a small town realized the grisly truth of their local doctor.

The Pros: Lance Henriksen's presence is welcomed, albeit it must be the corny 'from beyond the grave' plot device. Also, Doug Bradley gives a fine performance as the mischievous doctor. Some decent kills (not nearly enough, however) The Cons: Shot in Romania, some poor, poor acting is on display here. Also, the film's plot suffers in a non-linear fashion. We're never quite sure where it's going...or is it that we don't care.

What could have the potential to be the rejuvenation of a franchise instead turns out to be on par with the same movie-of-the-week drivel that the Sci-Fi channel keeps dishing out. Good to see some good actors working, however.

Ugh

[BandSAboutMovies · 2/10 · 21 December 2021]

How to tell this movie was made in 2006:

It was made for SyFy.

It was shot in Bucharest, Romania.

It has two titles, Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes and Pumpkinhead: Blood Feud, but is not called Pumpkinhead III.

It pretty much follows the original film and just subverts it slightly by having Lance Henriksen's mummified body be the host for Pumpkinhead. For what it's worth, Henriksen claims to have crawled out of the theater during the premiere, referred to this movie as "an alimony movie," "just a nightmare, a nightmare of mediocrity" and "an absolute piece of s**t.*"

Beyond Henriksen, Doug Bradley shows up. Those two must have had insane frequent flyer points, as it seems like they were flying to Eastern Europe for almost every role.

Bradley plays a mortician who has been selling organs and dumping bodies, leading to the town calling in the Pumpkinhead to kill him. He decides to kill everyone who summoned the demon. You can see a bunch of Lament Configuration boxes in Bradley's office at one point.

Director Jake West also made the documentary Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape and the movie Razor Blade Smile.

Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes gets a fair review

[kclipper · 6/10 · 1 April 2007]

I am a long time fan of the original Pumpkinhead. Its dark, moody theme and awesome creature effects by Stan Winston are top notch. Lance Henrickson maintains a good screen presence in the horror genre which leaves this new sequel questionable for fans. For an original T.V. movie, this was entertaining enough and surprisingly gory. Horror icon Doug Bradley (Pinhead) is interesting as a sinister surgeon performing operations on townsfolk in order to sell their organs. When a woman finds that her family was murdered by Bradley and his clan, she summons the demon to get revenge. Plot keeps true to the original, but the creature looks cheap and hokey due to the CGI effects. It really falls flat in comparison, but not bad considering the long wait for a third sequel.

Could be way better

[saintkhalib · 4/10 · 28 October 2006]

I am house sitting at the moment for some friends of mine, so with pretty much nothing to do, I did what I normally never do: Watched some television.

I can safely call myself a fan of the horror genre, and I admire Lance Henriksen. So, the original Pumpkinhead movie is definitely one of my favorite horror movies.

I saw Ashes To Ashes on Sci-Fi, and was lucky in the fact that it had just started. I sat there, watching it. And realized it was a rather crappy movie. Bad acting, bad directing, bad script, and the demon itself looked pretty weak compared to its theatrical counterparts. What bothered me the most about him was that he wasn't as monstrous looking as the first two films. My favorite traits of his are his long arms and long talons. In this one, his arms are way shorter, and so are his fingers, and his face doesn't look as badass. He expressions are sort of empty, and he seems to be in a hurry. And when he isn't in a hurry, he looks like he's drugged out; expressionless, and bored.

The only reason I give this flick 4 stars is from Ed Harley's ghost, and beside the fact that the demon's appearance is really disappointing, he still kicks some serious hindparts.

Also, one more thing, the computer graphics are so incredibly bad, I felt like I was watching some CG movie from the mid 90s. It seriously looked like it wasn't finished, like it was the first draft on the computer before they put the skin and face features on.

One hell of a good Halloween yarn

[scrapmetal7 · 8/10 · 24 August 2007]

PUMPKINHEAD: ASHES TO ASHES is the third Pumpkinhead movie. It connects to the first film very well and follows it up very well. The film's strengths are its style, painted in such heavy colors and settings that you can smell the burning wood and night air, its rural feel, which is essential to the concept, and it's lack of stock characters.

Lance Henriksen returns as the ghost of Ed Harley. Having the monster appear in both human form (as a ghost) and in his monstrous form is a good new idea for the character, and gives the story added dimension and scariness, as well as giving the actors more to do. Doug Bradley (Doc Fraser) is great as a creepy, deceitful town doctor, who can smile and reassure the same people he preys upon. In fact, the film goes out of its way to avoid having the same old boring crew of victims. All of the characters in this movie are different and unexpected. Compare the human community of this film to any other in almost any horror film you've seen and you'll see that these are different and more interesting people.

At the center of the Pumpkinhead concept is vengeance, which is a primal, basic facet of the human condition. The idea of a monster driven by vengeance opens up a lot of story possibilities. In the first Pumpkinhead movie, Ed Harley summoned the demon of vengeance to avenge his murdered son, which is about as basic and archetypal as you can get. The vengeance in this movie is invoked in response to a more modern crime, based on the real Tri-City Crematorium incident which horrified the nation in 2002. This is a unique premise, indicative of the effort to make this movie something unique and special.

Pumpkinhead is at heart a rural legend. The broadly painted small town setting adds a lot of atmosphere to great effect, making this film a classic rural horror story.

The monster's design is also good, using newer technology, while staying true to the original look. It is taller, a little more detailed, and darker in color, but definitely Pumpkinhead.

Special mention also goes out to the always interesting Douglas Roberts (Bunt), and to Emannuel Parvu (Oliver), who turns in an interesting performance as the film's reluctant hero, being entirely ordinary in appearance and demeanor while at the same time radiating a quiet strength. Also to Ioana Ginghina (Ellie), a stunning beauty, and one of the most interesting new faces to come along in a long time.

Horror fans looking for a good Halloween thrill will not be disappointed!

Pumpkinhead:Ashes to Ashes

[Scarecrow-88 · 6/10 · 6 April 2007]

Doc Fraser(Doug Bradley)has Bunt Wallace(Douglas Roberts presenting a flawed, but sympathetic character)throw corpses his removed the skin from in the swamp as he sells the hide to others for grafting and plastic surgery. His source is a meth-maker named Lenny(Emil Hostina)who can sell the skin and other parts(like a poor live soul who makes the unfortunate mistake of crossing their path on a hike through the backwoods)such as kidneys to other lucrative clients. When the poor unfortunate soul is able, despite having his kidney removed, to run into Molly Sue(Tess Panzer, whose character is a grieving mother stuck in an unhappy marriage)traveling on the road. When Molly calls on the local fuzz, Doc's operation suffers, although he isn't unmasked as the ringleader. Those taken in are Bunt(who is often visited by the ghostly image of Lance Henriksen's Ed Harley from the first PUMPKINHEAD film;it's Bunt who told Ed about the witch in the woods..Ed serves as a type of guilty conscience for Bunt)and his meth-addicted sister(and Doc's lover)Dahlia(Lisa McAllister). They are the ones who dug up the corpses for Doc from their graves. When Molly's interference causes the finding of all the corpses, both found in a barn and in the forest, Doc has to come up with a plan to halt anyone finding out his involvement. That's the least he has to worry about, because Molly will pay a visit to the witch in the woods, along with three others including her husband's lover, Ellie(Ioana Ginghina). Seeking vengeance for her son being dug up and skinned, Molly will give over her blood marking all those involved with the grave-digging operation. The corpse of Ed Harley will be the demonic vessel used to summon Pumpkinhead to wreak havoc not only on those marked, but also anyone, innocent or otherwise, that stands in the way of that murderous goal. Will Molly's husband Oliver(Emanuel Parvu)be able to find a way, along with Ellie who regrets her decision for participating in the summoning of the monster, to stop Pumpkinhead and it's bloody rampage? Can Bunt find redemption for his past involvement with Fraser? And, will Fraser be able to kill all those who summoned Pumpkinhead before he becomes a victim?

This film is a welcome return to the franchise and seeing Bradley out of his Pinhead make-up is really neat. He's a good actor and being able to play a human monster without a disguise is fun. The cast outside of Bradley and Henriksen, who is also a welcome sight even if he's basically in it as a messenger communicating to Bunt about how vengeance and summoning evil can do no good, is forgettable and uninteresting. The monster is terrific, even if the filmmakers can not resist whipping out the CGI for some climbing sequences(particularly the church sequence). The film also wisely avoids even mentioning the sequel BLOODWINGS adopting a more serious tone and staying close to what made the first film so intriguing. It's also quite gory with the monster mangling quite a few folks who get in it's path of bloodshed.

A sequel that is no better than the first sequel, yet has parts that make it distinguishable

[breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com · 4/10 · 1 April 2020]

While upon its release Ray Winston's directorial debut with Pumpkinhead (1988) didn't gather the praise it may have wanted, it has managed to maintain its cult status. Despite that, studios are always looking to make a quick buck and manage to further nothing that made the original so memorable. Jeff Burr's Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1994) was by no means a good film but there were things about it that made it funny to watch. There were all kinds of wrong with how the studio messed around with the final product. From a creative standpoint though, the story tried to do something different with the vengeance demon, which deserves kudos. Unfortunately, it was its continuity that was hard to figure out. Here though, this sequel is the opposite.

Taking place in a small community (presumably from the first film), a bunch of town locals discover that their mortician, Doc Fraser (Doug Bradley) has been doing malpractice on fellow family members. The person to first realize this is Molly Sue (Tess Panzer) and finds Haggis (Lynne Verrall) the witch who has the power to summon Pumpkinhead for vengeance. Meanwhile her partner Oliver (Emanuel Parvu) begins his own investigation and meets Bunt Wallace (Douglas Roberts) who continues to have hallucinations of Ed Harley (Lance Henriksen). Written by John & Barbara Werner, the plot behind this feature is truly a dud. Viewers will be very much familiar with this setup as it is a direct copy from the original film.

Unlike Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1994), which tried a different narrative, nothing's changed here. The only interesting aspect to this sequel is that viewers will be given the clear indication that this indeed takes place after Pumpkinhead (1988). The fact that the writers included Haggis, Bunt and Ed Harley again was appreciative, but that's where it ends. The use of these characters is far and few between as to how they should've been addressed. Instead, fans see goofy acting among many thespians who just truly show that this is a TV film. Actors like Lisa McAllister, Tess Panzer and Ioana Ginghina are just boring. The only unknown actor who stands out more is Emanuel Parvu, although his voice doesn't match his look.

Jake West's skill as a director wasn't that impressive either. His filmography has been more relegated to documentaries. He's only directed a few films like Razor Blade Smile (1998), Evil Aliens (2005) and most recently Doghouse (2009). As for the recognizable stars, not even they're truly safe. Doug Bradley and Lance Henriksen are both credible actors, but here they feel awfully unenthusiastic. If anything, Lynne Verrall and Douglas Roberts try harder. The violence and special effects for this feature were barely passable as well. The prosthetic Pumpkinhead is okay in some places but other times not as much. At least the first sequel had the decency to stick to practical effects. When you see a CGI Pumpkinhead, that's when you know it's bad.

Gore is pretty much in the same bag. Not a lot of it is shown and when it is, it's not the best. Cinematography wasn't excusable either. Erik Wilson as the cinematographer was average with what he was given. Much of the shots are dimly lit and from an interior standpoint, the scenes look even cheaper. Only do the outer sets actually look okay. Wilson also worked on a film called The 13th Sign (2000) and would surprisingly go on to Paddington (2014). Lastly, one of the few redeeming qualities to this entry was the music composed by Rob Lord. While not having a ton of recognizable credits to his name, Lord at least managed to make the music sound sort of like the original although not exactly. A movie he worked on before was Slipstream (2005).

Trying for a second time, this second sequel matches the first but for other reasons. While the screenwriters resurrect old characters from the first film, it isn't much because the plot is all too familiar. The music is the only additional plus. Everything else from effects, acting and camerawork is iffy at best.

Not Bad but an Under-Acheiver

[MWNiese · 5/10 · 9 August 2007]

Pumpkin head is back for vengeance in this made for television movie production. Good acting and direction is wasted on sub-par writing and low budget computer graphics. It had the were-with-all and means to be great but really came out to be another average made for t.v. movie. Rent it on DVD, rather than watching it on cable; it's much more appealing unedited and uninterrupted. Speaking of which, Sci-Fi should have filmed a t.v. version with a an additional R rated version for DVD release. There just wasn't enough blood, gore, explicit language, or nudity to make this a realistic attempt at being great Horror. If your not a horror fan,don't watch it. If you like horror, go for it!

*Directing: Good *Acting: Good *Writing: Fair *Computer FX: Poor *Special FX: Good *Sound Editing: Excellent *Cinemotography: Excellent

Not a terrible movie(especially compared to Blood Wings) but left wanting

[TheLittleSongbird · 5/10 · 25 August 2012]

I did enjoy the 1988 Pumpkinhead, without it being one of my absolute favourite horror films. While I didn't care for Ashes to Ashes all that much, it is at least better than Blood Wings. It does have some good points, Lance Henrikssen has a rather small role but he does do a great job with what he's given, the score is suitably eerie,the Romanian scenery is beautiful and atmospheric, Doug Bradley also gives a good performance with at least some charisma and there are a few nice surprising turns in the story. On the other hand, the rest of the acting is an uneven mix of over-acting and under-acting, some of the camera work is rather frenzied which further cheapens the already slapdash effects, the dialogue felt stilted and the characters I never felt anything for. The story does have some surprising turns, but of any effective scenes and such the only one to leave any lasting impression was the Ed Harley's Ghost sequence. The rest, not helped by some sometimes tedious pacing, lacked any true horror or suspense, and has lapses in logic. The titular character has his moments, but perhaps here too generic and ruthless, which was the opposite effect in the original. Overall, not as good as the original and has a lot of problems, but it also has redeeming values and is at least better than Blood Wings(then again a lot of movies are). 5/10 Bethany Cox