Pumpkinhead, the horror favorite from the 1980s that saw the feature film directorial debut of special effects master Stan Winston, looks to be getting a reboot.
The Tracking Board reports that Motion Picture Corporation of America, the company that now owns the rights to the franchise and is responsible for the not-so-awesome second through fourth installments of the series, is looking to bring the character back to life. The original Pumpkinhead was released in 1988 and told the story of a monster that is summoned by a father looking for vengeance on a group teenagers who were responsible for the death of his young son.
I watched Pumpkinhead for the first time last Halloween and was shocked at how much I enjoyed the film. It is a modern take on the monster movie formula and is regarded by genre fans as a new classic. Unfortunately, the Pumpkinhead franchise suffered when De Laurentiis Entertainment Group no longer maintained the rights to the title and MPCA produced a direct-to-video sequel as well as two made-for-TV follow ups. Given the advances in practical effects and CGI now, if done right, a Pumpkinhead reboot could turn out to be a welcomed shot in the arm to this horror favorite.
What say you, horror fans? Should Pumpkinhead be rebooted on the big screen? It surely can’t get any worse than it already has been. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
A remake MUST keep the original premise – the cost of vengeance is a bloodlink between demon and summoner. The original showed Ed Harley (Lance Henrikson) becoming demonic, whilst Pumpkinhead began to resemble Ed. The lousy sequels completely ignored this facet of the plot. It requires a strong, sympathetic man to play Ed, some authentic hillbillies, plus likeable teenagers for the victims. Can a reboot capture the backwoods feel, the creepy witch and her shack, the moonlit chases, and the implacable cruelty of the demon?? I don’t know. The original is so strong. I’d give a reboot a looksee – but it had better be exceptional.
Of its a remake then do what it means!! Remake the exact story. All these Hollywood glamour remakes telling the story different is what’s killing remakes in general. Who really cares about another person’s story. Keep it for what made it great in the first place. The karate kid, nightmare on elm St….. All hideous. I think a new version of pumkinhead made the way it was with new cgi would be great
I hope they make the most of conventional, non-CGI special effects, because that’s part of what made Pumpkinhead so damn scary. Strobes, long spindly arms, a casual sense of purpose… classic.
It’d be a shame if it was all slick, fast-moving CGI.
I think the most come mistake that these movie industry do is put most if not all there time and money in to the special effects and none in to the story. If they can wright a good solid script for this it could be an amazing movie.