MIND TO MOUTH:
PUMPKINHEAD II: BLOOD WINGS
I like the 1st poster better. And it isn't just because the tagline is in English.
Pumpkinhead 2. It is constantly mocked for not being like its original. Of course, it’s hard to follow up a movie carried by Lance freaking Henriksen. But this was essentially a direct to video cash-in on the popularity of the original.
Here…we…go.
Live Entertainment Presents. Motion Picture Corporation of America.Presents. Wow, double presented. That’s a great sign…right?
We’ve got an all read background with the cast being named off in white letters. Slowly we pull away, as Roger Clinton’s name is bolded on screen, to show off the blood wings design. Bill Dill was Director of Photography. Just felt like adding that.
Jeff Burr is our director and…
THROUGH HELLFIRE AND BRIMSTONE IT’S KANE! Wait…sorry. They ended the credits with an explosion and then quickly jumped into a black and white flashback of 1958, a blind woman calling for “Tommy” before leaving a plate of food on the ground and walking away.
A deformed hand takes the food and a 1950s style car pulls up, a bunch of obnoxious (supposedly) teens hopping out. “Hey! There he is,” chimes the most-likely ring leader of the group since he gets a close-up when he speaks. Someone is told to turn the radio off so that the freak won’t hear them coming. Ring Leader declares “Let’s finish this” before brandishing his switchblade. Wow, this movie is going to be short.
The group then grabs a bunch of weapons and rushes at Tommy, giving up any of the stealth that they apparently wanted no less than 20 seconds ago. A mild chase occurs.
“Run!” shouts the blind lady, sensing Tommy’s troubles. Ring Leader shouts taunts as they run. Blind Lady runs in slow motion, which isn’t very helpful. A cheesy 50s sound song is playing; I suppose to add to the timeframe?
Tommy’s scurry brings him to a large well or something like that. This traps him for some reason. Ring Leader happily shouts “Batters up!” while Tommy gets smacked with a baseball bat. Blind Lady apparently feels Tommy’s pain and collapses. “Single” “Double” “Triple” “Home Run!” I feel like I’m watching a Pirates game, and Charlie Morton is pitching.
They then “String’em up” on the ropes around the well while the Ring Leader now dips into fishing terms before slashing defenseless deformed Tommy with the knife. The deformed Tommy coughs up blood and they finally release the rope and let him plummet to his doom. The End.
Or not, I suppose. “Dirty job, but someone had to do it,” unimaginatively quips the ring leader and we cut to…I don’t know, present day I suppose.
Anyway, we’re introduced to the new sheriff in town who is joking about how he gave up a big city job to come here. “Did you hear that?” “What?” “Silence. Beautiful silence.” How very Martin Brody of him.
The mother is concerned about their daughter since they’ve randomly moved to this country area. The sheriff/father is sure that Jenny will be fine. Apparently, she got into trouble in the city so the new location could be good for her.
Right on cue, we cut to a couple of goofs outside of the school, sitting in their car, lighting up a joint while a couple makes out in the back. They spot Jenny and wave her over. The lead goof who is wearing ridiculous sunglasses introduces himself as Danny. Jenny mocks them since she’s been around tougher people. This someone gets respect from the group. Okay. Danny offers her a ride and, since she’s a rebel, Jenny decides to skip school with them. Yay new starts.
Meanwhile, Sheriff is selling hunting permits, but the prices have gone up so random redneck, Ernst, is upset. The local judge is hanging around and calls the redneck Slick, something Ernst grumbles about while leaving. The local judge, who for some reason resembles Martin Mull, takes a route to exposition highway revealing Slick and he were friends in school. Judge looks completely dumb with an oversized hat, suspenders, plaid, and a cheesy political grin. I don’t know why I’m using so many negative words to describe people; it’s just what is popping into my mind when I see them.
Anyway, Judge reminds Sheriff he has a physical and we cut to sheriff in the examination room with the nurse talking about Dr. Pettibone. The good doctor enters and we have a brief exposition conversation with Pettibone revealing her grandmother was a witch doctor. Ooo Eee. Ooo Eee Ahh.
Anyway, some guy comes in and says the mayor is ready to meet the sheriff. And enter our esteemed Mayor Bubba, played by Roger Clinton. Yeah, Bill’s brother. They chat, Bubba suggesting the sheriff not underestimate the small town and blah, blah, blah. He then takes his guitar (that apparently was being tuned by the nurse?) and heads out while the sheriff gives an “O…k?” face to the camera. Not directly at the camera, so the fourth wall remains intact.
Cut to our rebels who are rebelling by the “old iron mine.” Exposition about odd circumstances and people dying there. Check. Random comment about it being bottomless. Stupid check.
Anyway, they are drinking beer in cans that simply read “Beer.” The couple of the group pick at each other giving lines that are supposed to give them character. It doesn’t work. Danny grabs the chain and asks if our ever-lovable city girl Jenny if she’ll give him a kiss if he swings across. She says no and he fakes falling in. After knowing him for all of 20 minutes, Jenny becomes afraid he’ll be hurt and shouts. Anyway, he swings over and takes the kiss.
-
The “lookout” of the group who wears black but isn’t really goth or emo as much as uncomfortable in heat, spots someone coming. It’s Daddy Sheriff and Danny tries to wipe the kiss off his lips. Manly.
Danny is revealed to be the judge’s son through forced dialogue. Sheriff suggests that they leave since there is a “No Trespassing” sign. He then tells Jenny to come with him, which she does reluctantly. The couple mocks her, but Danny defends her since she’s apparently his woman now. Black Clothes Guy (BCG) flips off the sheriff behind his back. Manly.
So we cut to Sheriff and Daughter arriving home, her complaining that he doesn’t like her new friends. They have a cliché conversation around that type of subject. He asks her not to see “those kids” again. Guaranteeing she’ll be back with them within the next scene.
Cut to Jenny sneaking out. A black cat crosses her path. At least I think it was a cat. That or a very deprived dog. As their car rushes down the road, this occurs: “What did you tell your dad?” “I didn’t.” Whoa, rebel!
They need to figure out what they’re going to do and BCG suggests cow-tipping. That idea is rejected. Danny then comes up with the idea of driving without the headlights on. No one gets to reject the idea since Danny is the driver. It is indeed as stupid as it sounds with the couple cheering as they blindly charge into the night while Jenny screams for Danny to stop. BCG? No clue. He’s probably cheering.
Anyway, Danny turns the lights back on to appease Jenny…and then turns them off again for another run. She yells at him. He turns them on AND HITS AN OLD LADY!! Oops. His bad.
Screeching halt. The old lady gets up because she’s tougher than a two dollar steak. Random profanity from the couple. The crew get out and run over to where the old lady was. She’s not there, obviously. More profanity. Jenny asks who they hit. Danny brushes it off as a “crazy lady” who lives…somewhere. Anyway, the female member of the couple decides to get a close-up and explains that the lady is thought to be a witch. Ooo Eee Ooo.
Danny obviously cares more about the dent in his car. Jenny wonders where the woman went. Danny assumes that she’s fine since she left and wants to leave himself. Jenny lays down the law about hit-and-runs and says they have to go check on her. Reluctantly they go, with male member of the couple (also our Token Black Character, poor guy) grabbing BCG and dragging him along.
They walk through a creepy, pentagram shaped cemetery. They talk but nothing useful. BCG is dragging his feet. So they get to the old lady’s cabin, just to confirm to us that it’s blind lady from the beginning. Her place has held up well over the years. They go into her house uninvited, essentially breaking and entering to see if she’s okay. That makes sense right? A B&E is much better than a H&R.
While the TBG makes stupid jokes, his lady lights some candles and finds some sort of model of the cemetery they walked through. “This looks like a page from the Book of Shadows.” You know, because that is instantly recognizable. Thanks Lady. Movie paused for a second because I want to say…
I don’t care that she’s the one into supernatural stuff, it’s a silly jump that one piece of wrinkly paper = one specific book. As if all supernatural books have their own form of paper. You think that only one book is made of human flesh? I don’t care. Necronomicon. Book of Shadows. Blah, blah, blah. I’m sure more than one “supernatural” writer thought it was a cool idea…Anyway…pushing play.
Lady declares the spell shown is one to bring back the dead. They find blood in a vile and Lady keeps babbling about things and I’m starting to tune her out. Danny comes up with the ingenious idea of helping out the old lady by bringing whatever is buried “out there” back to life. Mainly because he thinks it’ll be “real dangerous” and he apparently loves danger. This is so stupid…but it’s getting us to the slaughtering of these people so I’ll allow it.
Apparently BCG’s name is Paulie. Yeah, I’m sticking with BCG. Lady warns Danny. Jenny asks to leave. Old Lady walks in. “We knocked when we first came in,” spouts Danny, preparing for his B&E court case. Old Lady doesn’t care, tells them to leave.
Danny then takes the time to confirm she’s blind. This may bring up the “Then why was she walking late at night” thing, but how would she know it’s dark? No, that’s not a serious question. The serious question is “Where would she be walking to if she never goes anywhere?”
“These eyes can see more than you, boy.” Owned. “We didn’t see you,” says Jenny. The Blind Woman doesn’t take an obvious quip. The group leaves, but Blind Woman steps in front of Danny. She senses he has the blood vial and tells him to leave it. He responds by punching her in the face. This is the leader of your group people. This guy.
“You…will…die.” The Blind Woman states using her best Shatner pause. “Miss Osie curses you…” I assume that means she is Miss Osie. So, that makes Tommy…Tommy Osie. Just sayin. Anyway…”…to the vengeance of Pumpkinhead.”
We cut to the cemetery. “There’s no turning back now,” declares Danny like a moron since turning back would be extremely easy to do. You even have a car that is still by or perhaps ON the road that you can go to. Anyway, they dig up the grave, including a “Shovel hits ground and throws dirt” POV shot from the end of the shovel. BCG stands and watches while Danny and TBG share the digging. Manly.
They finally find…something. Perhaps it is the 2nd Act. They open the coffin they found and the thing inside has a skull that looks…like a pumpkin. You don’t say? Anyway, Lady helps Danny do the spell. Jenny leaves when they start.
As Danny reads a pamphlet, Blind Woman knocks over a candle lighting her place on fire. BCG howls at the moon and they yell at him. Jenny, during her storming sees the fire and runs back for help. The spell doesn’t work immediately and Danny gets disappointed. Jenny returns screaming about the fire.
They rush back to the cabin seeing the fire. “Where’s old witch?” asks TBG while Danny replies “She probably already got out.” The leader of the group always looking for danger, folks.
Anyway, the model of the cemetery catches on fire and this somehow complete the spell. Back at the actual cemetery, our title character busts out of the coffin, allowing us only to see his hand. Dun, dun, dunnnnnnnnnnnnnn.
Next day, Daddy Sheriff and his Deputy go through the remains of the “Witch’s” house. Uniquely enough, nothing else around the place caught on fire. The nurse from earlier appears to give us the exposition that the Blind Woman is still alive but in “critical” condition. Sheriff finds a windowsill that has been scratched by rather large claws, guessing that something was trying to get in. I actually think it’s a nice touch that Pumpkinhead Tommy (Tommyhead?) would try and rescue his mother/caregiver.
Meanwhile, our Rebel Crew is now at the “Old Iron Mine.” Cause that’s a great place to fall back to. Danny apologizes to Jenny. “We were just havin’ fun.” Idiiot. Anyway, they somehow know the woman is in the hospital. Danny gets mad and tells people to keep quiet about what happened. Perhaps scared straight, BCG isn’t wearing all black clothes. Sigh…he keeps the nickname anyway. His jacket does go from zipped to unzipped in a couple shots though…Anyway, Danny makes up with Jenny since she’s his woman after one whole day in town. Not sure who’s the quicker worker.
Meanwhile, Ernst shows up at the Sheriff’s office to get a refund for his hunting permit. He gives exposition about seeing the kids in the woods and after what happened to Miss Osie he doesn’t want to go in the forest. Hence the need for a refund. “I ain’t a hunter no more, I’m the hunted!” Ernst seems in the know about Tommyhead but tells Sheriff to go ask the judge and the mayor if he wants to know more. For the heck of it, I'll make Ernst my "Character I want to Survive" but we all know he's doomed.
Cut to the Sheriff taking Ernst’s tip and showing up to see Danny and his dented car. Danny tries to act innocent. Fails. At acting that is. Sheriff points out the dent and asks how it happened allowing Danny to say he hit a dog. Dumb. Judge walks out and confirms a horribly forced alibi made up by Danny. “I was home studying…right?!”
Danny, realizing he’s got absolutely no shot of being liked by the Sheriff, decides to take a shot saying “Tell Jenny I said hi.” Judge berates Danny after Sheriff leaves, stating he’s on probation. That’s one angry Martin Mull.
Over at the hospital, the Blind Woman senses that Tommyhead is about. Over this realization, we see Ernst feeding his goats. Apparently he decided not to flee like he stated originally? Oh well, bad move by him. Lightning and wind picks up and Ernst immediately picks up that he’s first in line, making him a very knowledgeable horror movie character.
We get a red warped POV shot representing…well…you know. Seemingly all monsters have to have odd sight. We see his stomping feet as Tommyhead follows Ernst to the barn. We then see a tail…because…I don’t know. Finally, there’s the snarling mouth.
In-side the barn, Ernst is reciting scripture while loading his shotgun. Tommyhead sneaks in…somehow…and attacks. Ernst shouts “Come on, Satan!” and charges. Surprisingly brave for a fodder character, but stupid just the same since he doesn’t just aim and pull the trigger.
Tommyhead swats the gun away and grabs Ernst by the throat, lifting him into the air. Close-up of Tommyhead’s angry face while some random preacher preaches (kind of like the random 50s song from the beginning). A very fake looking shot as Tommyhead tosses Ernst into a meat hook (You can see the wires on both Monster and Man) before using him as a punching/slicing bag. Ernst’s limbs are ripped off which is a good sign he didn’t make it. Just like the first one, Miss Osie feels the pain as Tommyhead does his work.
The next day, Sheriff and Dr. Pettibone are in the surprisingly clean barn. They uncover the body showing that Ernst also got decapitated. The judge appears and blames a wildcat for the death. We see a shot of a blood spatter that has the look of a design…wings. Blood…Wings. You don’t say? Judge says he’s going to round up a posse to go after the wildcat and Sheriff tells him not to. Judge talks ill of the dead (Poor Ernst…) and leaves.
We cut to Daddy Sheriff at home discussing the destruction of Ernst with Pettibone in front of his family. That’s nice. Real nice. They piece together that whatever killed Ernst was also at Miss Osie’s. A revelation that causes Jenny to drop plates, apologize, and run to a phone. Danny and her give us some exposition on stuff we already know and to set-up that they’re meeting up after school tomorrow.
Holy crap, why are they showing the Sheriff’s wife the picture of dead Ernst? And why is she taking it so well?! Holy crap! Anyway, they debate the wildcat idea, dismissing it. Pettibone makes the declaration of “Pumpkinhead!” and we get Monster Exposition. This includes the nursery rhyme being recited by Daddy Sheriff while the daughter looks on.
“Bolted doors, and windows barred. Guard dogs prowling in the yard. Won’t protect you in your bed. Nothing will…from Pumpkinhead.” We end the rhyme with an EXTREME CLOSE-UP of Daddy Sheriff.
Fade to Jenny in bed. A full moon outside. Suddenly, the bed is outside and Danny jumps in with her. I’m going to guess this is a dream. She wakes up from her dream and PUMPKINHEAD IS RIGHT THERE SCREAMING IN HER FACE!
Yeah, that’s also a dream. Sadly, they don’t go for the trifecta of dreams but do cut to Tommyhead stomping through the forest, coming up on a small house/cabin/thing. Inside, a couple is consummating their relationship, the man revealing that he’s married…but not to the woman he’s with. The woman is Scream Queen Linnea Quigley which makes me believe that she won’t be hiding quietly in a moment.
Linnea goes to get some smokes out of the man’s truck as he talks about how this is “better than delivering the mail.” This guy is getting way too much character development for someone who’s about to be brutally slaughtered in three minutes.
Quick cut to the hospital as Miss Osie starts shaking in pain. A pumpkin decoration is knocked over and shatters. Cue lightning and wind as Tommyhead waltzes through the front door. Our mailman anti-hero throws a bottle of booze at it. This doesn’t work.
Country music starts playing from the truck as Tommyhead drops the Mail Man with a Back Breaker and throws him through the wall. That’s hardcore. Anyway, this causes Linnea, uniquely enough, to start screaming her head off.
Cut to Daddy Sheriff getting a call about another murder. I’m sure he secretly regrets moving back to the “silent” country. He makes his way to our murder Mail Man’s shack and discovers another bloody set of wings prompting our first on-screen reference of “Blood wings.” Apparently our Mail Man was stealing mail, not that it matters now. Sheriff starts piecing things together with Pettibone.
Pettibone has found a blood sample different from the departed Mail Man and decides it could be the killer’s. A noise from a closet causes them to freak, Sheriff pulling his good. Linnea bursts from the room screaming her head off, as usual, and gets sedated. Pettibone declares that whatever she saw “shut her mind down” one step away from being dead. So, no exposition from her.
Back in town, the judge is rounding up a posse and Sheriff is not happy, especially when he gets to his desk and finds the judge sitting at it. Apparently hunting season has been moved up. They snipe at each other with the judge basically saying that no matter what, his mob is going “hunting.”
So, after that, we immediately cut to Jenny and Danny making out. However, Jenny throws up the stop sign on the anxious “teenager.” She’s upset about the killings and Danny is worried she might say something about the fire. Nothing new here. They agree to get together with the group “Tomorrow.” In essence the earlier phone call could have set this up without having this scene.
Anyway, the rest of the crew shows up and taunts Danny for talking to Jenny. TBG figures she wants to “rat” them out. Apparently Lady read Jenny’s permanent file. Whatever problem she was in, her father got her out of, so they don’t believe they can trust her. Dun Dun Dunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.
Anyway, Lady wonders if they brought back Pumpkinhead. Danny mocks them and declares that they’ll go to the cemetery and see that the coffin is still occupied.
Back at Daddy Sheriff’s home, his wife is helping him with his case again as they look at Mail Man’s belongings. There are clippings about a “deformed boy” and this causes an exposition conversation about Daddy Sheriff growing up and hearing the horrible rumors about the kid. Apparently, our main character, at age 7, bumped into Tommy after the deformed kid dropped his fire engine toy into the well and almost fell himself reaching for it. Boy Sheriff saved him. We get a close-up of Tommy’s face. It’s…a face. With bumps. Anyway, Daddy Sheriff realized he “was just a regular boy, like me.” Then he drops the revelation that Tommy’s death was ruled “suicide by hanging.” Wonder how they explained the baseball bat shaped bruises.
Cut to Pettibone’s examination room. Sheriff requests the coroner’s report on Tommy. Pettibone then goes on that the blood was freakish and she knows “It’s not an animal. It’s not a human. So what is it?!” Before more of this riveting conversation can continue, in walks Mayor Bubba and a couple of his lackeys.
Since people are suspecting a supernatural being is doing the killings, Bubba is excited. Why? INCREASE IN TOURISM. Apparently, a blood-thirsty Tommyhead is just what their economy needs, stating the Loch Ness Monster as an example of how this is good. Completely ignoring that the Loch Ness Monster isn’t reported to eat a tourists daily. Sheriff does his best not to break the forth wall with a look of disgust as Bubba shouts that he wants the creature “Dead or Alive!”
Meanwhile, our Rebellious crew minus Jenny discover that the hole they dug is now empty of oddly shaped corpses. Lady says they need to tell somebody cueing another “But we caaaaaaaan’t!” from the ever irritating Danny.
Cut to a nighttime cock fight. Seriously. The Knox Brothers collect their winnings and Little Knox, who is as short as Martin Short (completing the Martin Trifecta for this review), mocks a deaf woman. Apparently, attacking the handicapped is a no-no in the
Big Knox helps up the deaf woman, who is apparently their sister. Little Knox mocks him since “I ain’t the one sleeping with her.” Come on, movie. What the heck?
Lights start flashing. The wind starts blowing. A random extra runs by shouting “What’s happening?!” And There’s Tommyhead, ever irritated. We cut to shots of Big Knox looking scared. Little Knox looking scared. Random Extra looking scared. Followed by Tommyhead looking ticked…which is its only emotion.
As the deaf sister hides, Tommyhead pimp slaps Little Knox into a chicken coop where the ever feisty animals attack and peck him to death. Seriously.
Random Extra gets whacked. Then Big Knox gets punched and curpstomped. Finally, Tommyhead stares down the Deaf Sister, leading to the next scene with her being inspected, as she sits blank eyed, like Linnea earlier. Pettibone reveals she’s deaf and mute. Daddy Sheriff declares, “Whatever she saw, she can’t help us.” Because I guess she’s illiterate, too.
Daddy Sheriff believes this is all connected but can’t figure out how…as he throws down a blood wings symbol. We get a fade to him reading through history books and expositing to a tape recorder. Apparently, deformed children were considered demon spawn and blah, blah, blah.
Meanwhile, the mother has figured out that Jenny was at Osie’s cabin. This angers Daddy Sheriff, but Pettibone busts in with shocking news from the coroner’s report. Even though he’s shared random information with his wife the entire time, Pettibone and he go for a walk for more exposition.
The shocking information…Tommy was brutally bludgeoned before death. Dun Dun Dunnnnnnnnnnn! They also reveal that Ms. Osie isn’t Tommy’s mother. Dun Dun Dunnnnnnnnnnn!
They go to talk to her, but they walk into her room just in time for her to flat line. Bummer, dude. Before they can leave, the door SLAMS SHUT and Osie SITS UP! Creepy Exposition follows as she explains that she was the guardian of Tommy’s soul. His mother…had nothing special about her. However, his daddy…PUMPKINHEAD!
…
…
Alright. Tommyhead is Pumpkinhead’s son. I’ll take it. Anyway, the talking corpse reveals that Tommyhead killed the people he killed. “Them boys with their wings.” Red Wings. She reveals that there were six boys that killed him, leaving one more victim from that group, but after he finishes his business, he’ll take care of hers by killing the ones who burned her.
Cue wide eyes from Sheriff since he knows his daughter was involved. So he asks for help. Asks how to stop Tommyhead. Osie hands him a necklace, saying it may help. Suddenly, we have lightning and see Tommyhead screaming his angry head off. I guess it was his turn to feel her pain. Osie finally dies. For real this time.
Recovering quickly from the creepy stuff they just saw, Pettibone and Sheriff start investigating “Red Wings” finding that they are a hockey team…wait, sorry, no. They were a group of kids from a high school group. The 6th member? THE JUDGE!
No. Not Judge Dredd. That’d be freaking awesome, though.
Meanwile, Danny brings Jenny to his place and shares an awkward conversation with his father. Jenny is very flirty with the constantly jerky Danny. Danny gets her a jacket cause she’s cold. Any guess what jacket it is?
Yeah. His dad’s old Red Wings jacket. That’d be a shocking reveal if they hadn’t already given away that Judge was the 6th man. Anyway, with her properly warmed, they walk to the guest house where the rest of the group rests. Lady is already in the know of dead Osie. BCG is now completely out of black clothes but is moping. Danny doesn’t care. Cause he’s a prick and yet somehow the leader of this ridiculous group of “rebels.”
BCG reveals that he saw Danny punch the old woman and Jenny finally stands up for herself. BCG says he wants to go to the Sheriff and Tommy responds in his typical fashion…by punching him in the face. For an encore, Tommy pulls a gun. Profanity occurs.
Tommyhead is just ambling through the forest, working his way to the Judge’s house. The Judge calls his posse to come to his place since he knows he’s next. Of course, waiting until night to do this is rather ridiculous. Anyway, he hears a noise and walks into the next room…which is covered in blood wing symbols. Not sure how Tommy got all of this done so quietly and then snuck back outside so he could kick the door down once Judge realized what was going on…but he did.
Judge rushes to the phone and demands that whoever is on the other line get there immediately. He also grabs his six-shooter (seriously, he has a six shooter) and fire about eight shots. Yeah…I know. Anyway, Tommyhead pimp slaps him into a window and pulls him back in.
Judge recognizes Tommy somehow. This is his last realization at he gets his head popped like a pimple. No re-election for the judge.
Back with the rebels, BCG hears the noise and says it’s Pumpkinhead. Danny puts the gun to his head, gives him a set of car keys, and tells him to get the transportation. BCG takes off running, gets to the car, and promptly drops the keys. Picks them back up and discovers that all movie cars stall in a stressful situation.
Tommyhead, now done with his own chores, decides it’s time to do some work for Osie, seeing BCG and attacking him. We cut away before he gets to the car. Probably because they couldn’t do an effect where BCG gets ripped out of the car.
Back in the side cabin, Danny keeps his gun aimed on the rest of the whining group. That is until a dead BCG comes flying through the window. They all take off out the back door and decide to split off. The main characters (Jenny & Danny) go one way, the fodder couple (TBG & Lady) the other. We see shots of both groups running with Tommyhead pursuing. Guess who he gets to first. No. Seriously. Guess.
Yeah, Fodder couple’s Lady trips and starts screaming instead of getting up, allowing Tommyhead to rip up a piece of the metal off a fence and impale her while TBG shouts angrily. Sadly, he didn’t think his plan out further and when our monster turns around to confront him, he’s left with the screaming strategy his girl just failed with. TBG keeps screaming until red vision gets within grabbing distance.
Cut back to the house where Sheriff and Pettibone have arrived to find the Judge’s and BCG’s corpse.
Tommyhead has impaled TBG onto the stake as well as if the two were kissing. How…sweet? Anyway, with that done, it’s time to get the last two. But as it starts to chase, the Judge’s posse arrive. Daddy Sheriff runs through the woods screaming for his daughter. Pettibone follows. Danny makes Jenny take a turn and of course leads them directly into Tommyhead.
Danny empties his gun and gets goozled by the monster. Cue a “Tore his head off” special effect. Jenny actually shows intelligence and instead of just sitting and screaming, gets up and runs. Danny gets off much lighter than he should despite the decent effect. Ernst had a worse death.
Of course, she flees to the old iron mine. And just like Tommy before her, is trapped for no good reason. Daddy Sheriff shows up and shouts out to Tommy, begging Tommy to trust him like he did Osie. “You avenged your own murder. You punished those who hurt Osie!” He begs that his daughter wasn’t one of them. Sheriff asks Tommy if he remembers him saving his life.
Tommyhead indeed remembers despite keeping his angry face. He lets Jenny go. “Thank you, Tommy.”
CUE POSSE! Sheriff tells Tommy to run but Tommyhead just stands there and takes bullet after bullet from the gun toting mob while we get flashbacks of battered Tommy. Tommyhead ends up on the hook from earlier. Then to complete the cycle, Tommyhead expands his arms and they drop him into the mine. Score one for mindless violence.
Anyway, the mine spits out fire and we get the same explosion effect from the opening scene. This is a bookmark, I suppose.
We fade to Sheriff and Jenny discussing Tommy. She is filled in about her father saving Tommy as a kid and thanks him. Sheriff finds an old fire truck toy…the same one Tommy played with the day that Sheriff saved his life. Ooo Eee Ooo.
Shoot of the necklace swinging in the wind and…credits. The first thing listed is the Producers. How random is that? Producers before the cast.
The end.
THE SCORE: 3 out of 5.
Yeah, I liked it. Sure, it really has absolutely nothing to do with the original, but if you give it the Halloween 3 treatment, it is a passable little horror movie. Flaws of course, but fills time nicely. Not a cult classic, but a pleasant surprise.
Constructive Criticism:
With a short time to film and a budget that probably didn’t excite, the film is put together well and side steps many expensive scenes. A quick cut for whenever Pumpkinhead interacts with people (outside of the Ernst scene that explains why they do that) can irritate sometimes, but is still handled well. It’s good work by the director.
Afternote:
The director actually has a commentary on the DVD and I plan on listening to that eventually.
_
How ticked is Mayor Bubba going to be when the posse gets back to him?
_
"So...you killed it?"
"Yeah! We got him!"
"Okay...where is the body?"
"Uh...it fell into the old iron mine and exploded."
"Exploded?"
"Exploded."
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