Pumpkinhead

Play trailer

Pumpkinhead

R

1988

1h 26m

Horror

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

51%

Tomatometer

55 Reviews

49%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

After his son dies in a hit-and-run accident, Ed Harley seeks revenge against the teenagers responsible. With the help of a local witch, Ed summons the vengeful demon Pumpkinhead to hunt and kill the group of friends. But when Ed discovers a bond between himself and the creature, he begins to have second thoughts about employing the vicious monster, and he fights to end Pumpkinhead's murderous rampage before it is too late.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

With effects work and solid direction from Stan Winston -- and Lance Henriksen adding welcome gravitas -- Pumpkinhead is a creature feature that stands a cut above.

Read Critics Reviews

Henry Mietkiewicz

Toronto Star

Aug 14, 2025

Who could have guessed that, despite its gruesome moments, this low-budget thriller would turn out to be a surprisingly satisfying little morality tale in the best horror tradition.

Go to Full Review

Victoria Mather

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Aug 14, 2025

The standard sort of video schlock.

Go to Full Review

Harper Barnes

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Aug 14, 2025

If you are looking for gore, you are going to have trouble with Pumpkinhead because almost all the action takes place in very dim light...

Go to Full Review

Alan Jones

Radio Times

Dec 17, 2025

3/5

Winston's creature is as awesomely frightening and brilliantly constructed and offers more than enough feral scream-lined chills to thrill along to.

Go to Full Review

Walter Chaw

Film Freak Central

Aug 14, 2025

3/4

Pumpkinhead is literally about the impossibility of objective violence–every action, no matter how intimate or remote, has a spiritual impact on both victim and perpetrator. It’s a surprisingly rich vein for something like this to mine, and it resonates.

Go to Full Review

Michael D. Reid

Victoria Times Colonist (B.C., Canada)

Aug 14, 2025

1/5

A film that ultimately fails to deliver the goods.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Andrew R

@HorrorMovieLover458 3 hrs ago

Shocked by this movie. Low budget but the story behind this one made it memorable. No spoilers, but the way characters reacted to the accident all around felt real and honest. The acting was what took off a star for me, though still passable.

See more

Alex B

@AlexBioni 3 days ago

The Price of Grief Pumpkinhead is a tragic story about loss, reminding me of Pet Sematary. The rural Southern setting, folklore, and opening pull you in. Lance Henriksen is excellent, as is Matthew Hurley as Billy. Their chemistry is great, and Billy's innocence makes their relationship feel genuine. Like Candyman, Pumpkinhead's presence looms over the movie even when he's not on screen. I love the atmosphere, especially the nighttime scenes, pumpkin patch, witch's cabin, and foggy woods. The practical effects are awesome, and Pumpkinhead's design reminds me of the Xenomorph from Alien, right down to the cicada like sounds. The pacing slows between acts two and three. The teens are okay, though they're idiots for protecting Joel. The dialogue can be rough, especially “he's my brother,” and I could use more gore. Still, it's a great October watch I revisit every year.

See more

Russell H

@RT85733992 Oct 3, 2026

Other than the creature's head not being a pumpkin, the effects do not age well, the monster was goofy and it didn't make sense to me that it spent so much time in the trees other than to cut down on visuals.

See more

Robert P

@Superbad Sep 9, 2026

I love Pumpkinhead movie thus my rating of 2.5 stars

See more

B P

@Bradster69 Sep 7, 2026

Not Bad, but Not My Favorite

See more

Landon J

@Minxsykitty Jul 25, 2026

Decent late night romp I guess. Has some great effects and interesting progression, but very generic and not very special.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Stan Winston

Director

Lance Henriksen

Ed Harley

Jeff East

Chris

John D'Aquino

Joel

Kimberly Ross

Kim

Joel Hoffman

Steve

Maximum Overdrive

14%

50%

Maximum Overdrive

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Maximum Overdrive

Child's Play

65%

66%

Child's Play

Watchlist

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood

21%

37%

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood

Phantasm II

31%

57%

Phantasm II

Watchlist

Child's Play 2

53%

54%

Child's Play 2

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Total Recall: The Best of Stan Winston

Critical Consensus: "Vice," "Ant Bully" Are OK; "Tucker," "Scoop" Lack Laughs; "Little Miss" Shines

View more photos

Synopsis

After his son dies in a hit-and-run accident, Ed Harley seeks revenge against the teenagers responsible. With the help of a local witch, Ed summons the vengeful demon Pumpkinhead to hunt and kill the group of friends. But when Ed discovers a bond between himself and the creature, he begins to have second thoughts about employing the vicious monster, and he fights to end Pumpkinhead's murderous rampage before it is too late.

Director: Stan Winston
Producer: Howard Smith, Richard Weinman, Bill Blake
Screenwriter: Mark Patrick Carducci, Gary Gerani
Distributor: United Artists, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: De Laurentiis
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 13, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.0M
Runtime: 1h 26m
Sound Mix: Stereo, Surround

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings