Pumpkinhead

A rural storekeeper and widower, Ed Harley, lives quietly with his young son. Their routine is shattered when a group of city teenagers arrive in the backwoods to ride motocross, and one of them runs the boy down. Grieving and enraged, Ed turns to a local woman said to be a witch, who raises a vengeful demon called Pumpkinhead. The creature pursues those responsible, but Ed comes to understand that the deaths he has set in motion will not restore what he lost.

Pumpkinhead was released in 1988 and runs 86 minutes. It is a horror fantasy set in rural America, and it marked the feature directing debut of Stan Winston, who was already widely known for his makeup and creature effects work. The screenplay is by Mark Patrick Carducci and Gary Gerani, with Richard Weinman, Bill Blake and Howard Smith producing for United Artists, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, DEG and Lion Films. Lance Henriksen leads as Ed Harley, alongside Jeff East, John D'Aquino, Cynthia Bain, Kerry Remsen and Joel Hoffman; 24 cast members and 44 crew members are credited.

Made for about 4 million dollars, the film took in roughly the same amount worldwide, so it did not turn a profit during its theatrical run. On IMDb it holds 6.2 out of 10 from more than 27,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.5 out of 10 from several hundred. A critics' rating of 5.7 out of 10 from 23 reviews places professional response slightly below the audience scores.