Pumpkinhead appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. For the most part, this became a pretty good presentation.
Sharpness varied and could lean a bit soft at times, a factor I felt became exacerbated by some moderate grain reduction. While light grain emerged, this property seemed awfully mild for a 1980s movie often shot in dark circumstances.
Still, most of the movie brought positive delineation, and I saw no jaggies or moiré effects. Both edge haloes and print flaws remained absent.
Although Pumpkinhead didn’t literally have a pumpkin for a head, the cinematography appeared to embrace that edible object given the orange tint that often pervaded the film. We got other hues as well but the flick came with a decided orange/red vibe, and the disc replicated these choices well.
Blacks seemed reasonably deep and dense, while low-light shots became largely accessible. Though this didn’t become a visual showcase, it still seemed satisfactory for a cheap 1988 horror flick.
Adapted from the movie’s original “Ultra Stereo” mix, the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack held up well. The soundscape didn’t go bonkers but it demonstrated a nice sense of involvement.
This became especially true in the front channels, as music and effects offered good movement and delineation. The surrounds came with less to do but they still managed to add dimensionality to the proceedings.
Although audio quality could show the track’s age, these elements remained largely positive. Speech could become a little rough but the lines seemed intelligible and without significant concerns.
Music brought nice range and punch, while effects came across as vivid and full, with appealing low-end. A little distortion inevitably occurred but the whole package nonetheless seemed well above-average for this flick’s era.
This set comes with a bunch of extras, and we begin with an audio commentary from co-writer Gerry Gerani and creature and FX creators Tom Woodruff Jr. and Alec Gillis. Along with moderator Scott Spiegel, all three sit together for this running, screen-specific look at story/characters, inspirations and influences, cast and performances, sets and locations, the design of Pumpkinhead and various effects, and connected topics.
At times we get some good information, but an awful lot of the chat sticks with basic praise for the film and those involved. This makes it considerably less valuable than I hoped.
Video programs ensue, and Pumpkinhead Unearthed goes for one hour, three minutes, 59 seconds. It provides notes from Gerani, Gillis, producer Billy Blake, mechanical effects designer Richard Landon, creature effects and art department Shannon Shea, production designer Cynthia Charette, and actors Cynthia Bain, Kerry Remsen, Brian Bremer, Florence Schauffler, and Lance Henriksen.
The documentary covers the project's origins and development, story and characters, cast and performances, creature design and creation, sets and locations, and Stan Winston as a director. We get some good information here, but the structure tends to seem a little awkward, as "Unearthed" can feel like a collection of separate featurettes rather than a unified documentary.
Behind the Scenes spans seven minutes, 11 seconds and shows video footage of creature design and costume tests along with some on-the-fly comments from Gillis, Landon and creature effects designers John Rosengrant and Shane Mahan. This offers a fun view of the creative processes.
Next comes Night of the Demon. It runs 16 minutes, 29 seconds and offers info from producer Richard Weinman.
We get thoughts about the project's path to the screen and the development of the script, cast and crew and the film's release. Some of this repeats from elsewhere but "Demon" turns into a decent overview.
The Redemption of Joel occupies 14 minutes, two seconds. Here we find statements from actor John D’Aquino.
In this one, D'Aquino discusses his casting, his character, his performance and various memories of the shoot. We get some useful notes from D'Aquino.
Via The Boy with the Glasses, we locate a 14-minute, 30-second reel. Actor Matthew Hurley becomes the subject here.
Hurley tells us how he got his role along with aspects of his time on the shoot. He gives us a nice look at his experiences as a very young actor at the time.
Demonic Toys fills four minutes, 50 seconds and involves sculptor Jean St. Jean as he discusses the Pumpkinhead design and his consumer version of it. We get a decent look at the subject, though one shouldn’t expect anything fascinating.
With Remembering the Monster Kid, we find a 49-minute, 11-second program. It brings comments from Shea, Woodruff, Gillis, Henriksen, and actor Brian Bremer.
The documentary offers a look at the late Stan Winston’s career, with a fair amount about Pumpkinhead. Happily, "Kid" largely avoids the tendency to simply lean toward basic praise, so it provides a good look at Winston and his work.
A Still Gallery provides 102 frames that feature creature photos, shots from the production, movie stills, background elements and ads. It becomes a nice compilation.
Along with the movie’s trailer, we find an Alternate Title Sequence (2:32). It seems identical to the existing opening text except it calls the movie Vengeance: The Demon instead.
Although the core story of Pumpkinhead shows promise, the end result sputters. The film becomes too slow and devoid of tension to succeed. The Blu-ray brings fairly positive picture and surprisingly solid sound along with an extensive array of supplements. Even with some talented folks involved, Pumpkinhead becomes an ineffective horror flick.
Note that although Shout! apparently put out a 4K remaster of Pumpkinhead in 2020, I can’t actually figure out if this Blu-ray offers that identical disc or it comes from a different scan created for the 4K UHD release.
I opined that this 2024 Blu-ray differs from the prior one but honestly, that’s just a guess. I noted that this disc only comes alongside the 4K UHD platter but that could be incorrect.
