Vengeance is Thy Name: Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1994)

With so many films horror films from the 1990s seemingly being reappraised by a large number of horror fans in recent years, isn’t it about time Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1994) received its time in the reappraisal spotlight? This often derided sequel was expertly helmed by direct-to-TV (DTV) sequel king Jeff Burr (Stepfather 2: Make Room for Daddy (1989), Puppet Master 4 (1993), Puppet Master 5 (1995) and Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990)), and is a folk horror delight which in some respects is actually better than Stan Winston’s 1989 original (I know, sacrilege).

While some sequels go above and beyond their predecessors by delving further into the already established mythology, others take a more standalone approach. Filmed in 1993, but not released until 1994 on video in the US (and 1995 in the UK), Pumpkinhead II does the latter by using the Vengeance Demon to tell an equally heart-breaking and personal story of long forgotten injustice and remorseful teenage torment.

Like many of Burr’s films (pre and post Pumpkinhead II) this sequel is a visual treat within the DTV realm. Lensed by Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) cinematographer William Dill, the night-time sequences are bathed in cold blue hues, lightning and mist which give off a heightened pulp comic aesthetic (especially when the inventive free-flowing camera work is added on top). The opening sequence even has a sepia filter with paired with dutch camera angles to further heighten its sense of reality. If the original were to be classified is a rustic painting, then this sequel is set firmly within an EC Comics universe and is all the better for it.

Going hand-in-hand with the EC Comics vibe are the nightmarish visions that certain characters have. Going through Burr’s back catalogue, this appears to be a reoccurring motif within his work (just look at the aforementioned Puppet Master 5 and Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III for proof), and these absurd visual aesthetics produce such a great sense of wonderment that elevates and differentiates them from standard DTV fare.

Pumpkinhead II is also blessed with some of the finest character and genre actors who graced the big and small screen during the 1990s. DTV scream queen and Kevin S. Tenney regular Ami Dolenz (Ticks (1993), Witchboard 2: The Devil’s Doorway (1993), Demolition University (1997)), belts out some legendary screams, further cementing her final girl status. Andrew Robinson (Hellraiser (1987), Deep Space Nine, Child’s Play 3 (1991)) turns in a rare good-guy performance who is coming to terms with his haunted past. Like many of Robinson’s on-screen performances, he takes what would be seen as a mundane character and adds pathos and compassion (along with a healthy dose of cheeky humour), even going so far as to outshine Lance Henriksen’s tortured Ed Harley from the first entry.

The remaining cast includes some great cameos from the likes of Blaxploitation queen Gloria Hendry, onetime Leatherface R.A. Mihailoff and Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III stalwart Joe Unger. Even Linnea Quigley, Kane Hodder and actor turned screenwriter John Gatins [1] join in on the action, further adding to its B-Movie horror roots.

Director Burr and screenwriters Constantine Chachornia and Ivan Chachornia (with some additional material by Andrew Osborne and Will Huston) also cleverly avoid rehashing the original film, by making this representation of Pumpkinhead a sympathetic anti-hero protagonist. You want him to see revenge from his tormentors and murderers. It’s easy to see why it may have alienated fans of the original, but they would be missing out on a truly unsettling and sad story of long overdue revenge. If the final showdown doesn’t cast a tear in your eye, you truly have no compassion.

There are a few faults within this incredibly enjoyable sequel though. The teens really aren’t that likeable and quickly become irritating, often making you wish Pumpkinhead would rip their heads and limbs off sooner rather than later. At times they can also show too much of Pumpkinhead, which loses his mysticism, as he rampages around the backwoods (especially when compared to selective use of the original). But these are minor quibbles for an otherwise under-appreciated creature feature, where said creature terrorises the band of yuppie teens and backwoods farmers with gloriously gory relish.

Bizarrely for a DTV sequel it spawned a first-person shooter video game with FMV [2] elements – as was the trend in the mid-90s for DOS [3] games. Released in 1995 and titled Bloodwings: Pumpkinhead’s Revenge, it was developed by BAP Interactive and published by the infamous Electronic Arts; it remains an unusual first-person-shooter/puzzle hybrid with video clips from the film.

Although supremely hard to both acquire and play on any modern PC gaming set-ups, playthroughs can still be found on various media platforms. Even watching these now, it’s clear how much of a unique gaming experience it was. Despite being released a year after the film and suffering from lacklustre reviews, its still an interesting addition to the Pumpkinhead cannon.

Overall, it’s high time Pumpkinhead II is given its due and a bit of love, especially when stacked against Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes (2006) and Pumpkinhead: Blood Feud (2007). Without sounding hyperbolic, with its unsettling folk-legend revenge narrative, dreamlike visuals and heart-breaking story, this is the most unique and rewatchable entry in the entire series.

This is an excerpt from my upcoming book Return of the Sequel

Like its older brother before it, Pumpkinhead II was renamed when released on VHS in the UK. With its predecessor retitled to Vengeance The Demon by CBS Fox (with no mention of Pumpkinhead on the front or within the back synopsis) it seemed a bizarre choice by High Fliers to distribute this sequel under the title of The Revenge of Pumpkinhead: Blood Wings, which may have confused the average Friday night renter when it was released in early 1995

The US box art for the DOS game (1995)

[1] You may recognise Gatins form several other horror sequels including: Witchboard 2: The Devil’s Doorway (1993) and Leprechaun 3 (1995). More recently he has applied his screenwriting skill to feel-good robot boxing film Real Steel (2011), the genuinely under appreciated reboot for Power Rangers (2017) and has also been credited with the story for schlocky big-budget monster flick Kong: Skull Island (2017).

[2] FMV are Full Motion Video games that rely on pre-recorded video an were all the rage in the early 1990s, thanks to the higher processing power of CDs. Some famous FMV games include Phantasmagoria (1995) which was directed by low budget genre filmmaker Peter Maris (Land of Doom (1986), Terror Squad (1988), Diplomatic Immunity (1991)), the infamous Night Trap (1992), the critically lauded Mark Hamill starring Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger (1994), and The 7^th Guest (1993).

[3] DOS was a computer operating system during the 1990s, its most well known version being MS-DOS, which dominated the computer market from 1981 to 1995, until Windows 95 became the standard (although it was compatible to run with MS-DOS).