For his directorial debut Oscar-winning special effects genius Stan Winston stayed on safe ground with this EC Comic inspired dark horror morality tale showcasing one of his best monster creations. Well-cast Lance Henriksen invokes an ancient witch curse to resurrect the demon Pumpkinhead to take vengeance on the vacationing bikers who killed his son. The smoky backwoods ambience and several plot twists paper over some plodding and under-characterised exposition, and the gore murders are of a standard issue nature. But Winston's creature is as awesomely frightening and brilliantly constructed and offers more than enough feral scream-lined chills to thrill along to. The sequel The Revenge of Pumpkinhead - Blood Wings followed in 1994.

When a group of teenagers inadvertently kill his only son, Ed Harley seeks the powers of a backwoods witch to bring the child back to life.