Movie Review #52: Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1993)

 

Well, I woke up early today and wasn't really in the mood to do anything else except watch a movie. The sillier the better. I'll wait some time before I tell yoiu if this movie was silly or not. Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings was a movie that I believe I rented the same time as the original. I knew I couldn't be disappointed because look at Pumpkinhead! I believed in Pumpkinhead! Like the original film I haven't seen this movie since that week in like 1995. or 1996? I should have kept a diary like a big nerd. Anyway I know I liked this movie and scenes of it stuck into my head ever since. Pumpkinhead movies have a good way of staying in your head. 

I don't do this much but I think I shall discuss the VHS distributor of this movie because I think they have a interesting history. They started in 1981 as Family Home Entertainment. If you ever rented a TMNT VHS tape you KNOW that name like there's no tomorrow. In 1983 they started a branch of the company called USA Home Video. You'll see that name on the first Silent Night Deadly Night (and I'm sure a lot more movies but that's the most important and popular of the films) they became IVE later on. IVE and FHE were sold to some old dude. He made it LIVE Entertainment. (He even bought the greatest VHS company in the world Vestron!) LIVE Entertainment became Artisan Entertainment before being sold to Lionsgate. I just find it funny that a company known for Silent Night, Deadly Night sequels, TMNT VHS tapes, and silly monster movies like Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (see I would tell you if it was silly!)

So I'm gonna go to talk about how the plot is muddled and not very well done. Yes, I am as shocked as you that Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings has a muddled plot. So the movie starts out with a deformed little boy named Tommy Parnell being killed by a bunch of 1950s greasers. I like greasers and I think they need a comeback. Anyway years later in 1993 a bunch of kids fuck up and bring the monster back to life. They hurt the witch lady that would look after Tommy. So now Tommy wants to kill the greasers and the kids. It's also said by the witch lady that Tommy's dad was Pumpkinhead. So he's being possessed by his dad to kill these people??? Also in the original movie Ed Harley would freak out when Pumpkinhead would kill people because he was the one who brought him in to do the work. So in this movie whenever someone dies, it's the lady who has a freak out. Shouldn't it have been the dickhead character Danny Dixon (try saying that five times fast) who actually brought Tommy/Pumpkinhead back to life who's having the freak outs? I don't really care if a sequel goes "ah hell let's just change the whole rules and everything" I just want it to make a little sense. 

Anyway, it may surprise you but I still enjoyed this movie. I mean I've enjoyed movies with way more incoherent and poorly done plots than this. This just has several issues. Not something I can't look past. I must praise Jeff "The Sequel Man" Burr for his direction. I LOVE how so many scenes in this movie are set up, like when Pumpkinhead escapes his grave. It's foggy out, the fucking coffin EXPLODES and you see his big old claw. It's amazing. The special effects by KNB Effects are fucking awesome. If you want the red stuff you get it in this film! The acting is a mixed bag really. Some of it is really good (Andrew Robinson who was in Dirty Harry and Hellraiser but will always be known to me as the "PRESTO YOUR BALD" weirdo barber from Child's Play III) and very pretty Ami Dolenz (from cinematic achievements such as Ticks and Witchboard II, you may believe I'm being sarcastic but I really do consider them cinematic achievements.) The guy who plays Danny Dixon is having a great time as a huge asshole. The rest of the cast is OK to hilariously bad (a guy has like maybe two words and he somehow makes it the most hilariously awful performance I've seen in a very long time)

FINAL VERDICT: This is definetly a downgrade from the original movie, however it's got enough sillyness and weird actors (I didn't even mention Bill Clinton's brother Roger Clinton in this damn movie! He plays the mayor! Do you think he ever did anything inappropriate with an intern???) to make it a fun watch. I will soon be delving into uncharted waters and I hope they are good to me.