Movies
‘Saw’ Producer to Remake ‘Pumpkinhead’
The 1988 horror slasher Pumpkinhead is the latest horror film to land on the “remake” table, although the man behind the updated version is trying his best to prove that his intentions are nothing short of honorable.
Peter Block, known as one of the executive producers of the Saw franchise, has obtained the rights to the Pumpkinhead franchise, according to EW, and he wants to bring the creature back from the cinema graveyard. He enlisted a young scribe by the name of Nate Atkins to write the script.
“‘Pumpkinhead’ is one of my favorite horror films of the late ’80s, early ’90s. Stan Winston sits on that Mount Rushmore of iconic filmmakers because of his creature designs, and that was his first directing effort. The creature’s great but the emotional story is wonderful as well,” Block explains.
The updated version is going to pay homage to the original film but only those who know the first well will catch on. “There’s a lot of Easter eggs for people who know the original — iconic shots and iconic lines that we’re going to use.” However, Block assures everyone that there is a purpose to this remake, stating, “…we’ve enhanced the setting, and we’ve expanded the characters somewhat, to give it a different kind of experience.”
Perhaps the biggest point that Block makes is that he recognizes the respect the horror community has for Stan Winston and practical FX, saying, “I am a big proponent of practical effects. That was the great thing about the original. A lot of the films I still respond to most today, it’s because of the practical effects. We think that it’s going to be a nice slow reveal, lots of scares and lots of action in the beginning, and a great creature in the end, which everybody should be able to look at and say, ‘Oh, that’s Pumpkinhead!’ It’s not like you’re all of a sudden going to find that it’s some amorphous, nebulous, CGI wispy thing. You’re going to know it came from the Pumpkinhead family lineage.”
In the original film, which starred Lance Henriksen (Aliens, Alien3), a store owner is overcome with grief after the accidental death of his son. Seeking out vengeance, he teams with a local witch to raise the entity known as “Pumpkinhead” so that those who cause him so much grief can suffer their own horrific fates.
Summer’s official start may not be for a few more weeks, but tell that to the weather. The blistering hot sun is already here, bringing with it buzzy box office releases and lots of exciting new horror. That includes this week’s theatrical release of In a Violent Nature, an experimental slasher that frames the bloody events from the perspective of the undead killer.
On the small screen, “Pretty Little Liars: Summer School“ is currently embracing sun-scorched slasher thrills on Max. So, this week’s streaming picks belong to summer slashers of all varieties, from quintessential summer camp slashers to comedic riffs on the subgenre.
Here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
The Burning – MGM+, Prime Video, Tubi
When a group of campers decide to scare the crap out of Camp Blackfoot caretaker, Cropsy, they giggle as they sit outside his cabin window and wait for the worm and candle-filled skull they’ve set by his bed to elicit the intended scare. It goes horrifically awry and leaves Cropsy disfigured. Five years later he’s released from the hospital and sets his sights on the Camp once more for revenge. This summer camp slasher boasts gnarly deaths, gory makeup effects by Tom Savini, and a great killer design in Cropsy.
Party Hard, Die Young – AMC+, Shudder
This European slasher harkens back to the post-Scream slasher craze, but with a modern polish. Meaning if you’re feeling nostalgic for the teen slashers of yesterday, this is a worthwhile watch. For Julia, her friends, and hundreds of recent high school graduates, a getaway to a Croatian island resort is supposed to offer the best time of their lives. Instead, it turns into a fight for survival. It’s a straightforward, no frills slasher under bright neon haze and a contemporary setting. That’s not a bad thing here. While the killer’s ultimate motivation is familiar, the killer’s identity isn’t as predictable. The summery slasher was shot on location at X-Jam, so expect a lot of strobe effects during the rave scenes for those sensitive.
Tourist Trap – AMC+, freevee, Peacock, Pluto TV, Prime Video, the Roku Channel, Shudder, Tubi
A flat tire derails a summer road trip, stranding a group of friends at a secluded roadside museum that’s filled to the brim with creepy mannequins. These mannequins seem to have a life of their own as well as a blood lust. Of course, if you’ve seen this cult classic, then you know there’s much more than meets the eye here. The feature debut by director David Schmoeller (Puppet Master) boasts atmosphere for days and one haunting score by Pino Donaggio. Tourist Trap offers one of the best summer slashers not set at a camp. It’s not just the scorching heat that makes now a great time to watch this pick; there’s also a new Tourist Trap movie in the works.
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil – Hoopla, Kanopy
Director Eli Craig delivers huge laughs through reframing the slasher from the perspective of its hapless “killers.” Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and pal Dale (Tyler Labine) expected a peaceful summer getaway after purchasing their dream vacation home – a decrepit cabin in the woods. Instead, they’re inundated by a snobby group of college kids who’ve mistaken the duo as murderous hillbillies; and they won’t stop killing themselves on their property. It’s splatstick with a whole lot of heart, made even more memorable for its subversion of slasher tropes and the lead performances by Tudyk and Labine.
X – Hoopla, Netflix, Paramount+
A group of aspiring adult filmmakers load up in a van and drive from Houston to the boonies for their production, in the middle of a blistering hot summer in 1979. Their shoot becomes a bloodbath thanks to the property’s unhinged owners. The lean, straightforward narrative gets straight to the goods and never wastes time on heavy exposition. It’s all in the little details and the talented cast making these characters feel lived-in with a shared history. X demonstrates why Ti West should be given full reign to go full throttle on deranged, savage, and intense horror comedies more often. It’s a great summer slasher with a sequel on the way very soon.
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