Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings
Blu-ray
Director: Jeff Burr
Screenwriter: Constantine and Ivan Chachornia
Cast: Andrew Robinson, Ami Dolenz, Soleil Moon Frye, Mark McCracken, Steve Kanaly, Roger Clinton, Jr., Linnea Quigley
Scream Factory
Rated R | 88 Minutes
Release Date: November 18, 2014

Directed by Jeff Burr (Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III), Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings is the 1993 direct-to-video sequel to Stan Winston’s 1988 film about a vengeful demon that dismembers thrill-seeking teenagers.

1958. The Ferren Woods. An old blind witch, Ms. Osie (Lilyan Chauvin), tends to a deformed orphan named Tommy (Jean-Paul Manoux) – the offspring of Pumpkinhead. A gang of hot-roddin’ kids spot the boy and, convinced he’s some sort of demonic monster, chase him through the woods with switchblades and baseball bats.Eventually, the kids corner him at an old abandoned mine, where they stab him and throw him down into the mine, killing him.

Fast-forward 35 years later, when Sheriff Sean Braddock (Andrew Robinson, Hellraiser), his wife (Caren Kaye), and his daughter Jenny (Amy Dolenz (Witchboard 2: The Devil’s Doorway) move to Ferren Woods. Wild child Jenny immediately falls in with a gang of up-to-no-good teenagers led by Danny Dixon (J. Trevor Edmond), son of the town judge.

While out joyriding, Danny hits ol’ Ms. Osie with his car. The kids sneak into the witch’s cabin, where they find a spellbook and vials of blood – you know, typical witch stuff. Danny steals a vial of blood and later the gang attempts to resurrect Tommy’s corpse.

They unwittingly summon Pumpkinhead – an eight-foot-tall demonic pumpkin-monster that won’t stop killing until Tommy has his revenge. Co-starring Linnea Quigley (Return of the Living Dead) and Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood), Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings is similar to other direct-to-video releases of the ’90s in that it has very little in common with its previous film.

Blood Wings is part-reboot, part-sequel – a film that continues the legend of Pumpkinhead without referencing the first film at all. Winston’s original film was more of a dark fairytale, but the sequel is just another low-budget, by-the-numbers slasher flick. Here, Pumpkinhead is really no different than Jason Voorhees: a giant, unstoppable monster with the soul of deformed boy, who was wronged by terrible teenagers.

By ’90s direct-to-video standards, Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings is a decent horror flick with some impressive special effects by Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead) and his monster-makers. The film was shot in just 24 days, after original director Tony Randel (Hellbound: Hellraiser II) dropped out at the last second and Jeff Burr had to pick up the pieces. It isn’t a great film, but it’s entirely watchable – which is more than can be said for most ’90s horror films.

As always, Scream Factory has gone above and beyond in delivering a top-notch Blu-ray transfer of a film that started on VHS and died on VHS for most. With a 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track, this is the best Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings has ever looked – and it’s hard to imagine it ever looking better, honestly.

If you’re a fan of the Pumpkinhead series or just an enthusiast of forgotten horror films, then Scream Factory has delivered yet another great Blu-ray for your collection. You can order Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings via Amazon.

Bonus Features

* Audio Commentary with director Jeff Burr
* RE-CREATING THE BEAST – interviews with Greg Nicotero, Gino Crognale and Mark McCraken
* MAKING MOVIES – an interview with director Jeff Burr
* Behind-the-scenes footage

Video

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