Pumpkinhead 4: Blood Feud

Back in 1989, Pumpkinhead first hit the screen. Pumpkinhead is a very different type of monster in that he doesn't just roam around and kill of his own free will. Pumpkinhead has to be summoned, by someone who has been greatly wronged, usually by the death of a loved one. They must be so full of anger that they seek the ultimate vengeance, death. There is a price to pay for this vengeance, however. Ed Harley (Lance Henriksen) learned that in the first movie. He returns in Pumpkinhead 4: Blood Feud to try and warn any would-be vengeance seekers how large this price is in hopes that they might listen better than he did and change their mind on calling the beast.

In Pumpkinhead 4: Blood Feud, we are treated to the classic feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys. Just to add more fuel to the fire, Jodie Hatfield (Amy Manson) and Ricky McCoy (Bradley Taylor) have the audacity to fall in love. Jodie's brothers cannot allow this to happen to their sister. To them, there is no sin she could have committed greater than falling in love with a McCoy. In their pursuit of Jodie and Ricky, they inadvertently kill Ricky's sister, Sara (Maria Roman).

All Ricky wants is to be free of the Hatfields so that he and Jodie can run off and be married. Sara's death pushes him over the edge. He goes to visit the witch, Haggis (Lynne Verrall), to call upon Pumpkinhead to rid the world of every last McCoy, excluding Jodie, of course. Once unleashed, Pumpkinhead cannot be recalled until the task is done.

Pumpkinhead has some very violent tendencies and revels in the kill. He's very creative in his methods, which include tearing heads off and ripping guts out. As you might guess, Pumpkinhead 4 is a violent, bloody movie at times. Personally though, I found that it was just the right amount of blood, guts, and gore. They didn't really throw in extra blood or body parts just to try and make it scarier. The acting was marginal to good. Pumpkinhead himself did get a minor overhaul in this movie. His head was shrunk some. It is definitely nowhere near pumpkin-looking, but still quite creepy. Overall, if you're a fan of horror movies, I would recommend this movie. It might not be something to buy, as I can't really see watching it over and over again, but it is worth watching.