Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1994) (V)

User Rating:

3.6/10   

Director:

Jeff Burr

Writers:

Constantine Chachornia (writer)
Ivan Chachornia (writer)

Release Date:

16 March 1994 (Japan)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

They couldn't leave dead enough alone.

Plot:

Thrill-seeking teenagers resurrect a demon from his grave and a bloody rampage for revenge begins.

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Witch | Murder | Monster | Demon

Cast

Andrew Robinson	...	Sean Braddock
Ami Dolenz	...	Jenny Braddock
Soleil Moon Frye	...	Marcie
J. Trevor Edmond	...	Danny Dixon
Hill Harper	...	Peter
Alexander Polinsky	...	Paul
Mark McCracken	...	Pumpkinhead
Steve Kanaly	...	Judge Dixon
Gloria Hendry	...	Delilah Pettibone
Lilyan Chauvin	...	Miss Osie
Caren Kaye	...	Beth Braddock
J.P. Manoux	...	Tommy
John Gatins	...	Young Caspar Dixon
Roger Clinton	...	Mayor Bubba
Joe Unger	...	Ernst

Also Known As:

Pumpkinhead 2: The Demon Returns (Australia) (video title)
Pumpkinhead II (USA) (short title)
The Revenge of Pumpkinhead: Blood Wings (UK) (video title)

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence, sexuality and language.

Runtime:

88 min | UK:84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:MA | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Live Entertainment

Trivia:

The 'Book of the Dead' prop from "Army of Darkness (1992)" is on display inside Haggis's house. KNB Effects worked on both films.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Pumpkinhead bursts into the Judge's house, you can see the tennis shoes the actor of Pumpkinhead is wearing.

Quotes:

[Phone conversation]
Jenny: Look, I gotta go. I'll see you after school tomorrow, all right?
Danny: You sure you don't want me to come over there later tonight and tuck you in?
Jenny: No, at least not tonight.
Danny: (chuckles lasciviously) All right.
Jenny: Bye.

Movie Connections:

References Army of Darkness (1992)

Soundtrack:

You'll Never See Me Cry

So Bad It's Good

Robinson and Edmond's acting talents are wasted on a rushed production. Apparently the original director bailed out of the project at the last minute and they had a hard time finding other qualified directors to pick it up. Jeff Burr accepted the directors role reluctantly, I think, at the last minute. The plot just isn't faithful to the original, which is a big let down. The script is not bad but totally hammed up by a number of unprofessional actors. You can feel Robinson's frustration in some scenes as he contends with acting counterparts with no talent. The special effects are decent enough, if not slightly behind, considering this was made in 1993 and 1994.

Even though I was thoroughly disappointed in the handling of this sequel, I do own it on DVD. My love for the original PH keeps me faithful to this one and the third segment, but definitely not the fourth installment, "Blood Feud". It's a shame that one of the major movie studios didn't try to more with this franchise. The pumpkin head monster could have been used much more effectively than it was used in the sequels. Perhaps one of the main studios could have picked the pumpkin head idea up and released several sequels around Halloween. Why Sci-Fi got involved in this franchise, I'll never know. But once Sci-Fi gets involved in any project, the project is destined for to go into "straight to DVD" category.

P.H. II is a brainless ride that should be taken for what it's worth: A rushed production that no one really seemed to care a whole lot about. A better plot, more faithful to the original; more professional actors, besides Robinson and Edmond; and a slower production pace would have gone along way in producing a sequel worthy of the original. Take a whirl on "Blood Wings" if your a die hard PH fan, if your not, you'll have issues with it.