Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings

Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings
Directed by	Jeff Burr
Produced by	Brad Krevoy
Written by	Constantine Chachornia Ivan Chachornia Will Huston (Uncredited)
Starring	Andrew Robinson Ami Dolenz Soleil Moon Frye J. Trevor Edmond Hill Harper Alexander Polinsky Mark McCracken Steve Kanaly Roger Clinton, Jr. Linnea Quigley
Music by	Jim Manzie
Cinematography	Bill Dill
Editing by	Lauren A. Schaffer
Distributed by	Motion Picture Corporation of America
Release date(s)	October 19, 1994 (1994-10-19)
Running time	88 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings is the 1994 direct-to-video sequel to the 1988 horror film Pumpkinhead. In this movie, thrill-seeking teens resurrect a demon and come to regret it. The movie is barely related to others in the series. A PC game by the name of Bloodwings: Pumpkinhead's Revenge was released shortly after the movie.

Plot

The film opens with a scene set in 1958 in Ferren Woods – a small backwater town. An old, blind witch named Ms. Ossie feeds a deformed orphan named Tommy; he is the offspring of Pumpkinhead. As Tommy sits on a hill and eats, a car of six teens pull up and notice him. Convinced that he is a spawn of the devil or some demonic monster, they chase after him with switchblade knives and baseball bats; eventually, they corner him at an old iron mine, where they bludgeon him, hang him up above the mine and drop him down in it, killing him.

35 years later, Sheriff Sean Braddock, his wife, and his daughter Jenny have come into town from New York City. Sean grew up in Ferren Woods and returned when offered a job as the local sheriff. At school, Jenny meets a group of wild kids, one of whom is Daniel "Danny" Dixon, whose dad, (who was one of the teens who had taken part in Tommy's murder 35 years ago), is the town judge. Braddock senses that his daughter's new friends are trouble and forbids Jenny to associate with them. Notwithstanding, the teens sneak off one night and pilfer her dad's car. Danny inadvertently hits Ms. Ossie. When they go to her cabin to check on her, they find a spellbook and vials of blood, which she is planning to resurrect Tommy with. After Ms. Ossie catches them in the cabin, she orders them to leave and return the vial of blood, sensing that they were trying to steal it. Danny knocks her down and escapes with the vial.

Danny and his friends attempt to resurrect Tommy's corpse. Jenny then notices Ms. Ossie's cabin on fire and Danny and his friends flee. Ms. Ossie is badly burnt and ends up in the hospital, battling 3rd degree burns. Unbeknownst to Danny and his friends, the spell they'd attempted had worked, resurrecting Tommy in the form of Pumpkinhead (Tommy's vengeful soul possessed its physical body). Soon, Judge Dixon's friends begin to meet grisly deaths. Jenny's father investigates and after thorough research, he begins to come to terms with the fact that Tommy is responsible for the murders.

Ms. Ossie dies, but not before revealing to Braddock some clues regarding the victims and Pumpkinhead. Braddock discovers the connection between the victims and Pumpkinhead, realizing that the judge is next. Danny's friends discuss Pumpkinhead and the prospect that it could come after them as well for what they did to Ms. Ossie. Judge Dixon calls his posse, which he has contracted to assist him in killing whatever it is they suspect of murdering his friends. Before they can arrive however, Pumpkinhead enters the judge's home and brutally murders him. Now that Tommy has avenged his own death, he begins going after Danny and his friends. Braddock and the town doctor arrive to save the judge, but it's too late; they then begin to go into the woods to find Jenny. By this time, Pumpkinhead (Tommy) has murdered Danny and his 3 friends. He chases Jenny to the iron mine. Since Sheriff Braddock had saved his life years earlier as a boy, and because Jenny was innocent of hurting Ms. Ossie, Tommy backs away and allows Jenny to step down to her father safe and sound. However, the judge's posse arrives and shoots Tommy into the mine, where he had died 35 years earlier.

Cast

• Andrew Robinson as Sean Braddock
• Kane Hodder as Keith Knox
• Ami Dolenz as Jenny Braddock
• J. Trevor Edmond as Danny Dixon
• Alexander Polinsky as Paul
• Linnea Quigley as Nadine
• Soleil Moon Frye as Marcie
• Gloria Hendry as Delilah Pettibone
• Steve Kanaly as Judge Dixon
• Joe Unger as Ernst
• Roger Clinton, Jr. as Mayor Bubba
• Hill Harper as Peter

Production

According to director Jeff Burr, a few seconds of footage was trimmed in order to avoid an NC-17, mainly from the scene where Pumpkinhead claws a farmer to death and the monster's own death at the end of the film.

The film was shot at Sable Ranch in Santa Clarita in a 20 Day schedule. The line producer was Michael Mandaville. The first assistant director was Jack Breschard. The witch's house was built and burned on Sable Ranch, requiring permission from the State of California to selectively trim old protected Oak trees.

Actress Soleil Moon Frye would occasionally show up with muffins that she baked to give the crew.

Game

A PC game titled Bloodwings: Pumpkinhead's Revenge was released for the PC. The game was virtually unknown until internet critic The Spoony One reviewed the game. The game has become notorious for its cryptic nature, as the player is given no in-game instructions on how to play.

The player controls a keeper of lost souls who is sent into the spirit world to do battle with Pumpkinhead. In the first level of the game- known as 'Periphery'- the player fights demons to obtain 'tantanik crystals,' which allow the player to watch video clips from the Pumpkinhead 2 movie. While watching these clips the player can grab items to add to their inventory, though the use of each item is not made clear. For a few examples: the hook and pot of stew do nothing, the cigarette kills the player, the shovel is used to obtain a stronger weapon, the vial of blood reveals secret pathways, and the fire extinguisher is used to cross pits of lava and enter areas which recovers health. The first level contains one video clip that is not from the movie, which depicts robbers loading up a truck. If the player takes the stolen radio, television, or cardboard box from this clip, the player is accused of stealing and their entire inventory is removed. The player must explore the level and obtain glyphs. The player then visits the "Gatekeeper" who demands one glyph as an offering. The player must then answer a trivia question regarding the movie. If the player makes the wrong offering, answers the question incorrectly, or shoots the gatekeeper, the player dies.

In the second level of the game- known as 'Purgatory'- the player must rescue lost souls, which are pictures of the game's developers. The player must also watch more video clips from the movie; this time clips depicting the murders of specific characters. The player must use a voodoo doll obtained in the first level to keep certain people alive in each clip. In the movie; only Jenny and Jane survive. If these two characters are not saved by the player, or if the player saves a character who was supposed to die, the player loses. Once a character is killed the player is given either a toy or a piece of a medallion; all of which are required to finish the third level. There appears to be an unknown set of conditions on when the player will be given pieces of the medallion or toys. The player must use a magazine either obtained in the first level or purchased in the second level to clear the second level.

In the final level of the game- known as 'Lair'- the player must watch two final movie clips: one depicting the murder of the judge, and one that shows the player what Pumpkinhead's favorite toy was as a child. The player must travel to the center of the level then give Pumpkinhead his favorite childhood toy in order to calm his soul. The game's ending depicts Pumpkinhead dancing to music. Many players find this ending to be deeply insulting, and when viewed on the internet many suspect that it is a joke.

The game has an alternate ending, which is uncovered by- rather than giving Pumpkinhead his favorite toy- fighting Pumpkinhead and defeating him in combat. This ending threatens that Pumpkinhead awaits the player's return to the netherworld, and depicts Pumpkinhead extending two middle fingers at the player.

It should be noted that if a player forgets to obtain a critical item- such as the voodoo doll- before exiting the level in which the item is found, the game is rendered impossible to complete and the player must ultimately restart the game.

External links

• Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings at the Internet Movie Database
• Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings at AllRovi
• Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings at Rotten Tomatoes