What scares
Andrew Goodridge?
He’s giving us a month to find out.
Follow along with Andrew as he plans to get into the spirit of his favorite holiday by watching a different horror movie every day in the month of October.
October 7
Pumpkinhead and shoulders above the rest
“Pumpkinhead” (1989)
Directed by: Stan Winston
Screenplay by: Stan Winston, Richard C. Weinman, Gary Gerani, Mark Patrick Carducci
Scary movies in the 80s may be best-known for the iconic horror franchises (“A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Friday the 13th,” “Poltergeist”), but I think it should be remembered even more for the dominating artists behind the camera.
No other era can boast a lineup with names like John Carpenter, John Landis, George A. Romero, Joe Dante, Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper, Dan O’Bannon, Stuart Gordon, and many more. But the real geniuses behind the scenes may not have been the directors. They may have been the make-up artists.
Guys like Rick Baker, Greg Nicotero, Tom Savini and Dennis Muren, who created the lasting and indelible effects on “Ghostbusters” and “An American Werewolf in London” and “The Howling” and “Day of the Dead,” were every bit as important as the guys calling the shots. But the most prolific work may have been from Stan Winston, who did makeup and special effects for “Predator,” “Aliens,” “The Entity,” “The Monster Squad,” and a dozen others.
Winston also padded his resume by directing “Pumpkinhead” (1989), one of the most visually stylized and wholly creepy horror films of the decade.
But, of course, the makeup effects stole the show. “Pumpkinhead” has an involving story about a man who summons a demon to avenge his son’s death, but the star was Pumpkinhead himself. He bears a striking resemblance to the aliens in “Alien,” though he’s got wings and giant, claw-y hands. He’s scary, and he was probably a very welcome change in 1989, just as the plodding, faceless killer era (Jason and Michael Myers and Leatherface) was starting to show signs of age.
It’s fitting, I think, that Winston directed “Pumpkinhead” at the close of the 80s (just as Tom Savini was directing his remake of “Night of the Living Dead”). Effects wizards dominated the decade with horrifying and memorable images, and I’m glad they had a chance to direct before the era sadly came to a screeching halt and everything changed somewhere between “The Abyss” and “Jurassic Park.”
There’s something about computer-generated effects that just seems like cheating. I realize it’s an art form and it takes talented, creative people to bring dinosaurs or Transformers to life. But, when looking at the differences between the shoddy CGI in the remake of “The Wolf-Man” and the practical effects of “The Howling” or “An American Werewolf” — both made nearly 30 years earlier — there’s just no comparison. What we know really is there will always be scarier than what we know really isn’t there.
We’ll be continuing the 80s theme tonight. I’m not sure which one is next.”Prom Night,” “Creepshow” and “Child’s Play” are all possibilities. Whatever we watch, though, it’s sure to be loaded with practical effects — lots of latex and corn syrup and makeup. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Up next: Something from the 80s.
Andrew Goodridge likes movies so much that he married one. He teaches Audio/Video production, Filmmaking, and Film & Television History in Fort Worth, Texas. He would one day like to have a Pug, or maybe a Bulldog.
Andrew Goodridge can be reached at goodridge@everythingnac.com
