Given his iconic look and status as one of horror’s more indelible boogeymen, it’s strange to think that the vengeance demon Pumpkinhead has been given such a short shrift in the time since his debut feature. While makeup effects legend Stan Winston’s first directorial effort has long since cemented its place in horror history as a beloved cult film, the character he helped breathe life into on the silver screen has sadly seen little in the way of justice when it comes to the follow-ups meant to carry on his story. The three film sequels each bypassed theatres, and all stand as a case study in horror franchise diminishing returns. However, a solid attempt at furthering the monster’s tale in another medium was made a year in advance of the second feature film’s direct-to-video release.
Released by Dark Horse Comics in the fall of 1993, Pumpkinhead: The Rites of Exorcism was originally slated to be a four issue miniseries which would continue the lead character’s story while expanding on his mythology. The comic follows Mariah, a young woman we meet at the beginning of the first issue when she visits “Granny” Haggis, the old witch from the original film. After a brief recap of the events of the first movie, Haggis informs Mariah that she is due to take the witch’s place as the “Guardian of the Dark Secret” once the elderly mentor passes on. You see, Mariah’s body and soul had been sold to Haggis at birth by her farmer parents in exchange for a lifetime of bountiful harvests. Nevertheless, the young woman has her own ideas about her future, planning to run away from her small town and the hillfolk who inhabit it in order to be with David, the town doctor’s young son.
Meanwhile, an aging mountain of a man named Angus Brenner has arrived in town, seeking out Haggis for his own reasons. Having heard of the “Pumpkinhead” murders in this small town, Brenner seeks to track down Haggis and hunt down the “focal point”, hoping to employ a method of exorcism which has been used throughout the world to combat the particular type of evil wielded by Haggis and the vengeance demon she’s able to summon. Of course, his tale will collide with Mariah’s in the most tragic of ways.
When a group of young thugs assault and murder Mariah, David takes it upon himself to perform the ritual which will awaken Pumpkinhead to avenge to woman he loved and had intended to marry. In short order, the monstrous demon begins to lay waste to the people who had a hand in Mariah’s death, even as David attempts to make peace with the fact that he’s damned himself…or so he thinks. Once Brenner realizes that Pumpkinhead is on the loose yet again, he finds the boy and informs him that he is not beyond saving – that he too was once like David, before he was able to survive his ordeal and began using his newfound knowledge to seek out others like himself to save. And then…
Well, who knows. Sadly, only two issues of this miniseries were published, leaving the story to end two issues shy of its completion (on a fairly large cliffhanger, no less). It’s a damned shame, given that the densely packed tale managed to be reminiscent of the original film, even as it told its own distinct story while deepening the mythology hinted at in the first movie (a tantalizing glimpse of the vengeance demon’s origins and his appearances throughout history grace the second issue). Apparently a winged version of the titular creature would have appeared in the miniseries’ third issue as well – an idea which would later be considered (and scrapped) for the second film before being realized as an incredible model kit later on in the 90s.
Written by Pumpkinhead creator/co-writer Gary Gerani and boasting solid art by Shawn McManus and Jim McDermott, Pumpkinhead: The Rites of Exorcism may be a frustrating experience for fans given its lack of a proper conclusion, but it nevertheless remains a fascinating and strong entry in the franchise. It’s arguably the best sequel that the original film has managed to have in the three decades since its release (though Dynamite Comics’ 2018 Pumpkinhead miniseries was pretty damned fantastic, as well). Issues can still be found relatively cheap out there online, and are well worth seeking out for fans.
If you happen to check them out (or if you’ve already managed to read them), check in below and let us know what you think of this Pumpkinhead tale!
