Pumpkinhead (1988)

Pumpkinhead encompasses everything that was awesome about 80's horror. It's a classic creature feature packaged up with loads of atmosphere, fun characters and a fantastically eerie score. The use of strong colors and lighting help to set the mood from start and there's never really a dull moment throughout the 86 minute runtime. The movie starts off in 1957 and follows a kid who sees the mythical Pumpkinhead tear some poor bastard a new one. The poor bastard apparently hurt a young girl, although he claimed innocence. Of course Pumpkinhead didn't care, he's a demon who gets conjured up to seek revenge on people who have hurt others, so had a job to do. Fast-forward to the present day, 1988, and that kid is all grown up raising a kid of his own. He's a single dad raising his son out in the woods in the middle of nowhere. He runs an old gas station for a living, which is where he crosses paths with a group of teens who will eventually find themselves the targets of Pumpkinhead. This movie is amazing at building tension. There's far more tension than suspense, which is actually unusual for a creature feature. Of course, Pumpkinhead also benefits from a supernatural angle which lends itself well to tension building. Great cast as well, engaging story and an overall fun wild ride.