Review by Peter Syslo
THE PUMPKIN KARVER (2006) is one of those movies that is bad, yet good. To put it into perspective, it is like something that you would see on USA network's “Up All Night”, in the late 1980s. The movie has the camp, the trashy women, the gore, and the general silliness of something like 2001 MANIACS and it is enjoyable, in a similar fashion. Let's face it, if you didn't “get” 2001 MANIACS, it probably seemed like a really stupid and pointless film. I think that this is the same issue with THE PUMPKIN KARVER; it is done with a sense of humor and you have to sort of “get it” in order to enjoy it. So, place your tongue firmly in your cheek and let's proceed.
THE PUMPKIN KARVER is directed by Robert Mann and is written by Sheldon Silverstein and Mann. The film stars Amy Weber, Michael Zara, Minka Kelly, Terrence Evans, and David J. Wright.
The movie is about Jonathan (Zara) and his sister, Lynn (Weber). Jonathan accidentally kills Lynn's boyfriend, Alec (Wright), on Halloween; Jonathan mistakes him for a masked killer – it was an effectively creepy mask, by the way. You see my friends, Alec was a real douche-bag and was horsing around in a way that he shouldn't have been. After that prelude, the story jumps to a future time, when Jonathan and Lynn are living in a different town and are planning to attend a Halloween party at a local pumpkin patch. Jonathan is apparently haunted by the memory of Alec; Jonathan keeps seeing visions of him. As the party gets started, Jonathan and Lynn attempt to have a good time, even though they are surrounded by less-than-welcoming party guests and the less-than-welcoming owner (Evans) of the pumpkin patch. One by one, people start disappearing, people start turning up dead, and Jonathan struggles with his sanity as he keeps seeing visions of Alec.
The story does have a lot of twists and turns and it doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense, in places. However, I did enjoy the spirit of it all. I do have a special affinity for films that take place on or around Halloween. Even if I don't necessarily like the film, I always enjoy that type of atmosphere. Speaking of some of the enjoyable aspects, there are some good “gags” in this film. One of the best is a decapitation scene which occurs while the victim is urinating in the pumpkin patch. You can connect the dots as to what happens – that is one worthwhile reason to watch this movie. Another interesting facet of this movie is that there are various scenes of gore which center around the theme of pumpkin carving. That is the modus operandi of the killer; several victims are found with their faces carved, which I thought was a unique “signature” to the killings. Along with all of that, you have the classic slasher formula which turns the whole thing into a mystery. Jonathan battles with his inner demons as he keeps seeing Alec and the film does turn into that slasher “whodunit” as Alec, Jonathan, and the owner of the pumpkin patch all become suspects. I do want to mention that the twist ending, the reveal, or whatever you want to call it was pretty satisfying. I really didn't expect the ending; it had a degree of unpredictability and it made the overall film a little better, I thought. Watching this film also made me think of RETURN TO HORROR HIGH - it has some similar elements and it has that same “bad yet good” quality which makes it irresistible.
Gnawing through the flesh: THE PUMPKIN KARVER is one of those films that is fun and entertaining. It's one of those movies which would be good to watch at a party because it is lighter and not so intense that you have to hang on every line of dialogue to understand what is happening. It's about funny guys and hot girls who are being stalked by a murderer, at a Halloween party. That's all that you have to know to enjoy it. The effects were actually pretty good; you have impalement, decapitation, and stabbings that all look realistic. Though, there are scenes when the visions of Alec attack Jonathan with “electricity”. Those effects are humorous, because they do look like they predate the lightning effects of The Emperor in RETURN OF THE JEDI. The acting was as you would expect in this type of film – just remember, the guys are funny and the girls are hot. Truthfully, Wright gave the best performance as Alec and Evans was unsettling as the mysterious owner of the pumpkin patch. To sum it all up, if you are looking to watch something that is like those totally pointless 80s horror films (that are so addictive) or if you are a fan of any of the films that I mentioned, then you might “get it” and enjoy it. I give THE PUMPKIN KARVER a dual score: a 3/10 for the bad score and a 6/10 for the good score.