I know some critics say this film is amateurish but I disagree. The brilliant effects guru Stan Winston directed Pumpkinhead (his only full length feature film) and I wish he would have done more. I especially love the lighting. This does not look like a low budget horror movie and frankly, it doesn’t look like a typical horror movie at all. It’s quite cinematic and that only adds to the mood.
I’m a big fan of Lance Henriksen and he’s in top form in this. There’s also a surprising amount of weight to the emotional scenes. Sure, some of the kids are terrible actors but thankfully, they’re given less screen time than Lance. The creature effects are stellar (as you’d expect from something Stan Winston is involved in) and the story is actually pretty compelling, especially for a horror film. I’m a big fan of this one.