You will note that I said this is not the best introduction to the series that began with Pumpkinhead. Being that this was the only episode available on DVD for rental at the time, I started with this episode anyway. I should know, therefore, that Ashes To Ashes is possibly the worst possible sequel to be introduced to the franchise by. The first Nightmare On Elm Street film I saw was the second, and a rather clumsily censored television edit at that, so I am speaking from quite a wealth of experience here. That said, all of the elements for a good horror film are in place here. The cast is strong, the premise is creative, and the special effects help tell the story rather than detract from it as is usually the case with horror films. The problem is that, as one previous commentator has already pointed out, it really needed another rewrite or two in order to excise the fat. Which is ironic when you consider how many films on the market have been brutally murdered by too many rewrites.
Ashes To Ashes is set in a town where the illicit trade in transplant organs is so rife that the local population depends on it in order to be able to afford healthcare. When one of the prospective donors escapes and dies in a local resident's car, a search uncovers a series of hastily-discarded corpses. As bad as that sounds, it gets worse when the aggrieved locals solicit the aid of a local mystic who looks like she last saw water when Hiroshima was free of radioactivity. The twist in Ashes To Ashes is that in contrast to the Nightmares On Elm Street or Hellraisers, there are no good guys in the traditionally understood sense. Everyone in this film is tainted to some degree. Another contrast to other horror films that is set well in Ashes To Ashes is that it gives the characters a credible reason to summon the titular monster, so much so that the summoning ritual as demonstrated in the film might stretch credulity to the limit, but it works in spite of that. Selling a rubber-suit monster is no easy task, after all.
Helping the side is some very credible acting by Lance Henriksen and Doug Bradley, two veterans of the low-budget science fiction and horror genres who have this style of acting down to a fine art. Henriksen only appears as a ghostly portent of doom for the most part, but when he does make his infrequent appearances, he sells the reality of the film in a manner that reminds one of those credit card commercials. Doug Bradley unsuccessfully attempts to sound American and comes off sounding like he is at least mildly drunk. Despite that, he keeps the audience rooted in the film, delivering dialogue stilted enough to have appeared in The Phantom Menace with a gentlemanly authority that only Bradley can wrench out of such dialogue. He even gets to deliver a quick monologue about the nature of pain that leaves one expecting him to sprout nails. His character is pure evil, as is established early in the proceedings. In a total reversal of his better-known character, however, he manages to sell the fact that this particular character believes otherwise.
Pumpkinhead: Ashes To Ashes, is also the kind of film that rewards a second viewing, in spite of its stitled and clumsy script. Little things such as how those who summoned the titular monster react to the things it does become apparent the second time around. The problem is that the characters are so underwritten that without the consummate acting skills of Henriksen or Bradley, the characters are completely flat. Aside from the stereotypically Bible Belt accents, one could mistake the action for taking place in any environment besides the urban. On the other hand, it is nice to see the "ol' country" through eyes that are unflinching in their view that what some will try to tell you does not happen in this kind of environment not only does happen, but at the exact same per-capita rate. It makes for a nice contrast to the way cut-off nowhere lands without adequate healthcare or employment are confused with paradise by the dull travelogues that comprise ninety percent of the Australian film industry.
Unfortunately, the film has no sense of pacing, and aside from the inevitable scare sequences, this is one incredibly talky, slow-moving piece. Sometimes the excess of dialogue works. The sequences with the dessicated old witch are a good example of this. However, when the townsfolk converse for more than a few seconds, the thin characterisations shine through brilliantly. The priest at the sermon in particular would have people knocking down his door to appear in other locations, as people who put that much into their speeches are not exactly easy to find. Ultimately, however, the film is meant to be about vengeance and the price it entails. As we learn that one of the summoners wants to stop the Pumpkinhead from rending the flesh of everything in the town, the question shifts from who is going to get killed to what it will cost for this cessation. And while the answer to that question could have brought a spark of delight in the hands of the right director, Ashes To Ashes shows us the answer in a manner that is so perfunctory it defies all good writing sense.
I gave Pumpkinhead: Ashes To Ashes a three out of ten. It is a step up from watching paint dry, but not by much.
Ashes To Ashes is set in a town where the illicit trade in transplant organs is so rife that the local population depends on it in order to be able to afford healthcare. When one of the prospective donors escapes and dies in a local resident's car, a search uncovers a series of hastily-discarded corpses. As bad as that sounds, it gets worse when the aggrieved locals solicit the aid of a local mystic who looks like she last saw water when Hiroshima was free of radioactivity. The twist in Ashes To Ashes is that in contrast to the Nightmares On Elm Street or Hellraisers, there are no good guys in the traditionally understood sense. Everyone in this film is tainted to some degree. Another contrast to other horror films that is set well in Ashes To Ashes is that it gives the characters a credible reason to summon the titular monster, so much so that the summoning ritual as demonstrated in the film might stretch credulity to the limit, but it works in spite of that. Selling a rubber-suit monster is no easy task, after all.
Helping the side is some very credible acting by Lance Henriksen and Doug Bradley, two veterans of the low-budget science fiction and horror genres who have this style of acting down to a fine art. Henriksen only appears as a ghostly portent of doom for the most part, but when he does make his infrequent appearances, he sells the reality of the film in a manner that reminds one of those credit card commercials. Doug Bradley unsuccessfully attempts to sound American and comes off sounding like he is at least mildly drunk. Despite that, he keeps the audience rooted in the film, delivering dialogue stilted enough to have appeared in The Phantom Menace with a gentlemanly authority that only Bradley can wrench out of such dialogue. He even gets to deliver a quick monologue about the nature of pain that leaves one expecting him to sprout nails. His character is pure evil, as is established early in the proceedings. In a total reversal of his better-known character, however, he manages to sell the fact that this particular character believes otherwise.
Pumpkinhead: Ashes To Ashes, is also the kind of film that rewards a second viewing, in spite of its stitled and clumsy script. Little things such as how those who summoned the titular monster react to the things it does become apparent the second time around. The problem is that the characters are so underwritten that without the consummate acting skills of Henriksen or Bradley, the characters are completely flat. Aside from the stereotypically Bible Belt accents, one could mistake the action for taking place in any environment besides the urban. On the other hand, it is nice to see the "ol' country" through eyes that are unflinching in their view that what some will try to tell you does not happen in this kind of environment not only does happen, but at the exact same per-capita rate. It makes for a nice contrast to the way cut-off nowhere lands without adequate healthcare or employment are confused with paradise by the dull travelogues that comprise ninety percent of the Australian film industry.
Unfortunately, the film has no sense of pacing, and aside from the inevitable scare sequences, this is one incredibly talky, slow-moving piece. Sometimes the excess of dialogue works. The sequences with the dessicated old witch are a good example of this. However, when the townsfolk converse for more than a few seconds, the thin characterisations shine through brilliantly. The priest at the sermon in particular would have people knocking down his door to appear in other locations, as people who put that much into their speeches are not exactly easy to find. Ultimately, however, the film is meant to be about vengeance and the price it entails. As we learn that one of the summoners wants to stop the Pumpkinhead from rending the flesh of everything in the town, the question shifts from who is going to get killed to what it will cost for this cessation. And while the answer to that question could have brought a spark of delight in the hands of the right director, Ashes To Ashes shows us the answer in a manner that is so perfunctory it defies all good writing sense.
I gave Pumpkinhead: Ashes To Ashes a three out of ten. It is a step up from watching paint dry, but not by much.